American Robin Migration Update: February 14, 2006 Today's Report Includes: Winter Robin Round-up Results: Where Robins Have Been Making Sense of Journey North Maps NEW! Just-for-Kids Booklet About Winter Robins Finding Robins in Winter: Challenge Question #1 NEW! Your Official Journey North Robin Migration Journals Tricky to Track First Robin of Spring? SONG is the Key Helpful Links for New Participants Winter Robin Round-up Results: Where Robins Have Been   First Robins Seen Waves of Robins First Robins Heard Singing* (map) (map) (map) (data) *Recommended for mapping Where are robins found in February? And what are they doing? Thanks to Journey North observers across the U.S. and Canada, today's maps and comments give a colorful snapshot. Hats off to all who joined the 2006 Winter Robin Round-up! You’ve told us that robins in February are found from Florida to Canada. You reported more along the east coast and fewer in the middle of the continent--where conditions are drier and fewer fruit trees provide food. You've seen waves of robins (groups of 3 to “hundreds” or even "a thousand") from coast to coast. And a few hardy robins in southern Ontario, Canada have even been heard singing! (Last year’s Round-up results showed 3 robins singing in states south of the Great Lakes.) Photo Mitch Ferrier Try This! Even with all these sightings, one thing tells you that very few robins have returned to their summer breeding territories. You’ll get a great tip-off when you try this: count and compare the number of reports of robins SINGING, the number of reports of robins FIRST SEEN, and the number of reports of WAVES of robins. Then see if your thoughts fit with what you read in the rest of this report. IMPORTANT: The map in today's Web report is a snapshot in time for February 14, but a click on the map links you to the latest map on our MapServer. That map looks different because it is almost instantly updated as observers report data. Also see: About Our Spring Maps Making Sense of Journey North Maps Take another look at today's migration maps. . .and prepare to watch the changes ahead. You will see a progression of real-time maps in each Migration Update this spring. Then the detective work begins! Robin migration is tricky to track (see more on this, below). Each time you look at a new map--starting today--you can consider some basic questions, such as these: Making Sense of Journey North Maps NEW! Just-for-Kids Booklet About Winter Robins Many of you believe robins stayed all winter in your area, and you were surprised. What would keep robins around all year, instead of migrating farther south? What do robins need to survive? What do robins DO in winter? Journey North’s new print-and-fold booklet looks at these questions. Find it here, along with a helpful teacher guide and print and fold instructions.   COMING UP: Watch for two more new booklets in upcoming reports! Finding Robins in Winter: Challenge Question #1 You reported many fun and important observations about winter robins in the Winter Robin Round-up. Now it’s time to comb for clues! Click to the page below and read for clues that tell when and where robins were seen; the when and where can help you figure out WHY robins were there. Observations About Robins in Winter Then come back to answer the season’s first Challenge Question. Use clues from above together with what you learned in the booklet. Put your answer in your new robin journal (see below), and please remember to send it to Journey North. We’re looking forward to hearing from you! Challenge Question #1: "What variables do you think affect the number of robins you might see in the winter time?" To respond to this Challenge Question, please follow these instructions. NEW! Your Official Journey North Robin Migration Journals Keep track of robin migration news, answers to Challenge Questions, fun facts and your own questions with an official journal. Click below for the print-and-go cover and pages, plus tips for using them. Keep a Journal This journal is designed to be used throughout the spring migration, starting today. Print Yours Now! Tricky to Track With so many over-wintering robins, can robins REALLY be considered a sign of spring? The results of our Winter Robin Round-up may leave you wondering. The counting exercise you did above with today’s 3 robin maps help to answer this good question. Your count for today’s song map was many fewer than for the other two maps, right? This shows that robins are not yet defending their breeding territory. Robins returning to breed and nest are indeed signs of spring. That’s why increases of reports for the "Song" map will be the clearest pattern we expect to see as we track this spring's robin migration. While our maps show WHERE robins were found in early February, they do not show HOW MANY were found at each place. Scientists would say the maps show robin DISTRIBUTION but do not show robin ABUNDANCE. The fact is that, even though robins are already spread across a large portion of their range, we're about to see huge masses of them move across the continent. The abundance of robins is about to shift dramatically from south to north. When robins are back on their territories, they'll start to sing! So, look to the "First Robins Heard Singing" map for the clearest picture about when and where robins are switching from winter feeding and flocking behaviors to spring migratory restlessness and territoriality. Next time we’ll have more tips to help make sense of robin migration. In the meantime, get tuned up with practice identifying robin song: First Robin of Spring? SONG is the Key How can you track the migration if robins are already around? How can you tell the over-wintering robins from the first robins of spring? Regular and frequent SONG is the key! Winter robins do plenty of calling and chattering. But when they switch to their true song, the difference will be clear. Robins announce their own arrival. Remember: regular and frequent "Song" will be the clearest pattern we expect to see as we track this spring's robin migration. Listen to robin vocalizations to help you sort calls from songs: Robin Dictionary: Six Vocalizations and What They Mean Listen Report Listen to the Robin's Song Wait for download; 620 K file. Recording Courtesy of Lang Elliott Report the first Robin you HEAR singing this spring to Journey North! Helpful Links for New Participants Just joining us? You’ll find a quick introduction to our robin study and helpful links here: Getting Started: Journey North’s Robin Study About Our Spring Maps The Next Robin Migration Update Will Be Posted on February 28, 2006. Copyright 1997- 2006 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form.