No more bobbin' for the red, red robin

The Guardian ^ | March 9, 2004 | Martin Wainwright

[ijcr]

A large and brightly coloured American tourist paid the price of brashness yesterday, vanishing down a predator's throat in front of a crowd of horrified onlookers.

Bird watchers from all over Britain were appalled when the rare American robin, which had somehow found its way to an industrial estate in Grimsby, was killed and eaten by a passing sparrowhawk.

The twitchers were still setting up cameras when the swift and unexpected tragedy took place. The robin, which ought to have been in the southern United States, was inspecting a row of drab factories and warehouses when the hawk pounced.

"It was a terrible moment," said Graham Appleton, of the British Trust for Ornithology, which had helped spread news of the visitor's arrival. "The robin was a young female, probably caught up in a jetstream and blown over here. But she didn't really live to enjoy her moment of fame."

The robin, whose scientific name Turdus migratorius derives from its long distance travels within America, was an obvious target for the sparrowhawk. A member of the thrush family and more the size of a British blackbird than a robin, it has a vivid red breast and oily-black wings and tail.

The bird's death just before lunchtime only brought forward a virtually inevitable unhappy ending, according to Dawn Balmer, the trust's migration watch organiser. She said: "I suspect that most of these rare visitors eventually succumb anyway to cold weather or a lack of food, if not predation."

[zygoat]

I suppose we'll have to send an eagle over to teach little sparrowhawkies how to be polite to guests.

[glock rocks]

Turdus migratorius

LOL... what you can learn on FR.

[Junior]

I'd hire this writer in a minute. That lead paragraph was classic.

[Ronin]

HAR!!!

So much for the legendary British hospitality.

[B-Bear]

[metesky]

Well no more bobbin' for one red robin, but the rest are still bob, bob, bobbin' along

[general_re]

The smaller, wimpier, English "robin":

[mewzilla]

Where's Batman when ya need him?

[B-Bear]

Oh yes, it does look a little wimpy doesn't it!

[hellinahandcart]

"It was a terrible moment," said Graham Appleton, of the British Trust for Ornithology, which had helped spread news of the visitor's arrival.

Sheesh, I'll send you a new one this afternoon. Okay? Now blow your nose...

[Savage Beast]

Let that be a lesson to all you Southerners. This is what happens when you leave the beautiful sunny South and go poking around unhealthy places with drab factories and warehouses and things like that.

[alnitak]

found its way to an industrial estate in Grimsby

I know Grimsby. All things considered, probably the best thing that could have happened to it.

[mewzilla]

It does look a bit dreary.

[Bad Dog2]

While the British robin may be smaller that the American species it is more than amply made up for by the large varity if Tits. Great Tits (truly magnificent), Blue Tits (cold climate don't 'ya know), Coal tits (diversity) and Marsh Tits (most likely due to damp weather) are generally in abundance. For those who like to watch "birds" the Tits in Britian are really worth a gander.

[graycamel]

Turdus migratorius LOL... what you can learn on FR.

It was obviously named by somebody who looked up when the bird was flying overhead.

[Jhensy]

The balance sheet is still hugely in their favor:

1 American Robin vs. 1 billion European Starlings.

Shoot a starling today. Your brightly colored neighborhood songbird will thank you tomorrow.

[filbert]

I thought I was the only one who truly despised starlings. Horrible little creatures.

Now grackles...I like grackles...

[Conspiracy Guy]

This is an outrage. I was going to send them 100 Cedar Waxwings. But if they can't protect one Robin, the deal is off. They can forget the 3 dozen Eastern Blue Birds as well.

CG

[Fraulein]

ping