Lawrence and Douglas county
Global warming blamed for abundance of robins, related mess
January 8, 2006
Advertisement
Do your car a favor. Don't park near a tree.
If you do, you may find it covered with bird - What's the word? - poop.
"There are a lot of robins in town," said Mark Robbins, a bird expert at Kansas University's Natural History Museum.
Robins, he said, have a particular fondness for the berries on cedar and hackberry trees. Both are common in Lawrence.
"What's happening is you've got a lot of birds eating a lot of berries, and that makes for a lot of bird poop," Robbins said.
Starlings, too, share some of the blame, he said, "But it's mostly robins."
The influx, he said, is a consequence of global warming.
"I know that's subject to debate, but here at the Natural History Museum we believe the data," Robbins said.
Ever-milder winters, he said, have pushed the range of the robins' winter migration further north. Birds that once wintered in Mexico or Texas, now settle in Kansas or Missouri.
"I've heard Christmas-bird-count reports of flocks with more than a million robins down by Branson, Mo.," said Galen Pittman, a facilities manager with the Kansas Biological Survey.
"What's happening is perfectly natural," Pittman said, noting that while their numbers may be higher than in years past, it's not unusual for robins to spend the winter in northeast Kansas.
"The thing you hear about robins being a harbinger of spring is a bit of a misnomer," he said. "We have robins here all year. You may not see them, but they're here."
If your car has taken on the appearance of a Jackson Pollock painting on wheels, it's due for a scrubbing.
"There's an acidic quality to (droppings)," Pittman said. "I doubt it'll erode your paint, but it'll sure take a toll on your wax job."
More like this
- Birds by the thousands fill trees 21 comments / February 11, 2009
- Dry weather results in fewer bird sightings January 2, 2003
- Bird-watchers note population decline 33 comments / July 25, 2007
- T RETURNED TO ROOST IN TREES DOWNTOWN November 6, 1992
- SPRING BIRDS March 7, 1994
Top ads RSS
Marketplace
Arts & Entertainment · Bars · Theatres · Restaurants · Coffeehouses · Libraries · Antiques · Services
- Tax on cosmetic procedures could help fund health reform November 20, 2009 · 2 comments
- Blog: Palin Book Could Be Your Cheapest Source For Winter Fuel November 20, 2009 · 53 comments
- Blog: We Noticed November 19, 2009 · 114 comments
- Mangino denies validity of former player allegations November 19, 2009 · 157 comments
- Poll: Should a "Botax" be imposed on vanity procedures such as breast implants, face lifts, tummy tucks and Botox injections? November 19, 2009 · 32 comments
- Blog: Why Do People Repeat Falsehoods? November 20, 2009 · 43 comments
- Lawrence man charged in hit-and-run accident that killed bicyclist November 19, 2009 · 109 comments
- Former independent counsel praises Constitution in speech November 20, 2009 · 16 comments
- KU's Chancellor issues statement putting support behind Lew Perkins November 20, 2009 · 35 comments
- Muslim countries seek blasphemy ban November 20, 2009 · 23 comments
- Lawrence schools preparing for another round of budget cuts November 18, 2009
- KU's Chancellor issues statement putting support behind Lew Perkins November 20, 2009
- Farmers' Turnpike reopens after four months of construction November 20, 2009
- Resident hopes to start rickshaw business in downtown Lawrence, pending city approval November 19, 2009
- Obesity activist crossing country to urge American Indians to embrace healthier diet November 20, 2009
- Commission votes against including gender identity in Lawrence's anti-discrimination policy November 19, 2009
- Lawrence Arts Center names new executive director November 18, 2009
- KU student pushes button that demolishes a portion of the Kansas Turnpike bridge November 19, 2009
- New, legal, drug has law enforcement concerned — and it's already on a Lawrence store's shelves November 4, 2009
- Sexual healing: Dennis Dailey coaches couples with tough love at his intimacy workshop November 20, 2009
8 January 2006
at 9:36 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
costello (Anonymous) says…
A bird expert named Robbins being interviewed about robins. Too cute.
8 January 2006
at 11:03 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
Shardwurm (Anonymous) says…
I thought the Bush Administration was responsible for this.
8 January 2006
at 12:03 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
BrianR (Anonymous) says…
No sh…kidding, I just thought the birds were using my car for target practice.
8 January 2006
at 12:34 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
lunacydetector (Anonymous) says…
this all correlates with a recent canadian study that suggests global warming is caused by forests in canada. too many trees create global heat and they also give too many homes for birds to nest in.
in other words, we need to start destroying our forests - then we won't have global warming AND we won't have robins dropping bombs on our cars.
just goes to show how well academia has a handle on these matters. i see a researcher requesting a federal grant in the very near future. gotta have something to do while feeding off the government teet.
8 January 2006
at 12:59 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
lunacydetector (Anonymous) says…
…umm i forgot, but neither interviewed is a climatologist, so i question their expertise regarding the so-called 'global warming' theory.
8 January 2006
at 3:36 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
Godot (Anonymous) says…
I put the blame on leash laws for cats.
8 January 2006
at 8:21 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
pelliott (Anonymous) says…
Maybe Global warming accounts for Chink still being in town.
8 January 2006
at 9:14 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
bearded_gnome (Anonymous) says…
“chink?”“”??????!
9 January 2006
at 7:53 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says…
I assume she is referring to one JM, who usually winters in warmer climes to the south.
What are your qualifications to question the vast majority of climatologists and other qualified scientists who do believe that global warming is a fact, luny?