>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.
