We just looked out to see a huge flock of Robins!!! Iowa!

[Frustratedlady]

It's way too early, it's snowing and our temps are to go into negative territory. The ground is frozen, so no worms. Fortunately, they are fat. They've been sitting in the bare trees, but are moving to the pine trees in small bunches.

This doesn't usually happen until March, so I hope it isn't an indication of Spring hitting way too soon. The last three years or so, Spring has hit earlier and earlier, then turned. Let's see if they know what they are doing.

Oh, these are all male Robins. Just sayin'.

[MFM008]

1. nice

i love birds.

[Frustratedlady]

6. But robins are our harbinger of spring and don't usually come this soon.

I must have 100 or more and they aren't going to eat for several days with the snow and frozen ground. I have a creed at the bottom of a hill where they can get a drink, but nothing more.

[dhol82]

2. At my house in Oyster Bay, NY we now have robins year round.

They seem to do well.

[NickB79]

3. I'm north of you, near St. Paul, MN

And ive had a flock of 15-20 robins all winter long!

They love to congregate by my stream, since it has yet to freeze over this winter. Crazy.

[Frustratedlady]

7. Friday, I made a short trip west of me about 30 miles. We saw one V after another of geese.

Thousands were heading north after gleaning the dropped corn and soybeans from the fields. Way too early for them, as well.

[mbusby]

4. We are seeing...

...robins in a NW Houston suburb.

[SWBTATTReg]

5. Whoa! I heard that the weather is going to change for the colder Thursday or so, so...

either these robins have an inside place to go, or they are more warm bloodied than I thought!

We only gotten 1 wave of snow this year so far, it's been raining and staying wet all winter long. Haven't been able to park in the yard like I do sometimes.

I think I even saw buds on one tree, I was going to go look a little more closer, but it's raining (as usual) here in STLMO. Haven't seen very many birds although I did see a woodpecker the other day.

[Frustratedlady]

8. I have tons of birds of all kinds because of the bird feeders and really enjoy watching them.

However, the deer have figured out how to tilt some of the feeders and drink the seeds. Right now, the feeders are loaded.

[SWBTATTReg]

12. How nice. I've got too much of an urban area and cats around, although we do see some falcons

(they live on top of the skyscrapers downtown). That's one of the big things I miss, is an active birdfeeder. I tried putting one out last year, didn't have a visitor. I don't know what I did wrong (put out the tiny little round pellets, maybe 1/3rd of the size of an aspirin). I'll try something else this coming spring, perhaps sunflower seeds, but I do have way too many squirrels, and we can't do anything to them. We call them flying rats, since they know that they are immune and are aggressive as heck.

Lucky you, it's like you have your own TV channel for 'watching the birds'! Neat.

[SharonClark]

9. Not all robins migrate south.

Interesting article --- [link:https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/is-it-unusual-to-see-american-robins-in-the-middle-of-winter/|

[Frustratedlady]

10. Yes, that is an interesting article, but I'm sure these robins only flew in today.

There were tons of them. In all my years, I've never seen them this early although there have been a few seen during the winter. I always figured they weren't up to the trip and took their chances to stay behind. Maybe I'm all wet.

[lame54]

11. Is this another voting technique?

[Frustratedlady]

13. ???????

[GoCubsGo]

14. Robins are a year-round resident of Iowa.

As well as the vast majority of the country. It's not unusual for them to flock in the hundreds. Not sure what the big deal is here.

[Frustratedlady]

15. We don't have them in these quantities year round.

They migrate somewhere and return in March. The males always return first and a few weeks later, the females. I'm over 80 and never seen it any other way. There are always a few that remain, but it is very rare around here.

[GoCubsGo]

16. You probably do have those quantities year-round.

Winter flocks are nomadic, and congregate where the food is most abundant. If you don't get out to where there are loads of fruits and berries, you're not likely to see them in huge numbers. Because you haven't sen them, it doesn't mean they're not there.

[jcgoldie]

17. Robins migrate in response to food not temperatures

They go south to eat fruit and berries in winter months then come north when worms are active. If you are seeing more than normal in February then its probably because the ground has been thawed long enough for the worms to wake up. A sign of global warming probably but I would not worry about a week of freezing temps bothering them any.