Yesterday I watched two plump robins hop around the backyard by the witch hazel tree. It was the first in a string of warming days, and it would have been tempting to see them as harbingers of spring. But I’ve been seeing robins off and on all winter, stepping out of the house into air brisk enough to tickle my nose only to hear their distinctive spring-like sound. 

So I did what any self-respecting modern person would do. I googled “robins in winter?” in hopes of learning that their presence in January meant warmer days would soon be here. 

Ah no, it meant nothing of the sort. The “first robin of spring” saying, at least in these parts, is just a saying.  Robins winter in these climes, so seeing them doesn’t mean much of anything. 

But what I learned warmed the heart if not the fingers and toes. In cold months, robins are much more likely to be found in large flocks. They have learned to stick together when the pickings are slim. Would that we humans could follow their example. 

(Photo: Wikipedia)