As I was leaving the campus today, 4 or 5 Robins flew ahead of me, chasing
a large Crow with something large in its mouth. It was pretty obvious
what must be going on. The Crow perched for a few seconds in a small
tree, but dropped its prize, with the Robins gathered around, scolding and
very agitated. Then the Crow picked the object up again and flew to a
high limb of a Douglas-fir, where I could see it; by this time, the Robins
had left it alone. It clearly had a nestling, a Robin I assume, and
proceeded to pick the thing apart, discarding some pieces and eating
others. It ate what looked like the liver in one gulp. What I found so
interesting was that there were so many Robins chasing the Crow. A pair
of adults I could understand. Had the parents given some kind of alarm
cry to call for assistance? Has anyone observed, or heard, a special
call that Robins would use in this kind of situation?

Burt Guttman guttmanb at elwha.evergreen.edu
The Evergreen State College Voice: 360-866-6000, x. 6755
Olympia, WA 98505 FAX: 360-866-6794