BIRD OF THE WEEK - Week Five (AMERICAN ROBIN)

Well, birding might have been a bust for alot of us this past week.  The weather compared to the week before was freezing!  Cold, damp, overcast - otherwise known as RAW!  (Really Awful Weather)  The birds were still doing their thing, but perhaps we were doing ours -- trying to stay warm, inside!  Anyway, we're focusing on another common backyard bird this week, the American Robin.  I, along with most people think of these birds as spring birds.  The truth is that they are here all year long, even though there is some seasonal movement.  We do, however, see very little of them in the winter.  Since the ground in winter is either snow-covered or hard, they are found more feeding in trees or shrubs, rather than on the ground.  But, come spring, and they are everywhere!  You will see them mainly in yards and open fields.  Something else interesting about American Robins is that the males do the singing and this singing is not to advertise territory or to attract a mate.  They sing just before their young hatch.  This singing is repeated with each brood, (2 to 3 broods throughout the summer.)  Listen for them early in the day and at dusk.  Their song is three or more song phrases seperated by a short space, then the pattern is repeated.  The verbal equivilent is cheeriup, cheerily, cheeriup.  They have several call notes:  teeek, teeek is one; tuk, tuk, tuk, tuk is another; and this one is from my source book and I am putting it in just because it made me laugh, teacheacheacheach-oochoochooch!  Check out their songs and calls at www.birdjam.com/learn.php.  Click on American Robin.  May we all enjoy a great birding week!