Monday, September 30, 2013

Now I'll Send You Robins

     In my last post I sent you some birds that can be a bit of a nuisance. Brewer's black birds can form huge flocks and sometimes there are two or three species in the same flock. These flocks can be a nuisance if they stay in one area.

     For a couple of weeks or more we have had robins cruising the neighborhood. The flocks keep getting bigger as birds from further north arrive. So there are now huge flocks that fly exuberantly though the neighborhood. I watched today and there would constantly be three or four robins in my back yard. They don't stay long before they suddenly buzz off and some different birds arrive.

    So in a few days this large group of robins will gradually move south. Some of them will not go too far south. A few will even stay here of the winter. Every winter I see robins and robins are always in our winter bird count.

    When I was in Inuvik in the 1960's we did not see robins. Now they have robins and robins have nested on Banks Island which is 400km (250 mi) further north and over the Beaufort Sea. When I backpacked in the Rockies one of the most common birds above the tree line was the robin. Robins will nest on the ground even  when trees are nearby. So robins inhabit a wide variety of habitat. 

    People like robins and robins behave themselves. So today I'm getting ready to send you something nice.

31 comments:

  1. Our robins have already left. My bird feeders are full, but there are no birds. We had an excellent quail hatch this year. They haven't come in the yard yet.. I have my cracked corn ready for them.

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    1. You must be at a high altitude for the robins to leave. Quail just are hardy enough to survive here.

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  2. Yes, I think robins are very well behaved birds. I've always loved watching them, Red. :-)

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    1. Robins are well behaved but they can get their dander up if a red squirrel comes near their nest.

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  3. I think its amazing what birds stay behind some years. Beautiful to find something out of the ordinary.

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    1. Robins look quite different in the winter . They have heavy feathers and look pretty big. Their color is fairly dull.

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  4. I look forward to seeing them.

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    1. Now here's where we made a mistake. The old guys came here and saw a bird that looks like your robin and called it robin. But it's not a robin but a thrush. So we're talking about two different birds.

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  5. ah, thanks, red! we get flocks of robins coming through here on their migration. my ears perk up at their sweet call as i grew up welcoming it in the springtime in wisconsin. always makes me homesick.

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    1. They are pretty interesting as they are almost like different birds when they come through in the fall.

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  6. We have robins that nests here on the farm in the Spring . They are a sweet bird to watch. Your right Red, they do behave themselves don't they.

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    1. I haven't had a nest in the yard for a few years. We have too many crows so the robins find other places to nest.

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  7. Robins are cute birds, we have them around here too, they come from the north like Norway and Sweden where it is much colder than in our country.

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    1. Now when people first came to this world they saw a bird that looked like your robin and called it robin. They were wrong it was a thrush. so we keep calling it a robin even if it isn't. It mixes up Europeans.

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  8. I'll take robins any time! They are such lovely birds, and it's sad to see them leaving in the fall. It's just not the same without them here. I haven't seen one in awhile; I guess they're all gone...

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    1. They are probably gone but they'll be back.

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  9. Robins can be fun. But a couple years ago, I had some Bossy Robins that tried to run everything off from getting a bite to eat - including the Orioles. They were all competing for the grape jelly.

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    1. Robins are competitive and are a pretty big bird so they can push their way around.

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  10. Our robins are still here, but I am seeing many different migrating birds. Just wish I could capture their photos.

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    1. I'm pretty limited when it comes to bird pictures. I depend on my friends for decent pictures.

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  11. We have robins that stay throughout the winter, but its always nice to see the main bunch return in the spring.

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    1. In the winter they don't really behave like robins. they eat different food and don't sing.They keep pretty close to the heavy bush for protection.

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  12. I'm not seeing robins where I am but I do enjoy seeing them from time to time because they always cheer me up.

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    1. You should have lots of robins. They are probably out of town in your area.

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  13. Thank you - I like robins and am hoping we'll get some hanging around our area this winter!

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    1. It's funny that in winter they eat completely different food. No worms in the winter ...only berries.

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  14. Our robins come through in groups as well!

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  15. A few overwinter now in the deep woods where they used to go south every year.

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  16. In the large migrating groups it can be very interesting to watch.

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  17. I enjoy the robins return every spring. As I read this I got to thinking I hadn't seen any recently. I'm wondering if mine have already gone (they don't stay here).

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