Read an article in Sunday’s Columbus Dispatch that reported that a large-portion of central Ohio’s Robins did not survive the winter.
According to the article, the Robins did not go far enough south to survive this cold winter.
I don’t buy it. I haven’t been able to find any type of support for the article and the population in our backyard appears to be almost as large as normal.
Top it off, Robins don’t usually migrate from Ohio, we are a year-round location for Robins.
(photo from Conneticut Web site on its state bird)
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5 responses so far ↓
1 Maureen McCabe // Apr 4, 2007 at 1:50 pm
There were lots of dead robins in Franklin County in January… or was it February? I noticed dead robins on the roads and thought they’d come back early but then read in the Dispatch that they never left because the early part of the winter was so warm. I saw them in the Worthington, Linworth and the eastern edge of Dublin. The newspaper article said there were a lot of dead birds on the roads near Murifield and other Dublin areas, I believe off Frantz Rd, and off Earlington Parkway. The birds would be attracted by crab apple trees and get hit by cars because they were so weak. The snow and ice came finally came late in the winter and they could not get worms. I have noticed a couple of robins just this week and wondered if they’d gone south and are back or if these were survivors.
2 Toby // Apr 4, 2007 at 3:51 pm
Maureen,
Thanks so much for the explanation. I didn’t see nearly as many of the dead Robins, and we seem to have as many - if not more - than a normal year.
I must have missed the first article in the Dispatch.
Thanks so much for clearing that up.
Toby
3 Susan // Apr 14, 2007 at 10:41 pm
Here in Cleveland Heights I watched the Robins clean almost every last berry off a bush outside my window this winter, but when the snow came again last week I had an od experience. Pulling into my garage one morning I noticed a robin sitting on the drive. The bird did not move as I approached, so I got out and tried to get it to hop onto a stick so I could move it. It would not - could not move. I lifted it with my hands out of the way and then we moved it into the garage (door open) and gave it some seed and water. A little later it was gone, but that day I noticed three dead robins in the street within three blocks of my house. I wondered what was up and tonight confirmed that others in the neighborhood had seen the same behavior on their blocks. Today we noticed sluggish pigeons in a parking lot. We stopped for them to walk away, but wondered what was up with these birds that usually fly as you near.
4 Dennis // Jan 25, 2008 at 12:43 pm
I live in Anderson, IN. This morning when I walk the temp was -2. There were aver 100 robins still here. Can they make it through the winter?
5 Dennis // Jan 25, 2008 at 12:44 pm
forgot the check the notify box..
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