topic Re: Robin sighting in Among Friends

Robin sighting

Patriot3 — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 14:03:17 GMT

I just saw a pair of robins this morning in NW Ohio. Anyone else see any yet in the Northern areas?

Re: Robin sighting

bonnielu — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 14:09:59 GMT

I am glad you brought this up. I saw Robins three weeks ago in our back yard. It was about to snow. I could not believe my eyes. Thirteen of them. I always thought they were a sign of Spring. So I wrote my friend who is a "bird photographer" and somewhat a nature expert. He told me the Robins are around all year round. I don't know whether to believe him or not. Crazy! He is not into foolin' me so I am about to check it out with another source. I live in the woods on a mountain in Western MD if that helps.

Re: Robin sighting

itsmagic — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 14:10:50 GMT

I haven't seen any yet. I always worry about what they will eat since it is too cold for worms!

Re: Robin sighting

Kardi — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 14:11:59 GMT

I live right on the lake in north-central OH and I've seen them all winter. Most never leave.

Re: Robin sighting

Nataliesgramma — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 14:20:52 GMT

N E Ohio here...I have only seen sparrows and the 2 woodpeckers in the backyard so far...

Re: Robin sighting

lucymo — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 14:27:30 GMT

Robins are here year round in southern Mo. I'm sure they will be as happy as I will when spring comes though.

Re: Robin sighting

luvsbulldogs — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 14:56:40 GMT

Have seen them year round in NH also!

Re: Robin sighting

golden_girl — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 15:04:33 GMT

NE PA last week!

Re: Robin sighting

ValuSkr — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 15:11:30 GMT

They are here year-round in SE PA. This time of year is when they start eating from the winterberry holly; the ground is snow-covered so they're unable to forage their usual delicacies.

Re: Robin sighting

cotton4me — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 23:25:16 GMT

I was so surprised the first time I saw one during winter. Many years ago I don't remember seeing them until spring. I did a little research and found this about robins wintering. This is in Michigan.

Not all robins are the same:The vast majority of robins do move south in the winter. However, some stick around—and move around—in northern locations.
Robins migrate more in response to food than to temperature: Fruit is the robin’s winter food source. As the ground thaws in the spring, they switch to earthworms and insects. While the robins may arrive when temperatures reach 37 degrees, this is because their food becomes available not because the robins themselves need warm temperatures.
Robins wander in the winter: Temperatures get colder as winter progresses. Robins need more food when it is cold and more and more of the fruit are eaten. Robins move here and there in response to diminishing food supplies and harsh weather. If all robins wintered at their breeding latitude, there would not be enough fruit for them all. So, robins tend to spread out in the winter in search of fruit. Most hang out where fruit is abundant, but some take the risk of staying farther north where smaller amounts of fruit remain.
Robins sing when they arrive on territory: Robins sing when they arrive on their breeding territories. Sometimes, robins even sing in winter flocks, due to surging hormones as the breeding season approaches. However, in the majority of cases, robins really do wait to sing until they have reached their territory.

Source: http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/american_robins_harbinger_of_spring_or_year-round_resident

Re: Robin sighting

Puzzle Piece — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 17:08:12 GMT

I remember my grade school teachers (some who were from back east) saying when the robins pair up to mate, Spring is not far off. I live here in So CA so we don't have the robins you may have in Ohio. Nor do we have the snow/rain you have.

Re: Robin sighting

spent2much — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 17:11:18 GMT

No robins yet, but I heard a woodpecker this morning. (I'm in CT)

Re: Robin sighting

Vivian — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 18:15:41 GMT

I live in upstate NY and there are no robins yet. They'd be crazy to come here this early. However, something happened this year that I've never seen before. We have Canada geese all over the place. We see zillions of them from spring to fall but never in winter...until now. Yes, some of them migrated south last fall as they always have done but I don't know where these geese are from...way up in northern Canada...or are they locals who found it OK to stay where they were?

Re: Robin sighting

PINKdogWOOD — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 19:23:19 GMT

@Patriot3 Our robins never leave thru the winter anymore and I'm in Columbus OH. They've just begun to get more vocal and increased in numbers this time of year here. Love hearing them in the winter.

Re: Robin sighting

IamMrsG — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 19:29:32 GMT

Northern OH: We've been seeing robins for about a month. Have also noticed cardinals scouting nesting places. The gold finches are showing definite yellow now, too.

Re: Robin sighting

Bird mama — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 19:52:11 GMT

Can't say I've seen robins. Was freaked out to see about 8 ducks in my back yard. I usually have 4 ducks that come by for the summer. Ducks starting visiting a couple of weeks ago - I thought they vacationed elsewhere.

Southeast Michigan

Re: Robin sighting

Lyttlewyng — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 20:44:04 GMT

I haven't seen the robins yet, here, in northern NJ but have had our variety of woodpeckers (Hairy, Downy, Red Bellied ) all winter, along with the usual winter birds.

I did hear a familiar song this morning but it wasn't a robin.

Will be keeping a sharp eye for our messengers of spring!

Re: Robin sighting

OnlyShopsOnline — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 21:07:01 GMT

I'm in Maryland, and saw a robin, in the tree outside of my kitchen window, during the first week in January. Usually I see the first ones in February.

I think they leave in the fall, but they do come back usually at the height of our winter weather.

Re: Robin sighting

songbird — Sun, 07 Feb 2016 20:40:28 GMT

The ones I see are here all winter. I see them quite a lot. During our recent tremendous snow storm, I saw a male venture out. Jumping from branch to branch. I've seen them in December too.

Re: Robin sighting

PINKdogWOOD — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 15:54:57 GMT

@IamMrsG We have both the red/orange and the bright yellow finches and we've seen both at the feeder although our goldens aren't very bright in color yet. The red ones are here all year. We have resident cardinals too who nest in the same trees every year. We've been hearing carolina wrens too. And of course the robins nest around the house in different trees too.

We have a very large (little) white star clematis that vines up & over our wrought iron railing on the front porch. After it totally fills out in the summer, we've had robins nest in it and as it so happens the nest is above the mailbox. Well, a few years ago for a couple of days Mrs Robinson (as we affectionately call her) had eggs in the nest. We had a substitute mailwoman who disturbed Mrs R and she flew out just as the mail person was inserting mail in the box. She (mail) freaked out of course. The rest of the week she chose to deliver our mail in a bad variety of ways - she'd leave it with the neighbors (which we never knew about) or she'd throw it onto the porch floor.

I finally caught up with the mail woman who brought with her one day her supervisor. I laid into both of them about the situation. I even asked the mail woman why she wasn't wearing her pith helmet - she nor the super even knew what I was talking about!!!! Well, this woman never delivered our mail again - and the super did nothing about the situation. Good riddens to both of them. Our regualr guy finally came back!