Sufficient winter forage eases robins’ early return

The idea of robins being a harbinger of spring is not quite accurate – at least not for this part of Maine this year. As evidenced by the numerous sightings of these birds throughout the winter, robins may decide to spend the season in northern climes.

That’s not to say they failed to migrate. These birds are migratory, and the pull of migration, which is triggered by factors such as a reduced amount of daylight, is irresistible. However, where the birds stop along their migratory route depends on which locations offer enough food, at least in some species. The robins we see in Maine have most likely arrived from points farther north.

Last year’s cool, wet summer was perfect for fruit-producing trees and shrubs. Berries such as mulberry, sumac, grape, viburnum and cedar are a robin’s staple during the winter. Many trees in the neighborhood still bear their fruits, and I never fail to see robins foraging in them.

At this time of year, food may be harder to find; I also notice many trees have been stripped of their fruit. Besides planting more fruit trees, a short-term solution would be to provide food for robins in your back yard. Apples, raisins, currants, grapes and even bananas are relished by the birds. You can be creative in how you provide it. Someone in my neighborhood strung cranberries and popcorn on lengths of thread and hung them in a tree. These fruit lines were arranged so that they draped over lower branches, which made it easier for the birds to reach them.

You can share your observations of winter robins by joining in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s “Great Backyard Bird Count,” Feb. 16-19. For those of you who have Internet access, the lab’s Web site – http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/how.htm – provides instructions and checklists on how to conduct and submit your counts.

If you don’t have Internet access, here is what to do:

. Watch the birds for at least 15 minutes each day you participate.

. On the days that you count, keep track of the highest number of individual birds of each species you see at any one time. Don’t add counts from different days.

. Don’t add single birds seen at separate times on the same day.

. If you conduct your count around your neighborhood or in a natural area, keep the distance you travel less than one mile.

. You can count birds in your back yard, neighborhood, or a nature preserve in your area.

. Remember to keep separate counts for each area.

. Come to the Fields Pond Nature Center any time between 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18, and Lee Snyder will enter your counts into Cornell’s database. You can see how your contribution changes the ornithological maps of the United States.

For directions or questions, contact the Fields Pond Nature Center at 989-2591, or fieldspond@juno.com. Happy bird-watching!

Chris Corio is a volunteer for Fields Pond Nature Center. She can be reached at fieldspond@juno.com.