Robins happily hop along … it's spring!

“The first day of Spring is one thing, and the first Spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.” — Henry Van Dyke, Fisherman’s Luck.

Most of us don’t have to wander far to bird watch if you’re happy to watch the American robin. For those of us living in Boundary County one of the most obvious signals announcing that spring is upon us is the arrival of the robin. American Robins are now filtering into North Idaho to announce spring with their beautiful red breasts and songs of the season. Although I am always amazed and excited to witness these magnificent forerunners of spring, I am also thrilled to see all the birds of migration and most important the arrival of spring itself.

The American robin is a member of the bluebird and thrush family. It’s called the American robin because it was named after a similar (though smaller) bird found in Great Britain.

I am reasonably sure that most people will agree the robin is one of America’s favorite songbirds. Claimed to be one of the most widely recognized birds in North America, even little children are familiar with the robin’s discernible red-orange breast and cheerful song.

Although being classified as a migratory bird, occasionally robins are known to stay the winter in many areas. However, rarely (if ever) have I seen robins in our yard on the North Hill through the winter months. Where they migrate for the winter is beyond me, but I am always thrilled when they’re one of the first to arrive in spring and happily hop along on front lawns searching for a meal of worms.

I also excitedly wait for the day when we will once again see robins foraging in our yard, because that also introduces one of our favorite summer events, barbecuing! So interesting is their method. When foraging, a robin often runs a few steps, then stops abruptly. With its head cocked to one side, it searches for earthworms by staring motionless at the ground. It’s somewhat humorous and entertaining to watch a robin attempting to pull a worm from the soil, particularly if the worm is putting up a strong resistance.

Following mating, it’s fascinating to watch the female robin build her nest, usually in the lower branches of a tree and sometimes in other places. The female robin builds the nest from the inside out. First, she presses dead grass and twigs into a cup shape, about 6 inches across and 6 inches high. Once formed, she reinforces the nest with mud. She then lines the nest with fine, dry grass. Shortly thereafter, she lays her beautiful blue eggs, usually numbering 4-7 without markings.

Again it becomes mom’s job to incubate the eggs, which typically takes 12-14 days. Once the eggs hatch, it becomes a full-time job for both parents to protect and feed the clamoring babies during the 10-16 days they spend in the nest. The main diet of the robin is berries. This supplemented by insects, larva and worms. The reason we see so many robins searching out worms is that worms and cutworms are the main diet of the chicks in the nest — both parents are kept hopping to feed their hungry babies many meals each day.

The robins have officially arrived and spring weather is here; take a walk in the out-of-doors and enjoy the beauty of Boundary County.