Nesting Commences!

Nesting Reports Picking Up

American Robins are early breeders. Upon returning to their summer range, they are one of the first North American bird species to lay eggs. April marked the beginning of the breeding season, and reports of nests, eggs, nestlings and fledglings are all on the rise.

Angie in Thunder Bay, ON: "Finally heard my first robin of the season singing his True Song this morning. A joy to the ears! It's been a long, cold winter here in North Western Ontario (Thunder Bay, Ontario) but the robins have finally arrived! I saw 2 or 3 robins the day before chasing each other in our backyard, obviously staking out their breeding territory. We are in the midst of having another snow storm this week but it has not kept the robins from arriving and this one seems to have staked out his territory in our backyard. He's been back every day since and despite the snow storm!! He must know that warmer weather is just around the corner." (04/18/2023)

Michelle in Delevan, NY: "We have an egg! Mama Robin has just finished laying her first egg and is now on it. It's 35 degrees, 15 mph winds, overcast with some snow. " (04/19/2023)

And again from Michelle about a week later: "The female Robin nesting on my front porch nesting shelf laid her egg on the 19th, and temps have been below normal ever since. She has not added any eggs, and has not spent a ton of time on the one she had laid. I'm assuming the really lousy weather is forcing them to hold off incubating and adding eggs? She's still coming to the nest and sitting on the egg from time to time. She's not abandoned it. I'm not hearing or seeing a ton of activity from robins anywhere on the block these last few days. We're around 10 to 12 degrees below normal and are even expecting wet snow tonight. The colder than average weather is expected to last-- with a couple of days' reprieve-- at least into the first week of May." (04/25/2023)

Juliet in Eau Claire, WI:  "We have a robin’s nest with two eggs so far. Nest is in an arborvitae near our deck." (04/23/2023)

Barbara in Essex, VT:  "Robins are making nests in our ceder hedge. Caught one gathering thatch from the lawn in its beak . At 4:30 AM they are singing outside our windows. Love it!! . . ." (04/24/2023)

Way Up North

The northernmost report of an American Robin this season came from Matt in Anchorage, Alaska last month. During the breeding season, some American Robins venture as far north as the Arctic Circle. What robin behaviors are our observers in northern latitudes noticing? Please report to Journey North!

Report Your Sightings

Be on the lookout for American Robin and observe their unique activities this time of year. Nesting behaviors including gathering materials for nests, egg laying, and feeding babies; other behaviors include foraging, mating, splashing in bird baths, and many more. Checklist of Robin Observations.

Are You Seeing Other Birds?

Peak migration has arrived in certain areas and will move north over the coming weeks. What species are you observing?

You can report observations of American Loons, Barn Swallows, Baltimore and Bullock’s Orioles, Red-winged Blackbirds, and other species to Journey North as well.

Go to the Journey North sightings page and under the ‘Select Species or Event‘ dropdown menu, select ‘Loon’, ’Barn Swallow’, ’Oriole’ or ‘Red-Winged Blackbird’. If you are seeing other species not listed, select ‘All Other Signs of Spring.’

Call For Photos

If possible, please include photos in your reports. Photos are always helpful; they aid in identification and shed light on behavior. However, birds are not always cooperative subjects. One potential workaround is to take a video and then extract a screenshot to use as a photo. Give it a try!

Learn more in the tutorials below: Android Tutorial | Apple Tutorial