For most of the U.S., spotting an American Robin usually means spring is right around the corner. But for those of us in Florida, it means winter has arrived.
This is the time of year that huge flocks of Robins can be spotted flying around Central Florida as they settle in to spend the winter here.
My friend and photographer extraordinaire Red Hubber posted on Facebook that thousands of the birds had visited his yard in Seminole County. A few days later, on Christmas Eve, I spotted several hundred American Robins during a visit to the Orlando Wetlands.
They were paying particular attention to what I believe were Dahoon Holly trees – feasting on the red berries. After filling up, they flew away. They sang a little, hopped around in the trees quite a lot and were very skittish – I guess because of their flock mentality.
Audubon has a bird migration map, and it shows that this is the time of year for “very high abundance” of Robins in our area. They should be around until around March, when they will start heading back north for spring.
It’s great to have them visiting the area again.
