News from the NOPs (Northern Observation Posts)

for the April 13, 2004 Robin Report.

Here's the news from NOPs for the week? Who has heard the first robin song, and who's still waiting for the first sightof a robin?

Terri Mitchell, Anchorage, AK
(April 6) No robins !! We have been having unbelievable amounts of snow! All weekend was like living in a snowglobe. It's great for skiing but I don't think spring is close. Although I have lived here for many years and to me the sign that it's coming is seagulls. We have the most enormous ravens you've ever seen all winter (they are the sign that winter is coming). Then when summer hits the seagulls are everywhere. I saw 2 seagulls on Sunday here in town. That says spring to me! It's 40's again today, more seagulls and GEESE!!!! They never show up until it's the right time (they have been doing this for eons, after all).

Mike Sterling, Anchorage, AK
04/05/04: Here in Anchorage I am still snow blowing. After a snow drought last year, we got a bumper crop this year. In fact, I was shoveling my garage roof today, and I realized the time had come when I could just step down onto the banks around it without using a ladder. I think the official snow tally this year is around 115 inches. Up at my house on the mountainside, we're probably up into the 150-inch range. Since we haven't had any significant thaws it looks like the middle of winter here. Oh, and no robins. The tulips haven't seen the light of day, either.

Bruce Bennett, Whitehorse, YT
(April 5, 2004) It continues to be nice during the day with afternoon temperatures above freezing. It has been going down to ~20F at night and with highs up to the
mid 40's. Still not much new on the migratory bird front though. We had our first
longspurs reported. It is a record year for Trumpeter Swans at M'Clintock Bay with almost 900 there already. We also have several Tundra Swans, which is early for them.

Dominique Cloutier, PQ, Canada
Here's a little update on our weather and the robin migration. Because of the cold and the remaining snow, there isn't much activity, yet, but our first robin (arrived March 28) has found a companion!!

Shirley Bell, Pinawa, MB, Canada
4/07/04: The robins started singing today. I could hear one territorial calling and one answering back. This was just after sunrise. Going to the next village, I have been observing the hawks cruising the fields looking for dinner. The river is wide open. Not the marina yet, and there is lots of gulls flying around, just waiting for the farmers to start plowing and exposing a feed of grubs for them. There is lots of geese around Pinawa. all mainly in pairs and arguing about nesting sites.

Nancy Seamans, Quispamsis, NB
4/07/04: Now I've seen my first lone robin in MY backyard. Poor thing had to walk
through the snow to find its worms. It snowed Monday and has continued through today, Wednesday. A discouraging sight but NB always has snow in April. Temperatures are a bit above zero.

Ute Keitsch, Ajax, ON

The wind-chill is minus 16°C . We have a few female Robins here.They arrived with the wind just before it turned so cold. Now I am just hoping that the warmer weather will arrive soon. It is a big treat to hear all the birds in the morning, singing away. (April 6)

(April 11) "It is staying cool because of the big High Pressure area. We are also waiting for the female Robins. Looks like last year's migration. It was 6 weeks long before all the birds could move up. So here we have all the "Puffed Up" and bored Robins sitting around waiting. (Ute saw her first Robin March 13, and March 22, 2004, she reported the "real" Robins arrived, in full color and a fighting mood!)

Wayne Dwornik, Lethbridge AB
4/08/04: Spring is still teasing us here in Lethbridge. The weather's been pretty good, but a little odd, even for Lethbridge. Lots of sunshine, but on Tuesday it thought the wind should blow, and really howled, but only for an hour or two!! Then Thursday, they predicted rain or snow, but only sent cool cloudy weather. The robins who come here are hearty though! they did not get blown away. They're tough; in fact I've seen more robins in our neighborhood this year than ever. I guess it's because our trees are starting to get bigger. The robins are getting very vocal. It is just wonderful hearing them singing so bold and bright so early in the morning. Two sit in our willow trees, another perches on top of the house next door. It's wonderful waking up to them. We've also got about a half dozen house finches.... and oh! what a lovely song they have. Trees are budding out, tulips poking through but no tulips in bloom in our yard yet.

Vi and Richard Darling, Nipawin, Saskatchewan

(04/05/04) Our weather at Nipawin, Saskatchewan, has become sunny and "warm" each day (usually up to 45 F). The snow is quickly melting in the gardens and lawns with more patches of soil and lawn peaking through each day. Out at the edge of the lawn the winter snow, ice and gravel from the snow plows' "cleaning of the streets" still remains. We have no robins here, but to the south at Hyas, SK, near Yorkton, many robins have arrived. Here the crows are back, but no robins! However, we look forward to reporting their arrival soon.

John Nagy, Inuvik, NT
4/05/04: We had quite a week last week. Temperatures warmed to the mid -20 C
range and we had another 2 day blizzard--our 7th or 8th this winter, which is quite unusual. I had snow piled 4 to 5 feet high in my drive way. The town crews are still digging out the streets. People are saying that this has been the highest snow fall winter in living memory. In addition we apparently have had the coldest winter in 38 years. Temperatures are supposed to get up to -9 C today, so am looking forward
to this. Days are long and there is a fair amount of heat from the sun. I even had a few drops of water dripping from the roof of my house on the weekend. Don't expect the robins to arrive till mid May.

Adam Cheadle, Slave Lake, AB
I have seen a robin! American Robin was seen and heard in a stand of white spruce along the southern shore of Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park. Weather was sunny and temperature was about 15 degrees C. Time of the sighting was 2:13 PM Mountain Time, 04/03/04.

Margot Hervieux, Grande Prairie
4/06/04: Nothing yet but I have had a report from about 20 km west of town. We have been having beautiful weather with clear skies and temperatures in the
mid-high teens. There are lots of ring-billed gulls, Canada Geese, Crows and Mallards
back as well as a few Trumpeter Swans (they nest in this area). Hopefully by your next report we will have robins.

4/08/04: I saw a robin this morning as I drove to work sitting at the very top of a
tree. There are also a few prairie crocus in bloom along the south facing
slopes of the Peace River about 1 hour north of us.

Marc Landry, Beresford, NB
4/07/04: Good news... today I saw 3 robins in a tree and also a red wing black bird was at my feeders!!!

4/09/04: Robins waves are continuing and the robins seems to be more active and
territorial but still no song. Also this morning, my first song sparrow of the year. Another good sign of an active migration.

4/10/04: Just to let you know that the robins are now singing!!! They made quite a
symphony last evening!

Kris Owens, Fireweed Academy, Homer, Alaska

No robins yet (April 5)... Good thing for them, because we had a last
blast of winter this past week. After lots of snow and cold temperatures, things are beginning to warm up again though. This morning on the way to school, I saw the first squirrel I've seen since late last fall. Those robins should be getting here any day though...

Steve Arthur, Fairbanks, AK
04/06/04: No sign of any robins here in Fairbanks yet, but the first geese of the season arrived on Sunday (April 4) about 2 weeks earlier than usual. They seem a bit out of place as the snowpack is still about knee deep. The snow plows were out on Monday clearing some space for the geese at Creamer's Field Refuge. They will be spreading some grain soon so as to keep the geese away from the nearby airports. Temperatures changed rather suddenly, from about -25F last week to +50 this week, so maybe the geese know what they're doing.

Linda Hoffman, Creston, BC
4/05/04: I heard a robin doing its lovely territorial song early this morning. We have had many more robins than usual visit our place this year. You can't look out the window without seeing robins doing their aerial fighting. I am sure all the earthworms around are quivering in the ground as the robin patrols are so numerous. I guess that means that we humans won't get to eat the cherries this year as all those robins will get there first.

Try This! Journaling Question/Activity

• What are your predictions for dates when NOPs will (1) SEE and (2) HEAR their first robins this spring? Keep track of your predictions and results with these download-and-print worksheets for the 2004 season:

  NOPs First Seen Robins, 2004

  NOPs First Robin Song, 2004

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