Robins Robins Robins

[dgulb...@gmail.com]

Starting around 9 I began seeing extraordinary Robin activity outside my study window.

My honeysuckle berries were all gone, and there were only a couple of dried pears

hanging on to my medium-sized pear trees, so I was puzzled why so many were hanging

around. When the number perched just in one tree reached 40, I decided to go out.  I stepped out the door on the other side of the house to find the walk heavily littered with droppings.  Not the usual white splotch, but dark brown and black stuff.  What were they eating?

The great attraction turned out to be a large juniper next door.  A shoveled walk along side it and a large patch of snow-free grass were packed with robins pecking the ground, and there were another 20 or 30 birds in the trees.    I wondered what had caused  the juniper berries to drop, but my neighbor affirmed that it was the mass of birds in the tree that had knocked so many of the berries down.  (The walk had been clear last night.)

In addition to the birds actively feeding, there were robins in trees in all directions-- we estimated 2-300 hundred robins.  

It was thrilling to witness, but not having had any luck with Bohemian Waxwings yet, I was feeling bad that so large a flock didn't have at least a few.  Then I saw them.  They were all in the very top of the juniper, none on the ground.  Only about a dozen or less, but brilliantly lit up.  Great morning!

[dgulb...@gmail.com]

2 1/2 hours later the feeding is still going on for some 100 robins.  

Only a couple of Bohemians left, but as a bonus I saw one Cedar Waxwing too.

David Gulbenkian  

Crown Hill, Lakewood,  Jeffco