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| It's cold today. It is flurrying. We are going to have *highs* in the teens this week. And there are many robins outside pecking away at the ground looking for food, snapping open seeds and such. Of course, no worms, the top layer of soil is frozen. Those birds are fat, too. Their chatter on a cold, grey day is a welcome sound :0) So - they don't leave anymore? I thought they migrated for the winter. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Even in our freezing cold and snow covered winters some robins stay all year while others migrate. |
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| Yes, I've seen the same thing the last year or so - people get excited when they see the "first robin" in spring but then it dawns on us that we never really saw them leave.... It's been fairly warm here, save for an odd couple days or so, so we've had no sustained cold, so I haven't noticed thay they've left yet... if they will.... Dee |
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- Posted by RyseRyse_2004 5 (My Page) on Sun, Dec 8, 13 at 16:59
| Some have always stayed. I am surprised every year because people seem to think a robin is the first sign of spring. No - if they think there is enough to eat to get through the winter, they stay. |
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| People think I'm nuts when I tell them I often hear and sometimes see robins throughout the winter. It's in our minds that all robins migrate and return in the spring. They don't. Some do, but some retreat into the woods during the winter, usually. Karen |
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| Robins are partially migratory which means they may or may not migrate as needed to find food. They will hang around if food resources are available, such as abundant berries and fruits, and when there is little or no snow cover because they have access to food on the ground, such as insects in the leaf litter. |
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| Here's an interesting link on the subject. |
Here is a link that might be useful: U of M Dearborn robin report
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| As stated above, as long as there is food, they will stay.
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- Posted by tiffy_z5_6_can 5/6 (My Page) on Sat, Dec 14, 13 at 18:50
| Funny, I saw one today and was as awed as some of you. They usually migrate to the woods here - Nova Scotia - but this female was having a feast of berries in a native bush growing by the side of the road. She was by herself - that's unusual. It's been minus 17C here the last few days and a nor'easter is moving in with 30 cm of snow. Hopefully she headed for shelter as the day wore on. Nice photo harryshoe! Handsome fella! |
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| What a cheerful picture! :0) |
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| It is a cute photo, but also kind of unsettling when you stare at it. Think about it. Look at the size of the berry in comparison to the size of the Robin. I keep thinking if he can swallow that berry, we should be able to swallow an orange. I don't think I'll try it. Kevin |
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| LOL, Kevin! That is too funny. Didn't even notice that till you mentioned it! :) |
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| Thanks. A lucky shot through the dining room window. What's amazing is how fast they swallow a berry. I just guess and shoot when the Robin looks toward a berry because once it picks, the berry is gone. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sun, Dec 22, 13 at 11:41
| i spotted one .. the day before mx posted this ... and after a week of single digits at night ... havent seen one for days .... most of the blue jays left also ... no doubt ....hitched a ride on the midnight train to GA ... lol ... the finches have reappeared though ... ken |
Here is a link that might be useful: gotta love the pips ....
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- Posted by daisyincrete 10? (My Page) on Sun, Dec 22, 13 at 12:27
| When I moved from the U.K. to Crete in the Mediterranean Sea, one of the few things I missed was the garden robin. There had always been a robin following me around the garden, keeping me company and entertaining me with that beautiful, soft, warbling, song. Even at work there was a robin who came to greet me everyday. He knew that I had a bag of dried apricots in my pocket. He became very tame. In the springtime, he would not eat his apricot, but would sit on my shoulder whilst I bit off three or four small pieces for him. Then he would carefully line them up in his beak and carry them back to his nest for his babies. I knew that there were robins on Crete, but I had never seen one. Until now. This one must live nearby as he turns up every day. I enjoy his company as I work, but keep an eye out for the local cats. The European robin is a lot smaller than the American robin. That is a great photo harryshoe, .Here is my new friend.
Daisy |
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| OMG! He's adorable. Quite different from our own. I didn't realize there were different species. Kevin |
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| Great, Ken, thanks. It's been 45 minutes since I read your post - and didn't even dare look at the link - and I've been singing that darn song over and over since! The funny thing is, I've been only singing the background, ala "and the Pips" from the RIchard Pryor show skit (and man oh man, am I dating myself, lol!) :) edited because GW seems to be having a lot of difficulty with quotation marks! |
This post was edited by diggerdee on Sun, Dec 22, 13 at 17:12
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| Holy Cow! They also seem to be having trouble with links! Let me try this for the 7th time..... |
Here is a link that might be useful: And the Pips....
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- Posted by prairiemoon2 zone 6a/MA (My Page) on Mon, Dec 23, 13 at 3:38
| I noticed Robins still here the other day after reading this thread. We had a lot of berries this year on the Grey Dogwood shrub and a couple of hollies in the corner near it. I saw three robins eating the berries on both the other day. I'm surprised that they didn't strip the shrub, but they left some and the squirrels were making a daily trek to the shrub and eating the berries too. It has been funny to watch because a lot of the branches are thin and light and the berries are on the tips of them, so the squirrels have to do all kinds of aerial feats to get at them. lol Gladys is amazing and Midnight Train to Georgia is one of my all time favorites. Now that song will be linked to birds flying south in the fall. Cute. (g) |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Mon, Dec 23, 13 at 8:33
| i never saw the pips sans Gladys ... hilarious ... anyone actually know.. how far south robins go .... do they actually go as far as GA ... on migration i mean ... from MI .... they probably only need to get south of OH .... to be in z7 .... or maybe they like red clay ... ken |
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