On Monday, January 3, 2022, nine inches of gorgeous, wet, stick to the trees snow, dumped upon my cabin making a fairyland of the woods around me. And as if to laugh at those who say robins are a sign of spring, today, just a short thirteen days since the start of winter, a large group of American Robins (Turdus migratorius) has descended upon the Eastern Red Cedars (Juniperus virginiana) here and the birdbath which has a water warmer in it to provide them with water devoid of ice.

Some Robins do migrate but many others don’t. What they do is move in large groups to find food, fruits and berries. Those fruits and berries are their food choice during the winter, an easier meal than worms and insects.

These many Robins were the only species in the crowd today. Often though I’ll see them with Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) or Northern Flickers (Colaptes auratus). Maybe tomorrow their friends will show up. I hope there are some berries left for them.