[nature] Do robins and other common birds fly south in winter?

[deckeda]

Apparently not, but what DO they do? Yesterday morning was unseasonably warm and some kinda birds could be heard in the neighborhood en masse as if to say, "Spring is here!" and today I went outside and there's about 6 robins and a bluejay on the lawn angling for worms or whatever. It did rain but c'mon.

[Acer]

a) Some birds stay year round.
b) Some birds leave your area completely.
c) Some birds come to your area as their "south" for the winter.
d) Some birds fly long distances to migrate.
e) Some birds gradually shift south as conditions require it (e.g., lakes freeze, food sources diminish).

The robins and jays are probably best described as a mix of "a" "c" "e."

Robins, for example, change their habits. In winter, they flock up, move into sheltered thickets and eat a of dried fruit. They may move south, they may not, but they don't fly to South America or anything dramatic. When the ground thaws, they spread back out into the open to look for worms. Your robins visible now may actually breed to the north.

[NewtonMP2100]

only if accompanied by Batman......???

[DP]

We have robins year 'round. Fewer in Winter but they stay. I always watch for the Juncos to arrive. They come South to here for the Winter!

[OWC Jamie]

I have some robin hanging around this Winter.

10 years ago there was one outside my kitchen window every morning eating the red berries in a tall briar patch .

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/robin/FAQSAutumn.html

[samintx]

DP wrote:
We have robins year 'round. Fewer in Winter but they stay. I always watch for the Juncos to arrive. They come South to here for the Winter!

Yes, but they must migrate because in the spring at a certain time the park across from me gets plastered with robins migrating in as a group.

[NewtonMP2100]

ask Nightwing......???

[OWC Jamie]

deckeda wrote:
Yesterday morning was unseasonably warm and some kinda birds could be heard in the neighborhood en masse as if to say, "Spring is here!" and today I went outside and there's about 6 robins and a bluejay on the lawn angling for worms or whatever. It did rain but c'mon.

Maybe they were Rocking Robins .

[samintx]

ah...now that is a newtism, Mr. billb !

[deckeda]

samintx wrote:
ah...now that is a newtism, Mr. billb !

......... like a round robin (tournament) ? ......