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Just wondered if others in the "snow belt" are experiencing the spectacle of the robins and other birds in the cedar thickets with our deep snow cover. We got about 10 inches of snow last Th and Fr. I haven't been able to get to my county road since - maybe tomorrow. Last winter after the drought, there were almost no birds here. Mostly woodpeckers. No berries, no nuts nor acorns. This year there is a bumper crop of acorns and walnuts, and many cedar trees are still blue with berries. There are many cedar thickets around this county. And many birds this year. Daily I see A. Robins, many Yellow-rumped Warblers, Bluebirds and a Hermit Thrush or two. This morning, as I was lamenting another day of being snowbound, it seemed like all the robins in the county were in my yard and the closeby thickets. All day long hundreds, even thousands, of them fed and flew in and out of the trees as they shifted positions. Flocks of robins flew overhead. Robins turned over leaves in the few places they could find them without snow cover. Robins fussed at me when I went outside to fill feeders or walk the dogs. I even heard one singing, as I also did a Carolina Chickadee. They were everywhere! Only 28 species for the day but I did see: Rusty Blackbird - a lone male has been here for 3 days Yellow-rumped Warblers Cedar Waxwings - small flock - in the cedars E. Bluebirds - in the cedars Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers Fox Sparrows - 3 under my feeder Tree Sparrows - 9 or 10 Song Sparrows - several C. Grackle - 3 - I seldom get them in my yard Cooper's Hawk - I've been seeing it often Many Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, the usual Cardinals, woodland suspects. I had about 4 Blue Jays officiating in the yard today. I mention this because I had not had regular Blue Jays since before the drought. They were a most welcome sight. Down at the lake I had 45 or so Mallards, 3 PB Grebes, 3 Hooded Mergansers, 8 Gadwalls, and Canada Geese. Biggest disappointment of the day was seeing several large flocks of E. Starlings fly over and land in the cedars. I seldom see them here. Hope they don't discover my feeders. Where are the Red-breasted Nuthatches?? Judy Bergmann Rural Bonne Terre St. Francois Co. ------------------------------------------------------------ The Audubon Society of Missouri's Wild Bird Discussion Forum ASM Spring Meeting: May 2-4, 2014 in Jefferson City Details and online registration at: http://www.mobirds.org/ASM/Meetings.aspx ABA Birding Code of Ethics http://www.aba.org/about/ethics.html