The Early Bird
Maybe you’ve heard the musical song of an American Robin that sounded like “cheerily, cheerily, cheer up.” The sight of a robin is often thought of as one of the first signs of spring, but that isn’t completely true. Because of Georgia’s relatively mild winters, many robins stay around all year long while some winter further south. During the winter they spend more time in wooded areas dining on fruit and berries. Winter robins do plenty of calling and chattering, but when they switch to their true melodic song the difference is clear. Singing becomes much more regular and frequent in the spring. This is a sign that they are marking their territory and preparing for the nesting season.
Viewer Tip: The American Robin is the most widespread thrush in North America and has adapted well to the changes in landscape brought about by tremendous pressure from growing human populations. Robin populations appear stable or increasing throughout their range. Spring flocks of robins pulling up worms on suburban lawns are a familiar sight and because they forage largely on lawns, they are vulnerable to pesticide poisoning. You can help these popular birds by not using pesticides on your lawn or, if you must, by using organic pesticides such as insecticidal soap.
Season: Spring
This information is provided by the Georgia Wildlife Federation. For more information, visit www.gwf.org.
(Sources: Cornell Lab of Ornithology http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/American_Robin.html; Windstar Wildlife Institute: http://windstar.org/knowledge_center_article.cfm?articleID=335)
