Robin In My Tree.What Gives?

[veme]

Just saw an adult Robin.
Very weird.

The earliest I've ever seen one since I've lived here is February 25 a couple of years ago.
What gives?

Any birder info would be appreciated
Thanks

Weird stuff happens. I saw a large flock of geese going north yesterday.

[RiverPines]

Nothing strange IMO.
We have robins in winter here, but its rare to see them. The ones that stayed found areas of winter berries in the wilds, that supply them enough that they dont have to leave.
If they can find a good food source they dont all leave.

Its a lack of food that moves them. Some, at least a few, usually find a food source somewhere. Just often not in any populated areas.

[yarrow]

I too have seen geese flying north already... the weird thing for us has been the horse & cows. They are starting to SHED~!~ Granted we are down by the MO/AR border... but it's JAN... I think there's going to be a cold horse here in a couple weeks...
susie, mo ozarks

[RiverPines]

Originally Posted by yarrow

I too have seen geese flying north already... the weird thing for us has been the horse & cows. They are starting to SHED~!~ Granted we are down by the MO/AR border... but it's JAN... I think there's going to be a cold horse here in a couple weeks...
susie, mo ozarks

We are suppose to have one heck of a cold snap over the majority of the country next week. But maybe its the last cold snap?
Animals do seem to know before us what the future holds.

Early spring, horses and cows are shedding!

[ff468]

I too have had Robins in my yard this winter. first time I can remember them staying the winter. Guess they must be finding food or they wouldn't stay. Our weather has been pretty normal, cold, so its is odd to us thay they are here.
Oh well, we are enjoying them along with all the others that drop by to feed at our feeders.

[jd4020]

Oh how wonderful!! The robin is one of my favorite birds. For me, when I see them in my yard, doesn't matter, winter is over. The earliest I've ever seen them is mid February. Last year they arrivd on my birthday in March and I was blessed to have such a wonderful birthday gift.

[uncle Will in In.]

Had a good sized flock of geese fly north over here the other morning. Then here they came back south that same evening. Some days they make a big circle and just land back in our lake. When all the lakes get frozen over, they fly down to the Wabash river about 12 miles south of here. The point is they don't migrate any more. Many huge flocks come through that do migrate somewhere south, but they done that about 5 or 6 weeks ago.
Seeing robins any month of the winter is not a regular thing, but it has happened time and again over the years. A couple years ago there were 8 of them sitting in a maple tree in our yard during a miserable snow storm. They disapeered before the next day????

[seedspreader]

I think we had this same thread last January.

[meanwhile]

One of our Willow trees is putting out the fuzzy buds already. Very early. Our cats are shedding. We too are expecting very cold air this week but that tree is acting like it is spring already.

[Ravenlost]

We had a flock of robins in our front yard the other day. And the daffodils are already coming up!

[Columbia,SC.]

better call owl gore, things are going bad!

[Quint]

They don't all fly south in the winter. You just don't hear them and you don't see them as often. If you know where to look you can often find pretty big flocks of them. Back in a cedar and sumac thicket I have a bunch that stay all year.

[fellini123]

We had a big flock of robins come through here today. AND I have dandilions coming up in the front yard.....in JANUARY!!!
Soon we will have to mow!!! In JANUARY!!!!

Alice in Virginia

[DenverGirlie]

Saw a Robin in Denver a few weeks back, but then again all of them don't leave the area.

Nature, go figure

[BlueHeronFarm]

I saw one last week and thought the same thing - that it was about a month early. Of course, I am in Texas. January may be just right. Funny...I took a photo, too. It looks almost exactly like yours.

[Cash]

Here in Maine we often see robins all winter. I asked some folks at Maine Audubon about it, and the wildlife biologist told me that robins will commonly stay through the winter if they have enough food. In winter they eat berries and buds, rather than insects. Only if food supplies run out or a major ice storm covers the trees will they move farther south. In fact, she told me that we often get Canadian robins wintering down here. They're easy to tell from our local birds because the robins from northern Canada are a darker red.

[jross]

Originally Posted by Quint

They don't all fly south in the winter. You just don't hear them and you don't see them as often. If you know where to look you can often find pretty big flocks of them. Back in a cedar and sumac thicket I have a bunch that stay all year.

We also have large flocks all winter long, stripping the berry trees and bushes. You can tell what they've been eating by the color and substance of their poop on your treestand.