Date: 02/14/2017

Number: 1

One male robin singing in tree. This is the third day of temperatures above freezing. I'm certain that the vocalization was its true song. I've been a long time observer of robins and, while uncommon to hear it this early, it's not unheard of.

Pierre has flocks of robins that overwinter in nearby riparian areas that are heavily wooded and vegetated. When the temperature has been around 40° for a few days starting in February, the males will sometimes move into town and intermittently sing. 

When the temperature drops, the males will move back out of town and rejoin the flock. This back and forth with occasional singing can happen for weeks before they get serious about defending territories.

Interestingly enough, they don't do this every year as last year it was well into March before I heard a robin song and by that time the mating season was very close. 

I often wonder if the early singing has to do with the population numbers of the flock, that the number of males will influence when this "scouting" behavior starts, if at all. (Scouting is my own word for it.)

I realize my report is an outlier in the data as this report doesn't indicate the ongoing, sustained singing associated with mating, so please feel free to flag it.

Editor's note: We have moved this report to Robin (FIRST Seen) since the robin was "tuning up" as hormone level rise rather than proclaiming territory which is meant to drive off other robins and a prelude to nesting.

Pierre, SD

Latitude: 44.4 Longitude: -100.3

Observed by: Anne
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