I think ants would be in sandy soil - that’s where I observed possible anting by a Great Crested Flycatcher. Maybe it was just a dust bath?
Tom G Sent from my iPhone > On Jul 4, 2020, at 8:29 AM, Susan Tertell <stert...@gmail.com> wrote: > > From the original post, it doesn't seem as though ants are involved. Could > the fumes from the wood chips serve the same purpose? > > Susan > > On Fri, Jul 3, 2020 at 10:23 PM John Clouse < > 00000249d7b7d4a1-dmarc-requ...@lists.umn.edu> wrote: > >> It’s “anting.” >> >> John >> >>> On Jul 3, 2020, at 1:49 PM, "jbaum...@usfamily.net" < >> jbaum...@usfamily.net wrote: >>> >>> Hello. I just observed some robin behavior I'd never seen before and >> wonder if someone can explain it. >>> >>> I went to close a window on the west side of the house and in the garden >> there, a robin landed on the wood chips, leaned a little to one side, and >> laid - head tilted - with his mouth open. Within seconds, another robin >> flew in - spread his wings completely open on the wood chips, tilted his >> head and opened his mouth. Both stayed a few minutes - long enough for me >> to get the binoculars to observe their open mouths, and then the camera to >> snap a few shots. After a few minutes, the robin with the open wings stood >> up, walked a few steps and flew off. Within 15-20 seconds, the second >> robin did the same. >>> >>> If the garden were in the shade, I'd assume they were cooling off. But >> this was in strong west-facing sun. Ideas? >>> >>> Jeanne >>> West Como, St. Paul >>> ---- >>> Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net >>> Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html >>> >>> During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice >> social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly. >>> >>> ---- >>> Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net >>> Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html >>> >>> During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice >> social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly. >> >> ---- >> Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net >> Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html >> >> During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social >> distancing, and continue to bird responsibly. >> > > ---- > Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > > During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social > distancing, and continue to bird responsibly. ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.
