Yesterday I spotted the third American Robin I’ve seen in the past week and a half. Why are they here? Don’t they know it’s January?
Their feathers are all puffed up to capture as much air as possible. The loft gives them some much needed extra warmth at this time of year. The one I saw in my backyard just before a snowstorm last week didn’t look like it would survive. But a couple of days later, there it was again, hanging around the feeder.
Robins have been spotted elsewhere this month in areas where they are not commonly seen at this time of year. I wonder what they’re up to… The deep freeze we were in this past week probably had more than one of them regretting the decision to stay here instead of flying South.
Migrating robins usually return to Nova Scotia in late March. According to the NS Museum of Natural History, these are brighter breasted than the ones that dare to spend the winter here. I wonder: Is that because they have a tan? Or just because they’re a whole lot healthier and ready for the activities of Spring after taking a much needed break?
For more information about the migration activities of American Robins, see:
January 23, 2009 at 1:16 am
[...] simple and very accessible but quite substantial and often inspiring. Spend thirty seconds reading Robins in January and see for yourself. You won’t be [...]
January 30, 2009 at 11:32 am
In early January I saw about 14 robins sitting in and around an apple tree not far from my home. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a gathering! I suspect the fruit was the draw there…