Sign of Spring

[Pygmy]

I was standing at the kitchen sink doing my breakfast dishes about ten minutes ago and I looked out at my birdfeeders and saw my first grackles and redwings of the year..

They often travel in mixed flocks, sometimes with some cowbirds mixed in also...

I haven't seen any robins yet, but they are due anytime..They usually show up here in Dogpatch around mid-March..

[Arcade Hunter]

Saw a few robins in Amherst last friday....  good to see one, I am sick of winter already

[turkeyfeathers]

Brother text yesterday that he saw redwings and grackles

[WNYBuckHunter]

I saw a robin yesterday. Been seeing the snow geese making their way north for weeks now.

[mowin]

Grackles and starlings at my feeder this morning. 

[Water Rat]

I see robins year round in Dutchess County but haven't seen any red wing black birds yet.

[Moho81]

I've noticed a few robins over the last week. I'm also starting to hear a lot more birds chirping in the morning as well. 

[philoshop]

I have robins all year for some reason. I actually plow some of the snow off the back yard at times so they can get to the grass and dirt while their hunting for food. One of the big signs of spring is when the female cardinal starts pecking at the side-view mirror on my truck. Craziest bird on my property by a long shot.

[Don_C]

We've had robins in Hamburg for a few weeks, I have a breeding pair and a nest in an arborvitae already.  A farmer friend of mine always says "when the skunks come out, winter's over".  I saw a few dead on the road about a week ago.

[G-Man]

Robin's dont fly south they just move into conifers/thick areas .. My sure sign of spring is the return of the turkey vultures. 

[cynthiafu]

I saw my first woodchuck . Unfortunately  he was dead on the road. When do you guys think the bears will wake up? I am sure the neighbor has one living under his house  the last two years  I was thinking of put my camera near there to get his picture but I don't want it to be awake .

[Nytracker]

True sign of spring is when swallows come back.  I have seen redwings  and starlings . 

[Moho81]

6 minutes ago, FatBoyD said:

We've had robins in Hamburg for a few weeks, I have a breeding pair and a nest in an arborvitae already.  A farmer friend of mine always says "when the skunks come out, winter's over".  I saw a few dead on the road about a week ago.

I avoided a skunk crossing the road Sunday night. I thought the same thing. Winter is over.

[Steuben Jerry]

Frequent morning wood appearances...

[Don_C]

6 minutes ago, G-Man said:

Robin's dont fly south they just move into conifers/thick areas .. 

Interesting....

https://journeynorth.org/tm/robin/ConfusingMigration.html

 

[Lawdwaz]

Male cardinals singing this morning......

[philoshop]

What do robins eat during the winter? Serious question. I thought they were strictly bug/worm/grub eaters. They're not exactly built for pecking at trees or pulling apart pine-cones.

[Robhuntandfish]

redwings usually show up right before a push of warm air, tomorrow its supposed to be 60!   Just looking for the boat to show up soon !!

[Merlot]

Had a cardinal at feeder today. Have not seen one until today.

[greensider]

Where are you located we have cardinals in Dutches county all year every year 

[Nomad]

Bock beer is on the shelves .

Diet ads everywhere .

piles of dog poop,visible with snow melt .

[Pygmy]

2 hours ago, philoshop said:

What do robins eat during the winter? Serious question. I thought they were strictly bug/worm/grub eaters. They're not exactly built for pecking at trees or pulling apart pine-cones.

Robins are omnivorous and will eat seeds/berries etc when insects are not available....G Man is partly correct....SOME robins do not migrate, but stay in heavy evergreen cover through the winter, especially in areas where the temps are slightly higher, such as around Seneca Lake...I have seen large numbers of robins  in  dead of winter in dense evergreen cover  while hunting rabbits on the east side of Seneca, and also in hillcountry here along the Pennsyltucky border...

However, a great majority of robins DO migrate to warmer climates, where forage is much more abundant in the winter..

[philoshop]

Thanks for the info Dan.

I had about twenty of them in my back yard today. They seemed to have fun flipping leaves in their bug quest. Fun to watch.

[stubborn1VT]

I use red-wing blackbirds as an indicator of spring too.  I've got robins and bluebirds and a dead skunk in the road not far from my driveway, but I'm headed ice fishing tomorrow.  Still 30+ inches of ice on the northern bays of Champlain.  -

[philoshop]

Best of luck with the ice fishing!!