For 25 years, birds have largely ignored the fruits on the English ivy
that covers my back fence. Last week 100+ robins stripped it  in two
days, chasing off a mockingbird who'd arrived at the same time.
Like barberries, ivy fruits are quite hard until frozen, and if a hard
freeze first comes late enough in the season, any extra birds around
will find them more convenient.
        Winter robins have increased in Ohio over the past thirty years on
average, but their numbers vary a lot from year to year, probably
depending on availability of food. I believe last year marked an
all-time recent high for CBC-reported robins in the state, and there may
have been more this year--especially later in January and February. The
increasing use of ornamental fruiting trees and shrubs by developers has
to be a factor far more important than a rise in average temperatures,
but this winter the two seemed to have peaked. Robins haven't stopped
migrating--most of those around now must be Canadian nesters--but there
could be a reproductive advantage to wintering as close to home as possible.
        Thoreau enumerated the wild winter fruits of his territory: "...sumac,
rose hips and so on, dogwood and so one, winterberry above all,
cat-tail, haws, two-leaved Solomon-seal, barberry, shrivelled pyrus,
cranberries, sweet gale, green brier, pitch pine and so on, witch hazel,
panicled andromeda, bayberry, hemlock. spruce, larch, cedar, juniper,
checkerberry, walnuts, birches, and alders." ("Wild Fruits"), and would
have been surprised at all the extra crabapples and hawthorns around today.
        Barberry and ivy must be close the the bottom of the barrel, though,
and regardless of temperatures I'll bet robins are moving out of our
latitude. Folks just south of us in Kentucky and West Virginia have been
noticing large flocks in recent days.
Bill Whan
Columbus


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