Just before the New Year, one of our SIB (Seabrook Island Birders) members, Ellen Coughlin, sent us the picture below to ask us to confirm the identification of the birds. She said, “They were in the back yard and over the lagoon as well as fighting over the bird bath on Dec. 23. There were easily 100-150 of them. Flying around like they were drunk. This is the second time this event has occurred. The last time the birds were red winged blackbirds and it was about three years ago. Same weird behavior, diving bombing us as we stood on the enclosed screened in porch.” Some birds eat so many fermented berries they become “drunk.” According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website, ” When Robins eat honeysuckle berries exclusively, they sometimes become intoxicated.”
Learn more about the American Robin by clicking here for the full article SIB published to our members a few weeks ago.
-Submitted by Nancy Brown
I’ve seen the same thing; robins falling off the roof and crash landing. I was told they were eating palmetto berries, sipping condensed H2O from between the shingles, and then losing their balance. Hilarious to watch.