February 10, 2010
Robins
During the coldest part of winter, there were stout robins snacking in my yard. Is this a sign of spring? I searched for an answer and have since learned that in mild climates, such as ours, robins really do not go away; they just change their foraging practices. It seems, in winter, they ditch the worms on the lawn and set off to the woods for berries and fruit. When the ground is cold, earthworms wiggle down beneath the frost line, out of reach. As the spring rains warm the earth, they begin to vertically migrate, only to peek out and be eaten by an anxious robin. Discouraging. The warm earth will encourage earthworms to surface, and they will be the precursor to the return of the robins in our backyards. So, seeing a robin isn’t necessarily a sign of spring, but seeing a robin in your yard with a wiggly worm in his mouth is.
til next time.
p.s.
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