On 4 Mar 2006, Rob Sandelin wrote:

> On this fine early spring day a pair of male robins got into a no holds
> barred fight.

Interesting you should write about this Rob. Quite by coincidence I saw
something similar, but no where near as dramatic or energetic as what you
witnessed.

On Friday morning, while walking around the Woodard Bay Conservation Area
in north Thurston County, I first heard, then saw, two robins in an
altercation. The light was not good (there was a thin 100% cloud cover,
and we were under a nearly closed canopy of Big-leaf Maple, Western
redcedar, and Douglas-fir), but twice I was able to convince myself I was
seeing two males. They would go at it for a minute or so, separate for a
minute or so, and then go at it again, rushing each other and flying up
while thrusting and parrying. Less often they would go at it while
standing on a branch, though I got the sense that was when they had tired.

I didn't time any of this - I was also distracted by a pair of Hairy
Woodpecker pounding on Douglas-fir boles in the same area, plus a pair of
Winter Wren in the brush behind me, and also being careful not to step on
my GPS unit which I had tossed on the ground when the excitement started.

My interpretation was that I was seeing a territorial skirmish. The action
more-or-less moved from south to north before me, and a some point seemed
to have ended.

Doug Canning

> I have never seen such a battle before. Very loud
> vocalizations, lots of feathers flying, lots of contact, pecking, wing
> buffeting, chest bumping and tumbling. After more than 2 minutes of almost
> steady contact, they broke apart about 2 feet, both had wings drooping,
> mouths agape. Then after a bit of rest went at it again for another full
> minute. Finally one broke free, stumbling back a few steps then flew away,
> closely pursued by the other, who hurled all sorts of sharp invective at
> the retreating combatant. The victorious, I assume, robin returned a bit
> later, clearly noticeable from the severely mussed up feathers. The bird
> spent more than 5 minutes preening itself and perhaps longer, my interest
> turned to insects at that point and I wandered off.
>
> I do not recall ever seeing robins skirmish for such an extended period of
> time.
>
> Rob Sandelin
> Naturalist, Writer
> The Environmental Science School
> http://www.nonprofitpages.com/nica/SVE.htm

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Douglas Canning
Olympia, Washington
dcanning at zhonka.net
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