Re: [mou-net] Robin roost
Fascinating account! Thanks Tom! Mike Koutnik Sent from my iPhone > On Jan 10, 2017, at 2:09 PM, Tom Bell wrote: > > Reading Bruch Falls robin roost account I looked up mine. It is a bit long. > That roost site has not been used since with any high numbers. > Winter Roost Site for American Robins > > > >I live on Grey Cloud Island, the very southwest corner of > Washington County, and in early February I observed many robins flying toward > a plantation of spruce and pine trees, located where Pioneer Road met county > road 75. A few days later I started counting the robins coming to the area > and counted 900, but the robins just kept coming. On February 15, 2010, I > started counting at 4:30 p.m., about one hour before sunset. It was cloudy > with a fairly stiff breeze out of the northwest. The robins flew in one at a > time and then in groups of up to about 30 birds. By one hour after sunset the > stream of robins had subsided, but by then I had counted 2,300 birds. I know > we have had an increase of American Robins wintering in Minnesota, but I did > not ever expect to see so many at one time. > >The number seems exorbitant, but I firmly believe it is a minimum, > as when estimating the size of some groups flying in, I was careful to use my > lower estimate. All of the birds came in from the west, where the > Mississippi River is less than a half-mile away. Also many came from the open > water areas at the bottom of the Aggregate Industries limestone quarry less > than one fifth of a mile west of the conifers. > >The plantation was never thinned, so the trees are very dense. The > spruce trees are all less than 20 feet tall and the pines less than 30 feet. > The arriving robins would first perch in surrounding deciduous trees before > descending into the conifers. I found it amazing to observe so many robins > disappearing in only 1.5 acres (0.6 hectares) of densely growing conifers. > >Being curious about when the robins left their nightly roost site, > on 22 February, 2010, I set up my vigil. The first robins left one half hour > before sunrise, being cloudy it was quite dark at that time. Ten minutes > later there was a fairly steady stream of birds flying out to the west. One > hour and fifteen minutes after sunrise the last of the observed robins left. > On leaving the birds did not first perch in a surrounding deciduous tree, > they just flew directly away. > > Tom Bell > > 5868 Pioneer Rd. So. > > Grey Cloud Island, MN 55071 > > Tom Bell > Grey Cloud Island > 5868 Pioneer Rd. S. > St. Paul Park, MN 55071 > 651 459-4150 > > > > > > > Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Robin roost
Reading Bruch Falls robin roost account I looked up mine. It is a bit long. That roost site has not been used since with any high numbers. Winter Roost Site for American Robins I live on Grey Cloud Island, the very southwest corner of Washington County, and in early February I observed many robins flying toward a plantation of spruce and pine trees, located where Pioneer Road met county road 75. A few days later I started counting the robins coming to the area and counted 900, but the robins just kept coming. On February 15, 2010, I started counting at 4:30 p.m., about one hour before sunset. It was cloudy with a fairly stiff breeze out of the northwest. The robins flew in one at a time and then in groups of up to about 30 birds. By one hour after sunset the stream of robins had subsided, but by then I had counted 2,300 birds. I know we have had an increase of American Robins wintering in Minnesota, but I did not ever expect to see so many at one time. The number seems exorbitant, but I firmly believe it is a minimum, as when estimating the size of some groups flying in, I was careful to use my lower estimate. All of the birds came in from the west, where the Mississippi River is less than a half-mile away. Also many came from the open water areas at the bottom of the Aggregate Industries limestone quarry less than one fifth of a mile west of the conifers. The plantation was never thinned, so the trees are very dense. The spruce trees are all less than 20 feet tall and the pines less than 30 feet. The arriving robins would first perch in surrounding deciduous trees before descending into the conifers. I found it amazing to observe so many robins disappearing in only 1.5 acres (0.6 hectares) of densely growing conifers. Being curious about when the robins left their nightly roost site, on 22 February, 2010, I set up my vigil. The first robins left one half hour before sunrise, being cloudy it was quite dark at that time. Ten minutes later there was a fairly steady stream of birds flying out to the west. One hour and fifteen minutes after sunrise the last of the observed robins left. On leaving the birds did not first perch in a surrounding deciduous tree, they just flew directly away. Tom Bell 5868 Pioneer Rd. So. Grey Cloud Island, MN 55071 Tom Bell Grey Cloud Island 5868 Pioneer Rd. S. St. Paul Park, MN 55071 651 459-4150 Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Robin roost
For the last two previous evenings I have observed 100s of American Robins moving toward a tree plantation. Many of the birds perch in one of the deciduous trees and later duck into the densely growing spruce trees that vary from 10 to 20 feet in height. This observation is on Grey Cloud Island in the tree plantation on Pioneer Road as it exits Co. Rd. 75. Most of the robins come in from the west which suggests that they are coming from along the Mississippi River. It is like the spruce trees swallow up the birds, you watch them come in and disappear. The robins are joined by a few Mourning Doves. Tom Bell Grey Cloud Island 5868 Pioneer Rd. S. St. Paul Park, MN 55071 651 459-4150 Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
