I've never really been much of a bird watcher. I've never gone on a bird watching expedition. I have seen some really cool birds over the years, no so much because I was looking for them but more so because they just happened to appear nearby. But for some reason over the years I've picked up many silver coins or rounds with birds on them. It wasn't really my intention but it just happened, and all of them have a lot of great artistry so I'm glad I bought them! I never realized how many I had before I started sharing them here on Hive.
The silver round I'm sharing today I didn't really buy it because of the birds. Truth be known it has a really nice blue toning around the edge which I found to be beautiful and it has two ounces of silver and the price was right so it came home with me. Have a look:
About the round:
Round: European Robin
Mint: The Franklin Mint, Pennsylvania, US
Year: 1971
Series: Roberts Birds
Composition: 92.5% silver
Total Weight: 2.125 Troy ounces
Silver weight: 2 Troy ounces
Diameter: 51 mm
Obverse: European Robins on branches
Reverse: Lettered: European Robin No. 18, mint mark, 1971
In this series they made 50 different bird designs taken from Roberts Birds. What is interesting about that is Roberts Birds focuses on African birds, turns out these robins also live in northern Africa. I imagine having all fifty rounds would be a fantastic collection it would be an expensive endeavor since you are buying 100 troy ounces of silver and then the premium for the artwork. I don't think I'll be doing that any time soon as I have other things on the wish list that will take a much higher priority!
Since I am sharing a piece of silver art with the European robin I decided I should learn at least a little about the creature. I'll start of with some pictures, they are cute and colorful birds.
birdguides.com
independent.co.uk
These birds are about 5 inches (13 cm) long, so a smallish bird. The live in most all of Europe into Russia, down to the middle east and even northern Africa. They mainly eat insects and on occasion berries and aren't overly afraid of humans. Often they will come to areas people are digging up to look for worms. They lay two to three clutches of eggs a year so they reproduce very quickly.
Something I found fascinating is that the robins as well as some other birds use quantum entanglement in order to navigate where they are going. If you watched the Marvel's Antman movies you probably heard about more quantum than ever wanted to know. In the robins case as a photon (light particle) enters the eye of the birds it reacts with a protein known as cryptochrome. And no it has nothing to do with cryptocurrency. I found this summary from PBS Nova which you can find the link in my references:
"The energy from that photon is specifically disturbing the electrons within cryptochrome molecules. If an electron is knocked out of place—perhaps exiting one molecule and joining another—this creates what’s called a radical pair, or a duo of molecules that each has an odd number of electrons. But this radical pair is also somewhat unusual: Because both radicals were generated at the same time, the fates of the two molecules involved are actually linked, locking them into a strange, delicate state known as quantum entanglement."
I come from a science background and I had to stop and read it carefully to try to make sense of it. I still don't have a full grasp of the concept so I used their explanation which is much better than anything I could have produced. Now I must mention that this is just a theory and they are very far from understanding exactly how their navigation system works. But it is a very interesting concept, and if it gave you a headache I apologize!
I think that is it for my post today. I hope you found it interesting and enjoyed it. If you have any suggestions, comments, or questions feel free to ask (unless the question is about quantum entanglement, I can't help you there...) Thanks for your support, it's greatly appreciated. Have a great day!
And my disclaimer:
Gold and silver stacking can be a fun hobby but isn't for everyone. You can lose money. I'm not a financial advisor and this isn't financial advice, please always do your own research before spending your hard earned money.
References:
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/troy-oz-pure-silver-round-european-4586285994
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_robin
https://franklin-mint-silver.com/franklin-mint-roberts-birds-medals.htm
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/birds-quantum-entanglement/
Re-blog lottery
Now for the winner of the re-blog lottery! Today we had 30 people re-blog my post, thank you so much! You guy are the best! The people who re-blogged were:
Voluntary daily reminder list for those who request to be on it:
If you want to be added to the list as well just feel free to ask!
Thank you everyone! I have been working to improve my engagement and all of you have really helped out! If you have any recommendations or suggestions please feel free to let me know. I'm always looking to improve my posts.
Good luck to everyone!
And since I didn't post yesterday today I will do two spins of the wheel, so two winners today!
And the Wheel of Names results:
Congratulations 
You will receive 3 HSBI units!
Now for today's re-blog lottery! You just need to re-blog my post you will be placed on the Wheel of Names for a spin to possibly win 3 HSBI units! Just one prize for the lucky winner. An upvote is not required but is always greatly appreciated. Bots aren't allowed to win the prize. Contest ends at 14:00 (2 PM) California Pacific time tomorrow. If I somehow missed your re-blog please let me know and I'll add you to the next draw.
What are HSBI units? They are units that you can purchase to sponsor someone and you in turn receive a unit as well. This way we both benefit! They give you occasional upvotes on your posts for a lifetime, and the more you accumulate the more often you receive upvotes and the bigger they can be. You can read some more here:
If you have more questions feel free to ask.
