Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!nrl-cmf!ames!ucsd!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!hplabs!hpl-opus!hpccc!hp-sde!hpfcdc!hpldola!hjh
From: hjh@hpldola.HP.COM (Heather Hubbard)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: The Robin that wouldn't hop
Message-ID: <12360007@hpldola.HP.COM>
Date: 10 May 88 16:25:36 GMT
References: <752@trwspf.TRW.COM>
Organization: HP Elec. Design Div. -ColoSpgs
Lines: 20

Here in Colorado Springs area (almost directly North of you) we have
robins of the same road running gait. They hop occasionally but seem
to prefer the short run, then stop and watch a while, then run a ways
again.  

Do you remember a difference in the vegetation between your Eastern 
observations and here in the West?  I can believe a hop would be more 
effective where the grass is taller and more lush.
Is it possible the bug density is lower here in the arid West and
those robins are just moving as quick as they can between snacks?

I was watching a robin in my strawberry patch last weekend, running
watching then pouncing. I saw him grab a worm - one of our monster
worms about a 5 incher - and pull on it a while then let go and scurried
off to look for something else. I suppose that worm pulled too hard
for the robin to feel like struggling with it, but I was surprised
the robin let the worm go.

Wow, if the robins here are considered small the one's back East must
be nearly chicken sized!