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03/10/2004 Entry: "You've got to laugh..."
"Twitchers" from all over Britain flocked to Grimsby on the east coast of England to photograph an American Robin, a very rare visitor to these shores. It seems that the migrating bird had been carried way off track by an Atlantic jetstream, providing a treat for British ornithologists. Sadly, they were still setting up their cameras when the unfortunate bird was spotted by another pair of sharp eyes belonging to a hungry sparrowhawk. The result was inevitable. Sparrowhawk 1, Robin 0.
The BBC has more
Replies: 5 comments
The Robin is the state bird for my home state, Michigan. Obviously, the sparrow hawk must have just finished watching an earlier Mel Gibson movie and was moved to anti-robinism when she swooped down and gobled up our red-breasted patriot. Had she traveled in the huge flocks we are used to seeing over here or had at least come to Britain on a tour, she might have had a fighting chance. Or, had she been as large as a wood pigion, the hawk might have thought twice. May our brave, cross-Atlantice soloist rest in peace (or in hawk, in this case).
Posted by Ivan The Crank @ 03/10/2004 11:25 PM GMT
That would be "cross-Atlantic". My bad.
Posted by Ivan the Crank @ 03/10/2004 11:27 PM GMT
About a week ago I looked out my bedroom window when I got up and there in my back yard ( in central Florida) were about 35 or more Robins taking a break for breakfast on their migration North. I think they were crazy starting North this early.
Posted by C Sickles @ 03/11/2004 05:39 AM GMT
Oh lol Richard.
I'm not to sure the birds I saw this week were common to our area either.
I wonder if the hawk enjoyed his unusual meal? Blog on!
Posted by Bene Diction @ 03/11/2004 08:48 AM GMT
I always wondered why Michigan has a state bird that only stays there half of the year. Well, that might be due to the fact that a good hunk of the state only stays there half of the year.
When I moved to Florida two years ago from Michigan, I joked that my new Choose Life Florida plate was less common that the Michigan plate it replaced. That's true in the winter, to be sure.
Posted by Mark Byron @ 03/11/2004 03:07 PM GMT
