Harbingers of Spring

Yesterday I went for a walk in the late afternoon sun. The sun streaked through the bare winter branches, the air was cool and refreshing, and I could hear what sounded like hundreds of birds twittering high in the branches. I paused a minute to look up and to my surprise I saw at least 25 American Robins fluttering around from branch to branch happily singing. I’m so used to seeing Robins hopping on the ground that I was a bit disoriented by seeing them high up in the trees; and there were so many of them! Were they migrating? Is spring already here?

So, of course I had to look up the answers to my questions. I found out that Robins are normally considered harbingers of spring. Those in the northern states do migrate, however many American Robins actually spend the whole winter in their breeding range, especially in the more southern states, such as Tennessee. But because they spend more time roosting in trees in large groups and less time in your yard, you're much less likely to see them.

Other facts:

•  Robins eat different types of food depending on the time of day: more earthworms in the morning and more fruit later in the day. Because the robin forages largely on lawns, it is vulnerable to pesticide poisoning and can be an important indicator of chemical pollution.
• Around 40 percent of their diet consists of invertebrates like beetle grubs, caterpillars, worms and grasshoppers. Fruits and berries both wild and cultivated make up 60 percent of their food. 
• As winter ends, and the daylight lengthens,
  American robins are often the first birds you
  hear singing just as dawn approaches. This
  behavior has earned the bird the nickname
  “wake robin.”
• For additional facts about the American Robin and to hear its song go here