Why the Robin Isn't a Sign of Spring

You hear it all the time, especially this time of year: "I saw my first robin! Spring must be on the way!" Robin sightings in late winter being seen as a sign of spring is a long-held myth that persists even now. But the truth is that robins are like people - some migrate south and some do not and they are no more a predictor of spring than Punxsutawney Phil. (With all due respect to our Pennsylvania neighbors!)

Robins that spend summers in Canada may travel southward when cold winter weather arrives, and to them, the northern United States is south. So some of the robins we see may be Canadian robins. But many of our native robins hang around, as long as they have a reliable food source.

Most winters, I will see robins on a regular basis, this winter included. But one bird we don't see much of when the weather turns cold is the red-winged blackbird. We are in the northern part of their year-round range, but you're not likely to see them here until spring is approaching.

I saw my first one of the season last Saturday, as I drove to nearby Ft. Wayne, IN. The flash of red and yellow on their wings is an attention-getter when the landscape is covered in snow and there isn't much color along the roadside. That's where they can usually be found, in both winter and summer - perched atop tall plants in ditches or higher up on power lines. They prefer marshy wetlands and like to make their nests near such areas.

And then they showed up here during the snow storm on Monday afternoon, after I'd already submitted my Great Backyard Bird Count report.

The male red-winged blackbirds are real Casanovas. They patrol and defend their territory and may take as many as 15 mates at a time, making up their harem. Females have 2-3 broods a year, with 2-4 eggs in each one. It only takes 11-13 days for the eggs to hatch and another two weeks until they fledge.

Blackbirds generally forage on the ground rather than visit a feeder, so to attract them to your yard, scatter seed on the ground.  The blackbirds you see here are eating from the top of some yew shrubs, just under our platform feeder, from which other birds have thrown seed as they feed.

When looking for the red-winged blackbird, be sure to listen for their distinctive song. They're announcing the approach of spring, you know!