Though he doesn’t stay long in the frame and arrived at least a week after locals have started talking about the robins being back, this is the first robin I’ve seen in our yard this year. I have a hard time imagining he is finding much food when the ground is still quite frozen, but soon it will be softening and the juicy worms will make their return near the surface as well. Until then, I suppose, he will have to make do with the berries that are still on the shrubs in our yard from last winter.

I’ve recently heard people saying that robins do not migrate in the winter, but all one needs to do to evaluate that statement is observe the world outside. In the spring, summer, and early fall, hardly a day goes by without seeing a robin hop across the lawn. In the winter, months go by without a single sighting. The robins are gone. I suspect that people have taken information from warmer areas of the country where the robins do indeed stay the winter (because food is still available) and misapplied it to our region of the country where they do not. Always observe!