Bob: I have sat on my porch relaxing, and many, many times seen robins land on a fresh soft white pine leader and break it completely off. I am not speculating on what caused something i have seen--I have seen it happen--maybe even hundreds of times!!
Jenny: ever hear the phrase "dirty bird." These things can be a filthy nuisance. We have mocking birds all around our house in Winchester. This fall one had to do this dance on our porch railings every morning and poop and poop and poop. We had to clean this poop up much too often. When I go picking blackberries these guys dive at me all the time. In the back we have redwing blackbirds--lots and lots of them. They dive at me also, but the worst thing they do is perch on a 7 foor tall burr oak I have there. They perch on it so much all the new growth shoots are knocked off. This tree in its struggles to replace this broken growth looks like a head of cauliflower! UUUGH! "Leave my poor little tree alone!!" OK, OK, you like birds, but there IS a downside!! Peace? I've never shot a bird! --Gaines
