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Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Harbinger of Spring
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When I was a small boy on the Canadian Prairies I grew to know the American Robin as the harbinger of spring since the winters were far too long and cold for them to live there during that season. Once a robin was seen spring was on the way. I still have that association although now, since I live in Victoria, I see Robins all year round, even when it is as cold as it has been this last week or so. The one pictured above was quite fearlessly hunting for his breakfast in the grass along the edge of the West Bay Walkway.
All Photos and text on this blog by Benjamin Madison are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. For Permission to use write: madison at almudo dot fastmail dot us
Situated on the far west coast of Canada, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Victoria is the capital city of the Province of British Columbia. Its benign climate (the warmest winters in Canada) and placid lifestyle make it a favorite retirement location as well as a popular tourist destination. About 400,000 people live in Victoria and adjacent communities.
Click the photos to see them larger!
Click the photos to see them larger!
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All Photos and text on this blog by Benjamin Madison are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. For Permission to use write: madison at almudo dot fastmail dot us
5 comments:
Excellent capture!
Have you noticed that there seem to be a LOT MORE robins around recently?
I've never thought of them as birds that flock but throughout our neighbourhood lately I've seen large groups of robins together in trees, feeding in the park grass, etc.
We now have winter robins so they are no longer an indication of spring. I think a second ice age has started here.
Lovely capture.
Thanks all for your comments.
@JoJo Ha ha. Well that's what you get for leaving the West Coast.
@Mike: Yes, I've noticed that too - especially the day I took this Robin photo. There was a lawn I passed where there were at least 25 Robins hopping around on the grass. I've been reading lately that flocking is an adaptive behavior that is used during difficult periods. Birds that might normally move about as individuals or couples join flocks for improved safety and foraging. This sometimes results even in mixed flocks and I've also seen recently robins hanging out with flocks of starlings.
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