American Robins

If you listen, you may hear the songs of American Robins.  Some of these beautiful, orange-bellied birds may have stayed here all winter.  Others may be stopping over having flown thousands of miles from as far south as Guatemala while en route to as far north as Vancouver Island, although most Robins travel intermediate distances.  March is the American Robin’s peak migration month with increasing daylength signaling the Robins’ internal clock and encouraging them to head north for their breeding season. Those beautiful songs you are hearing are male Robins defending breeding territories and attracting females.  Are you seeing Robins in trees and shrubs or hopping across the ground? What do you think they are feeding on?

From the sounds of it, there is no question that the Robins are back in town! 
Help us track the arrival of Robins back to our region by posting your sightings and photos to the EERC’s FaceBook site.

For additional information, click here to support Journey North’s tracking and migration program, or here to visit Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology for more information.