[TN-Bird] A MegaRobin in Hohenwald

From: Bill Pulliam <bb551@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: TN-birds <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 17:40:50 -0600
An update and revision about the Hohenwald Robin roost...

Every evening when I go there, early in the evening I think my  
estimate of 500K American Robins is too high.  Then, as the full  
influx hits and the air fills with a swirling avian blizzard that  
seems to go on for the better part of an hour, I think my estimate is  
too low!  So this evening (1/7/09) I made an independent estimate by  
a different technique.  The primary thing I discovered is that the  
roost extends over a much larger area than I suspected; it runs  
continuously for about 6000 feet of Piney Creek, in a dense strip of  
privet that averages about 50 feet wide.  I estimated that when fully  
packed the birds are about 5/square foot when viewed from above.  So  
do the multiplication, and you get 5*50*6000, which is 1,500,000.   
Taking the middle of my two estimates gives a nice round 1 million  
robins; probably conservative.

If anyone is interested in the show, which is very impressive, here  
are specifics:

The roost is along Piney Creek Road, which goes south off of highway  
412 just east of downtown Hohenwald (immediately east of the  
Hardees).  The roost is a couple of miles down the road, on the south  
side of the road along the creek.  The best viewing spot is at the  
intersection of Piney Creek and P. Hensley Road (small side road,  
goes to south only).  There is barely room to park a car or two here  
safely; roadside parking is VERY limited in this hollow.  The  
gathering begins around 4 p.m.; blizzard conditions are achieved by  
about 4:30.  At 5:00 most of the birds have arrived, but they  
continue swirling for another 15 minutes or so.  At the intersection  
mentioned above you are right in the middle of the roost and get a  
truly spectacular show.  There are about 10,000 blackbirds and  
starlings in the mix also, including hundreds of Rusty Blackbirds, a  
species I had not seen at all in Lewis County prior to this winter.

Bill Pulliam
Hohenwald TN
=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================

The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with
first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation.
You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds
you report were seen.  The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should
appear in the first paragraph.
_____________________________________________________________
      To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
                    tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_____________________________________________________________ 
                To unsubscribe, send email to:
                 tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
            with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
______________________________________________________________
  TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society 
       Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
        endorse the views or opinions expressed
        by the members of this discussion group.
 
         Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
                 wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
                ------------------------------
                Assistant Moderator Andy Jones
                         Cleveland, OH
                -------------------------------
               Assistant Moderator Dave Worley
                          Rosedale, VA
__________________________________________________________
         
          Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
              web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

                          ARCHIVES
 TN-Bird Net Archives at //www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/

                       MAP RESOURCES
Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif
Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com

_____________________________________________________________
[TN-Bird] A MegaRobin in Hohenwald

Other related posts:
