I know this sounds harsh, but are we really helping the robins? Are the ones
who are not able to make it without your help supposed to die because they
are less able to sustain themselves in this harsh spring weather? Don't you
want the hardy genes to be the ones that get passed on? Or the genes that
call for them to hold off on their migration for a few weeks?

I like to feed to birds too, and I like to watch them from inside my warm
house. And on cold mornings like this I worry about them out there in the
cold. But I think that if you really want to make a difference for birds in
general, rather than spending a bunch of money and time saving a few
genetically deficient robins, you could donate the money to VINS for their
work with another thrush that is actually threatened, the Bicknell's Thrush,
or to the Bellbird project to buy lowland forest habitats  in Costa Rica. I
am sorry to be on a soap box here, but there are birds that humans have
almost extinguished and the american robin is not one of them!

Bill Calfee
Dorset, VT 05251
http://www.billcalfee.com
[log in to unmask]
If you drink coffee, drink shade-grown coffee:
better for you, better for the birds, better for the farmers, better for the
forests.
Need more info, let me know.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ellen Jareckie" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 1:02 PM
Subject: Help for Robins...


> Hi Sharon,
> You might try hanging some bunches of smaller-size grapes in a tree and
> I also put dried currants and raisins in my feeders. The currants
> (available at Healthy Living store behind Barnes and Noble) taste
> exactly like raisins to me, but are smaller and easier to swallow.
> However, they are more expensive than raisins.
> You can also order huge quantities of mealworms from several places by
> mail-order and the prices are much less than you would pay at the pet
> shops. For anyone who wants to order mealworms from the place I order
> from, here is the info: Nature's Way, PO box 188, Ross, Ohio. 45061
> Phone: 1-800-318-2611
> The worms arrive in a cloth bag with crinkled newspaper in it for the
> worms to hang onto. They arrive hungry and thirsty so you need to shake
> them into a plastic bin (the kind you find at Walmart for storage). The
> bin should first have about 1/2 inch of oatmeal in it. After shaking the
> worms into the oatmeal bed you can place some quartered apples or
> potatoes in there so that they have something to drink. You can then
> take out as many as you want and place them in the feeder. It's a fairly
> expensive way to help the Robins, since the Starlings, Jays and others
> will also help themselves to the worms. Also, if you are as sensitive as
> I am, you will cringe at subjecting the worms to the freezing
> temperatures. I am so used to handling the mealworms that I pick them up
> in my hands, but for those who dislike handling them, you can use a cup
> to pick them up and place them in the feeder.
> Well, enough of my rambling. Let me know if you have any questions.
> Ellen Jareckie
> Shelburne, VT.
>