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flock of robins in winter in PA

11 years ago

We have had a few robins in past winters here in Fayetteville PA. We have had a flock of 30 to 40 visit here in Fayetteville in late January with several inches of snow covering the ground so worms are out of the question. We have a few holly trees in the yards but are concerned for this many finding enough food. We have a heated bird bath so they can bath if they like. We have put grapes out under the trees they are visiting. We hope they will find the grapes and survive the winter. We have never had this many in the ten years we have lived in Fayetteville PA

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Comments (3)

kendra2003
11 years ago
I'm seeing them around this winter in MA, but not in large flocks like you're seeing. They tend to follow food, so hopefully they'll make it. I'm sure your bird bath helps many birds when everything's frozen.
Konrad___far_north
11 years ago
Nice! Looks like they found your fruit tree source,..when finished they move on to new pasture.
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We have robins pop up here throughout the winter as well. Just the other day there must have been 100 robins in my small yard pecking around my composters and on a clear (not snow-covered) stretch of soil under my holly. I posted a picture on my blog, but it was tough to get a good picture from inside. It was an amazing site seeing them all in one place. The same thing happened last year as well. I placed out extra plastic plant saucers for them to use as birdbaths. I had to keep changing the water to keep it clean. It seemed as though they really needed a good clean drink of water and a bath. Even though I have feeders out, they seem to like looking for worms in the bare gardens and around the composter the most. Here is a link that might be useful: Robins in Kim's Garden
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There are lots of different kinds of heated birdbaths - you can get ones that sit on the ground or mount to a deck rail or are raised on a pedestal. I think mine was from Duncraft but Amazon.com carries many different kinds. At the end of the season they're often on sale. They have a short electric cord which is attached to a long extension cord and keep a low temperature just above freezing. I like to use a waterproof extension cord cover to protect the connection from sloppy wet conditions. You can also get a non-electrified replacement dish for some of them so you can use the birdbath in the summer. I love heated birdbaths - I see birds in the winter that never come to the feeders, for example Hermit Thrushes, and all of the birds depend on the regular water supply. It's a lot easier than breaking the ice every morning and pouring warm water into a bird bath. You still have to top off or replace the water but you don't have to get out really early or watch the desperate birds pecking at ice. You can also get electric deicers that can be used in an existing bird bath. Claire
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dreamgarden
11 years ago
I'm in the Midwest too. I buy mealworms at Lowes and mix them with raisins to distribute to the robins that didn't migrate. Have a heated water dish as well, though I mostly see the squirrels using it.

Lots of snow here. I've been scraping snow away from the feeder area all week.

Got blue jays, cardinals, grackles, pigeons, dark eyed juncos, sparrows, house finches, crows, lots of squirrels visiting regularly.

Have a variety of feeders. I scrape areas on the ground to toss black oil seeds so the more shy visitors. I don't bother with the striped sunflower seeds because they are too tough for the smaller birds to crack open.

I mix grit and fine sand with the seed that is sprinkled on the deck rail so it slows down the squirrels. It also helps the doves and other birds who will eat the stuff off the road if they can't find it elsewhere.

Peanut ring and suet feeders. I smear peanut butter on rice cakes and put these in the suet feeder. Going to experiment with making my own suet.

Anyone seen the Cornel Live cams? I like looking at the feeders they use to get ideas.

A link that might be useful:

http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/all-cams/

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