Yesterday robins, spotted towhees and golden-crowned sparrows were gathered around the dogwood tree in the island of the drop off loop at the front of the arboretum eating the tree’s bright red berries.
The robins were eating the most. First, they would pluck a berry and adjust it in their beak, seemingly testing it for edibility. If it felt right they would toss it back and swallow it whole. If it didn’t feel right, they would drop it and get another one.
On the ground there were golden-crowned sparrows foraging. They would pick up the dropped berry and break off a small piece to eat.
The towhee would also break apart the berry and eat it in small pieces. It was also getting them out of the tree like the robin. It would either eat in the tree or it would fly off to the ground nearby to eat.
At the rate the berries have been consumed over the last couple of days, I imagine they are not going to last much longer.
