It rained one evening recently, and when I looked in my back yard the next morning, all the robins in the Northern Hemisphere were there. Well, maybe not all of them, but there was no robin shortage, for sure. The robins enjoy my back yard because we have leaves as mulch in several spots and they know that where there are leaves, there are worms, grubs and other juicy tidbits. The robins were having a field day, scratching about in the leaves, but the next day, they were gone.
Robins hang in flocks during the winter, but come April, they stake out their territory and there will be more than one air battle in our back yard. Ultimately, maybe two pairs of robins will settle in the area, build nests and raise families.
Last summer, I fed a family of robins. I was supplying mealworms to my resident pair of bluebirds and began tossing a few extra worms on the ground for a male cardinal, who was also feeding a family and became quite friendly. Then, Sir Robin saw the handouts and he, too, wanted in on the worm action. So, I fed bluebirds, cardinals and robins and went through over 50,000 mealworms.
Robins are among my favorite birds. They are year-round residents in Virginia and come spring, they will sing all night long. It’s quite a treat to arise at dawn and hear the grand chorus of robins.
Great birds, great friends. I look forward to feeding several families this year.
