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Topic: robins gone wild.. (Read 1296 times)
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tileguy
Guest
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I should know this, but I don't....
every morning at dawn robins congregate around my small (11-12 ft) juniper tree..
I'm talkin' 30 or 40 birds at one time..
they seem to be eating the seeds or something..
then in the evening the bluejays come and do the same thing..
I'm glad to have their company right outside my windows..
any bird people heard of this before??..
(the reason I should know this is that I'm originally from wisconsin and the robin is their state bird)..
TG
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nisperos
Newbie
Posts: 45
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You're not "ginning" me right? (Juniper berries, of course, are used to flavor gin)
Well, the swallows were to have returned to Mission San Juan Capistrano in California about the 19th of this month.
So, my query on this matter is does your observation possibly have something to do with bird migration?
Check out this article on the topic: http://www2.townonline.com/hamilton/opinion/view.bg?articleid=450066
But, more likely, birds in general are known to help disperse juniper seeds and their digestive processes may actually help enhance germination of juniper seeds. Robins, Black-capped Chickadee, and Townsend's Solitaire are among those known to feed on the berries of the common Juniper whenever these are available. During the winter, birds may be strongly territorial, defending patches of juniper trees against other birds. They can feed largely or even exclusively during the nobreeding season on the juniper's ripe, fleshy berries. Bird fights may break out in defense of winter territory, because owners of large, berry-rich territories survive the winter at higher rates than birds on small territories with few berries. (The berries are the fleshy female cones of the tree.)
Now, this is common Juniper, right? Or are you lucky enough to have a piņon juniper? And, don't tell me, but did the birds plant the juniper seed which grew into a tree near some Russian Olives which our good city considers invasive due to their being water hogs? I've seen birds flocking on Russian Olives around the Spring Creek trail and Cottonwood Glen park...
Here's an interesting article on "The Ecological Role of Tamarisk and Russian Olive on Threatened and Endangered Species" http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/ireland.html
Also: "Sixteen of the 17 western states still subsidize the planting of Russian olive as an ornamental or conservation plant. Impacts of tamarisk/Russian olive include: (1) dewatering of sites, (2) crowding out native species causing a loss of biodiversity and(3) providing less habitat values compared to functioning riparian areas with native species. Positive aspects of their presence are (1) provide some habitat where nothing else is growing, (2) provide some wildlife food (Russian olive), (3) provide stream bed stabilization, and (4) nesting sites for some threatened and endangered species. Overall, the negative aspects of tamarisk and Russian olive outweigh the positive aspects."
http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/index.html#http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/brock.html
Well, I picked most of the rose hips from my bushes ... but they are gone -- so no foraging food for me -- or the birds.
Roland Moore worked for the city parks department and was known for planting rose bushes. He lived long enough to see the plans for the park which bears his name... Does anyone know if any of Roland Moore's roses have rose hips for the birds?
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nisperos
Newbie
Posts: 45
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Here's a robin in the snow picture called "Spring snow"
"A robin sits in a snow-covered tree outside a church in Washington, Ind., on Tuesday. Residents of Southern Indiana woke up to find snow on the ground on the first full day of Spring." (Washington Times Herald photo by Kelly Overton) Mar. 21, 2006 Happy Spring! 
(NOTE: The picture was republished in the Chicago Tribune, but their photo gallery seems to change every day and have different pictures, so I decided to remove the link since it no longer points to the picture I had in mind. Also, I should mention, registration is required to view their photo gallery, but if you like photos, it's worth registering and going to now and again -- Nisperos: 4/6/06)
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« Last Edit: April 06, 2006, 10:08:29 PM by nisperos »
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