Harbingers of Spring (?)
The robins returned 3 days ago. The reason I know this precisely is because of the berry tree in front of my house. All winter, I walked by this tree daily, marvelling at the maintenance of its fruit, enduring weeks of sub-zero temperature and heavy snowfall...yet holding on, heavily laden. I also wondered why none of the birds seemed interested.
My answer came when I suddenly witnessed several hundred robins arrive en masse and proceed to spend the next 48 hours devouring every single berry on the tree. It is now bare and ready to begin its new crop. And the robins have vanished.
Having lived a previous lifetime observing suburban robins grasping worms and other insects from manicured lawns, I was unaware that robins "flocked" or even ate berries to such a degree. It is interesting to note that these robins (as is the case with the local blue jays who also flock) seem somewhat smaller than those previously observed in different settings.
Unfortunately, my camera is not suitable for truly capturing this event. Yet I have tried to give a sense of it...including the snowstorm which arrived yesterday...but in no way deterred the robins from their gluttony.
Perhaps generations of robins have made this singular tree a first stop on their northern return. To everything there is a purpose, indeed...
Nature brings us back to absolute truth whenever we wander. -- Louis Agassiz
Harbingers of Spring (?)
The robins returned 3 days ago. The reason I know this precisely is because of the berry tree in front of my house. All winter, I walked by this tree daily, marvelling at the maintenance of its fruit, enduring weeks of sub-zero temperature and heavy snowfall...yet holding on, heavily laden. I also wondered why none of the birds seemed interested.
My answer came when I suddenly witnessed several hundred robins arrive en masse and proceed to spend the next 48 hours devouring every single berry on the tree. It is now bare and ready to begin its new crop. And the robins have vanished.
Having lived a previous lifetime observing suburban robins grasping worms and other insects from manicured lawns, I was unaware that robins "flocked" or even ate berries to such a degree. It is interesting to note that these robins (as is the case with the local blue jays who also flock) seem somewhat smaller than those previously observed in different settings.
Unfortunately, my camera is not suitable for truly capturing this event. Yet I have tried to give a sense of it...including the snowstorm which arrived yesterday...but in no way deterred the robins from their gluttony.
Perhaps generations of robins have made this singular tree a first stop on their northern return. To everything there is a purpose, indeed...
Nature brings us back to absolute truth whenever we wander. -- Louis Agassiz