Sunday, December 29, 2019

Rouge-gorge

This is another frequent visitor to our feeders and the deck: the European robin, or rouge-gorge (literally red-neck) in French. Like the tits, the rouge-gorge eats mainly insects and slugs during the summer months, but in fall and winter looks for seeds and small berries. Once in a while it will perch on the seed balls to feed, but I see it mostly hopping around below picking up what the tits let fall.

A rouge-gorge on our deck. I wonder why it's not called an "orange-gorge."

Today, like every Sunday this time of year, is a hunt day. Tasha and I need to get out before 09h00 when the hunters arrive. Considering that sunrise happens at 08h41 today, that leaves us a very small window for a walk. We go out five or ten minutes before sunrise so that we get a good half-hour of walking. The season for pheasants closes on January 31, early this year. Partridge and hare seasons are already closed. Roe deer and fox seasons continue until the end of February, but they are only taken in organized hunts and those don't happen all that often, at least in our neck of the woods.

9 comments:

  1. Lovely photo. That green in the background makes everything else stand out.
    That hunting season stuff, on my walk route, would make me so uncomfortable. Is everyone always really good about strictly following the time schedule?

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  2. Your birds are fun to see. You are lucky to have them come up close for your viewing pleasure.

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  3. Your use of color and the bird's concentration looking out really attracts my attention! That must be the bottom railing of the balcony. Such detailing of the bird's lower feathering seems touchable (silly me!).

    Mary in Oregon

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  4. I was intrigued about that name vs. the orange chest. In the 15th C. when the bird was given that name: rouge-gorge, the color orange had not been identified. It later arrived after the fruit (orange).

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  5. Your robin looks to be more orange-y than those seen over here, which do seem truly to be rouge-gorge, or maybe it's the picture. And a nice picture it is.

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  6. michael, I'll pass that along. ;)

    judy, yes, pretty much. We've never had a problem. But the shotgun blasts can catch you by surprise!

    evelyn, I sat inside the house with a telephoto lens to get these shots. If they detect any movement inside the house, they're gone!

    eric, thanks!

    mary, it is the bottom of the railing. Good research about "orange!"

    emm, the color in the image is very close to reality. At least to my eyes. ;)

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  7. Here’s an interesting bit of trivia about the color orange I. English that I would imagine applies to French, as well. A memory from art school (the important info I store in my head.... groan): orange did not exist as a word in English until I think the 15th or 16th century with the introduction of the fruit to those parts of the world. I know the bird is also known as the English Robin as well as Robin Redbreast. After writ g this I thought maybe I should look it up. Maybe that painting teacher had made it all up! Appears to be true!

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