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20th February 2007
Robins Are Surviving - What to Feed Robins in Winter
Feeding Robins In Winter:
I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad thing that when I come home, there are five to eight robins waiting in trees, and one or two perched on the side of my driveway. One kept looking curiously at the driveway and wondering when there would be more cherries? I’ve also got one outside my office that visits on the balcony. The warmer weather is setting in, thankfully. I haven’t seen the tattered robin since Sunday. I’m thinking it doesn’t look good for him/her. The cherries really are the way to go - I received a note back from Wildlife Division and they said robins can not eat seeds - their beaks are not built for it. So, cherries were the way to go but need to be moistened (see below for additional suggestions updated in 2010).
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Updated Entry on 1/10/2010: What to Feed Your Robins During Winter
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You can feed wintering robins the following, right from your kitchen or regular grocery store items:
1) frozen cherries - cook into compote or mince and then thaw somewhat but not all together - make sure that a robin’s long beak will be able to swallow or pick at whatever you make
2) Oats, breads, leftover stuffing bread cubes that might be in your freezer from the holidays
3) Mashed up peanuts and other healthy fats
If you want to purchase from a bird feed store ; you can get earthworms, mealworms or fat balls (something I’ve seen mentioned on UK websites)
Here are some entries I found on the Web, today, to update my own entry and knowledge on this topic:
http://living.peta.org/2009/protect-furry-friends-from-winter-weather
http://www.birdola.com/faqs.htm
http://www.bracknellnews.co.uk/articles/1/8145
http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/living/robins.htm
18th February 2007
Have You Bought Frozen Cherries Yet?
Go to your local grocer and buy frozen cherries. Thaw them for 1.5 minutes, cut them up, and feed them to the dying robins around your house if you’re in a winter state with dying robins. You might just be able to save a few of them. We’ve had two die today, according to my neighbors, but there are six living and thriving outside my house - all fighting one another for the cherries. One got stuck upside down in a tree across the street - poor guy - that was fun rescuing him. Thank God I have a neighbor who is a vet assistant, and another who is a former wildlife rescue guy. Hopefully that tattered robin will survive.
You’ll feel good doing something for a helpless robin, trust me. Go to your local grocer and get some frozen cherries.
17th February 2007
Starving Robins Sign of Global Warming?
Are Starving Robins Just One More Sign of Global Warming?
by Laura ThiemeIn the past two weeks, I have monitored the plight of the robins not just in our neighborhood, but also around Columbus. About two weeks ago, I asked my secretary to inquire as to what I should feed the robins? I’d read sometime ago that water was essential, as well as apples, raisins, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and suet. I had also noted that robins typically ravage my crabapple and berry trees in January when ice and snow prevented ground feeding supplies. But this year was different. January was unseasonably warm, yet the robins ate the crabapples and berries in January despite the weather. However, for most of February, temperatures have hovered around the zero degree mark, and snow has covered the ground. How do robins go that long without food or water?
The store near my house, WildBirds Unlimited, on Rt. 33, in Dublin, sells supplies and recommended suet, sunflower seeds without the shells and mealworms, and fruit. I tried feeding the robins cut apples but that didn’t work. I read online that it’s difficult to feed robins in the winter, as they’re not feeder birds, nor do they prefer seeds. But I have found two highly successful methods of keeping them alive around my house - frozen/thawed organic cherries and water in an electric outdoor dog bowl. The cherries were a huge hit, and in fact, I need to go to the store for more. Blueberries were also attempted, but while this attracted birds (robins, cardinals, blue jays, and finches), I didn’t see the robins eating them at all. Robins also like platform feeders, which I found at Meijer in short supply. And for the suet that everyone recommends, I’ve got two types outside and have yet to see the suet receive attention. I do have the suet feeder as well as the platform feeder - so we’ll continue to watch. It took a couple of hours for the robin to try eating off the platform feeder, but one robin finally jumped on top of it, and flew off with a cherry in her beak. I’ll try to post some pictures I took by tomorrow.
So, does this relate to global warming? I read an article today in the Columbus Dispatch about the robins. Apparently, there are dead robins all over Muirfield. I’ve seen dead robins alongside Antrim Park’s intersection of the park and Olentangy River Road. I’ve seen them fly across Bethel in a weakened state, and barely miss getting hit by cars. Some are not so lucky. According to the article, they’re trying to post signs that say “Slow Down, Save A Robin”. Robins are supposed to migrate south during the winter, but if the Fall and Winter is warm, they’re likely to stay behind. If the winter season hits hard without warning, there is little time for the robins to escape or find alternate sources of food.
Additional Resources:
Article about Robins and Feeding Them -
Ignore their recs about not feeding them - feed them frozen cherries and give them fresh waterYardener.com - What to Feed Robins in Winter
http://www.yardener.com/FeedingRobins.htmlOhio Dept of Natural Resources - Division of Wildlife - American Robin Defined
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/Resources/wbirds/birdid/robin.htm
11th February 2007
Are You Recycling? 2 replies
Are You Recycling?
by Laura ThiemeAre you recycling at home and at work? Elsewhere? When you’re on the road?
I used to recycle quite a bit, but haven’t in the past few years. I’m back on the recycling bandwagon. In the event, you’re looking to recycle cans, plastic, and glass, here are some containers and some resources for you to check out.
Stackable Recyling Bins - these are surprisingly difficult to find on the Web -Watch out for shipping costs - I’ll search for a few other sources tomorrow.
4th February 2007
New Focus for 2007
Environmental Awareness & Orphanages
by Laura ThiemeMost of who you know me recognize my name as a search marketer, who talks about promoting database driven and ecommerce websites at Search Engine Strategies Conferences (SES). I’ve been running this business for 10 years, which continues to be extremely rewarding and challenging.
Over the Christmas holiday (2006), I had surgery and was home for a month. While I was able to work from my bedside, I had a little extra time on my hands. I watched Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth (see trailer on Google You Tube, or his website, www.climatecrisis.net) about global warming and climate change. I watched Emporers of the Ice, about the arctic ice shelf breaking off and cutting off the food supply for hundreds of thousands of penguins in the Antarctica.
The two movies combined with a month off enabled me to evaluate what I’m doing with my life and what I could might do differently. Most of those who know me are aware of another passion of mine, and my pursuit of volunteering at an orphanage for the first time this year. But my interest in the environment has increased dramatically since watching these two movies. The global warming crisis has reached its tipping point in recent weeks, as new reports have come out saying climate change is real.
Related Sites:
NewScientist Environment
InterGovernmental Panel on Climate ChangeI’m going to continue to post on the latest environmental reports, and any activities that I get involved in like the upcoming Arbor Day in Worthington, Ohio. I’ll have links to eco-friendly manufacturers, recycling centers, and other environmentally friendly websites in the coming weeks.
