OT: Something to ponder on?

[geofflambert]

Migration changes. We have a very common bird called the American robin which is a thrush that is mainly known for pulling earthworms out of the ground. Twenty years ago or so you would never see one here in Winter but that's no longer true thanks to global warming. In the past 30 or 40 years we've gone South two agriculture zones, from zone 4 to zone 6. Those zones help describe what types of crops will do well. Robins are territorial so I think maybe the birds we see in the Winter are some of the same individuals that were here in the Summer, but without banding them I can't be sure. I believe most robins migrate to some extent so the ones we see in the Winter may have come from way North and stopped their migration here. Today was a bad day for robins, though. If I manage to get a pic of one in the snow I'll post it. Anyways, besides worms robins will take berries but they aren't adept at landing and perching on bushes in order to get them. They mostly stay on the ground or perch on fences or large branches. There are plenty of holly berries about they could feed on if they could reach them but I've never actually seen a robin eat a holly berry. Squirrels and mockingbirds take those and the mockingbirds often drive the squirrels away from the holly bushes or try to. During the Summer I've seen robins taking my blackberries but they stand on the ground under low hanging ones and leap up in the air, usually without benefit of wing power, and grab at them. But besides the snow today the ground has been frozen for some weeks and I'm really not sure how the robins get by in these conditions.

[geofflambert]

The robins rarely visit the feeders and then only take dried fruit if I put it out for them specifically. Mockingbirds and catbirds also like that. I put some seed on my window sill on top of the snow and here's some dark eyed Juncos taking that. Juncos are migratory and they arrive here in December and start leaving in March to head North. Normally they wouldn't go to my feeders but forage on the ground so I would spread some millet around for them. Over the years more and more they will get on the feeders that have horizontal perches so perhaps they are repeat customers who've learned to use my feeders.

[geofflambert]

and

[geofflambert]

and

[geofflambert]

Here's a mourning dove. They are year round customers.

[Nomad]

Our American Robins have all left for warmer climates. They will be back in the Spring.

[geofflambert]

Here you will recognize some European starlings. They don't migrate per se but in the late Summer they disappear from the city and return in December or January. I believe they leave for the farmer's fields to help with the harvesting [:'(] That is also the time when they do their murmurations, moving around the sky in great gobs of thousands of them in ways reminding me of an amoeba or some single entity.
In the center of this pic you can see a male house finch.

[geofflambert]

and

[geofflambert]

Here's a junco again, the snow on the sill has melted away.

[geofflambert]

Here's two male house finches and a female (on the right)

[geofflambert]

and

[geofflambert]

Here's a Cooper's hawk that was dining on a squirrel in my yard when I startled it.

[geofflambert]

Here's a red tail hawk (these birds are big) that I watched land on a telephone pole at the corner of my yard carrying a squirrel.

[geofflambert]

and

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

Migration changes. We have a very common bird called the American robin which is a thrush that is mainly known for pulling earthworms out of the ground. Twenty years ago or so you would never see one here in Winter but that's no longer true thanks to global warming. In the past 30 or 40 years we've gone South two agriculture zones, from zone 4 to zone 6. Those zones help describe what types of crops will do well. Robins are territorial so I think maybe the birds we see in the Winter are some of the same individuals that were here in the Summer, but without banding them I can't be sure. I believe most robins migrate to some extent so the ones we see in the Winter may have come from way North and stopped their migration here. Today was a bad day for robins, though. If I manage to get a pic of one in the snow I'll post it. Anyways, besides worms robins will take berries but they aren't adept at landing and perching on bushes in order to get them. They mostly stay on the ground or perch on fences or large branches. There are plenty of holly berries about they could feed on if they could reach them but I've never actually seen a robin eat a holly berry. Squirrels and mockingbirds take those and the mockingbirds often drive the squirrels away from the holly bushes or try to. During the Summer I've seen robins taking my blackberries but they stand on the ground under low hanging ones and leap up in the air, usually without benefit of wing power, and grab at them. But besides the snow today the ground has been frozen for some weeks and I'm really not sure how the robins get by in these conditions.

Thank you for telling. [:)]

Awesome pictures. [&o] [:)]

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

Why isn't the thread title "This Thread is for the Birds"?

The title is something of an homage to Geoff Lambert (The Gorn) whose Things to Ponder thread started the bird pictures idea but also had some content that the moderators didn't like.

BBfanboy said it perfectly. [:)]

Additionally, I hoped that this thread might include all (off topic) things people was thinking on, or laughing at, and so on. As long as the forum rules are observed, of course.

[geofflambert]

Not sure if the forum rules let me give you the bird, Orm, but here it is: An American robin

[geofflambert]

and

[Yaab]

"Do you like our owl?"
"It's artificial?"

Is Sean Young still young? Is she artficial now?

[geofflambert]

Here's a blue jay just leaving a feeder with a peanut. They're here year round. Similar to starlings they are amazing mimics but also have a unique repertoire of their own.