We are all getting really tired of the cold, snow and ice this winter, right? So are the robins. But they know the scientific way to deal with the cold. As Tavia and I talked in her office, we saw hundreds of robins flying past her window. What are they up to? Out the window we found them on the sidewalk and porch of Mahan Manor, sunning themselves. Yes, even though the thermometer says it’s still only 18 degrees outside, the sun is shining, and the ice has slowly and silently melted away. The robins are scientists who know that pavements and dark colors, found on the garage roof, absorb and retain heat very well. So they know to sunbathe on those warm surfaces while they can. See, even the birds know how to take advantage of basic scientific facts, without opening a science book at all!

Join us for the Great Backyard Bird Count here at the Nature Preserve, this Saturday, February 15, from 10 am to 1 pm.  We will have experienced birders (from Louisville Audubon Society and Beckham Bird Club) to talk about the birds found at the Preserve, then we’ll go out for a bird hike, and the weather should be terrific. The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a joint partnership between Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, with Bird Studies Canada as the official Canadian partner. The GBBC is a four-day international bird count open to birders of all ages and abilities. The citizen science data that the GBBC collects gives researchers information about the location and size of bird populations each February.