Topic: Blue robin

[Val]

 ;DI see Scotland has had a visitor from Scandinavia..a robin with a blue breast, so if any of you see it let us know.Also on the other scale a duck in west Sussex has had somes ducklings hatch. She did have 8 but lost 3 of them. Lets hope they survive the winter. ;D

[Spurdie]

Hi Val  :D
A robin blue breast?!? Wow! I'll have to keep a look out! We've had gale force winds all day today. The poor crows have taken forever just to fly a few yards - one flap forwards, 3 flaps back!
Poor ducky!  :-X She must be very confused! The poor love-a-duck!  :-X

[eileen]

The 'Robin Bluebreast' is actually a Bluethroat. They are common on the continent and each year, usually in spring, we get a number of them through on migration, (but not large numbers). They are uncommon or scarce rather than rare and are mostly seen in the east coast regions of Britain. There is also a chance to see them in the autumn, but less likely than in spring. What's unusual about this one is that it's still here at the beginning of winter. It should be wintering in Africa!!

The bird will look very little like the photos shown on TV, which show a bird in full breeding plumage. From late summer they lose their blue throat almost entirely and their breast markings are restricted to drab black, brick red and blue bands in the male and only black in the female and young males. It is not a robin at all, although like the robin it belongs to the thrush family, as do nightingales, redstarts etc.

The media, with their love of hyperbole have latched onto the "robin blue breast" to brighten up their otherwise drab Christmas.

Having said that, bluethroats are beautiful birds in their own right, and I hope that this stray manages to survive the Scottish winter. It is, sadly, unlikely unless it departs for southern climes before the worst of the weather.

To be fair to the hounds of the press, they are roughly robin-shaped, but no more so than nightingale or redstart, or for that matter red-flanked bluetail or Siberian rubythroat, but I suppose "Blue-throated-redstart-without-a-red-rump" just doesn't have the same Christmassy ring as "Robin Blue-breast" and a reporter's got to make a living.


 

Eileen.

[Roy Bham UK]

Good-bye, good-bye to summer!
For summer’s nearly done;
The garden smiling faintly,
Cool breezes in the sun;
Our Thrushes now are silent,
Our Swallows flown away, --
But Robin's here, in coat of brown,
With ruddy breast-knot gay.
Robin, Robin Redbreast,
O Robin dear!
Robin singing sweetly
In the falling of the year.

Bright yellow, red, and orange,
The leaves come down in hosts;
The trees are Indian Princes,
But soon they'll turn to Ghosts;
The scanty pears and apples
Hang russet on the bough,
It's autumn, autumn, autumn late,
'Twill soon be winter now.
Robin, Robin Redbreast,
O Robin dear!
And welaway! My Robin,
For pinching times are near.

The fireside for the Cricket,
The wheat stack for the Mouse,
When trembling night-winds whistle
And moan all round the house;
The frosty ways like iron,
The branches plumed with snow, --
Alas! In winter, dead and dark,
Where can poor Robin go?
Robin, Robin Redbreast,
O Robin dear!
And a crumb of bread for Robin,
His little heart to cheer.
 :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
Poet unknown ???
Click here. :D
http://libr.unl.edu:2000/birds_of_nebraska/DJ.00739.html
 :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[Wicker]

One of the things I love on this site is that people always come up with fascinating web pages that I would never have looked for and then that leads on to others.... Everything is there to be found.  Thanks Roy.

And thanks, Eileen, for making the whoe thing clear.

[Val]

 :DYou know what, I think the next thing I see on the news I'm going to shut up about, thats twice I've been a 'reporter' and twice got it wrong ;D...then I'll kick myself and say ...well I knew that.... ;D...I did see the duckling swimming about on the news though...mind you that could've been taken in the summer....Do you think I've got a little man behind my tele seeing where he can say.......Ever been had


If I have he's caught me out ..still as OH says thats not difficult.... :D

[eileen]

Don't worry Val it fooled half of Britain too!! It's just that I'm heavily into ornithology and knew there wasn't such a bird as a blue-breasted robin.   :)

Thanks for posting your message and don't, please, be put off from posting any others you find interesting. It's not your fault after all if the media gets its stories wrong.

Eileen.
 

[Roy Bham UK]

Did anyone take time out to read that lovely poem on the link "Birds from Nebraska"? I have to admit it brought a tear to my eye and I'm ARD  ::) Merry Christmas :D

[Val]

 ;DThanks Eileen,  ;D..Good job I find it funny...its the story of my life...I'm the one that didn't just fly over the cuckoo's nest, but landed right in it.... ;)
I love the poem Roy...but sorry mate, the robin is the wrong shade of blue ;)

[eileen]

Your poem is lovely Roy.  ;) I'm just glad all my little robins are well fed. You were right it does bring a tear to your eye.  :-X

Eileen.