It's not even mid-April anymore, it's past that. First day of Spring? Long gone. We had a few days where you could go outside and rake the flower beds, things were sprouting - looking green. The feeder was visited by RED and GOLD finches, cardinals, along with the junco's, woodpeckers, chickadees, and nuthatches. And robins. Robins are "always" a sign that the weather has turned. Not this year.
John and I saw a couple as we walked to the car the other day. We knew they were suffering because they were lethargic and puffy. They had found the one place on the lawn where the snow had not covered everything...and they were looking for worms. Neither of us held out much hope that they would find anything - but as we stood next to them and watched, one pulled out a long worm and the two of them feasted.
"They're really having a tough time. When you see them puffed up, that means that they're trying to hold in that body temperature. So that's the time you can walk up to them, get them, and bring them in. We've already had, in the last 24 hours, about 20 robins admitted," said Lori Bankson, Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary animal curator.
Terry Goettelman of Sturgeon Bay dropped off two robins at the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary Tuesday morning.
"I have a soft spot for birds, and I see that they're struggling because of the snow, and we're trying to do everything we can," Gottelman said.
The birds typically don't eat seeds, so they scour area fruit trees, looking for food.
"These are the guys that are just getting back with other migrants. They're already thin, they're already tired," said Bankson.
In this episode of the podcast 1A, there is a great discussion about the current situation facing migratory birds in the Trump Administration. MIGRATORY BIRDS for pete's sake!! The episode description:
One hundred years ago, Congress passed a law to protect migratory birds — but our feathered friends could be in danger after a Trump administration decision limited the law's effectiveness. We discuss why one of America's oldest environmental laws now faces a new legal battle, and what this could mean for the birds — and the environment.
Now. On to this - bunches all over the house:
