Thismorning I counted 325 robins flying acrossour driveway. Maybe
more. Maybe fewer. (Theway they swirl around you have to have eyes in the back
of your head to countaccurately.) Urling and I marvel at their chorus that
emanates from the oaksand conifers at and near our house. They chatter, tweet,
sing, squeal, andsquawk incessantly, particularly in the morning and
mid-afternoon. Flocks flyout and blanket the trees; they announce their
presence constantly.
What theyfind for food puzzles me – this morning some dined on
juniper berries/cones –and that makes me wonder how the Townsend’s Solitaires
can persist. The drovesof robins browbeat the solitaires by sheer numbers. Yet
the invaders spend timein the scrub oak and the riparian stream bottoms and on
the ground. They don’tpatronize our feeders (suet, seeds, e.g.). Our complement
of solitaires droppedfrom six in November to three this month.
Adding tothis: the Denver Christmas bird count had its
second-highest count of robins –1828, Joey Kellner says. Denver Urban count had
about 1400 – 75% more than ever(previous high, 794; 24-year average, 285). We
can’t really tell how many populate our little vale: before I’d nevercounted
more than 150. More flocks persist in Castlewood State Park, ahalf-mile away.
The total must number thousands.
This immensegaggle of robins, I think, amounts to the biggest bird
story this winter, atleast in Denver metro (bigger than a rare owl, wayward
warbler, or vagrant sparrow).
I wonderhow many robins Cobirders, collectively, saw this morning –
do we have any wayof amassing this information? I suppose eBird could help, but
it doesn’t have reportsfrom many observers (and mine won’t go in until next
month).
Hugh Kingery
Franktown, CO
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Colorado Birds" group.
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
[email protected].
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
