Mar 27, 2012: “Hey, are you crazy to give snow in late March? My legs are freezing!” Most birds were darting about and singing as usual, but this one made me think that such late return of frosts may be a final nail in the coffin for someone.

On this photo it can be seen very well that the spring change of sparrows' coloring is due not to growing new feathers, but to wear and tear of old ones. Light edges of feathers went away and revealed brighter pieces. Reasonable: after winter hunger there are too little resources to grow new feathers, while the mating period will not wait for latecomers.

species House sparrow Passer domesticus