Where I live in Northern Virginia, American Robins (Turdus migratorius) stay with us throughout most of the year, but I am always happy to see them because they evoke memories of my childhood, when robins were viewed as a harbinger of spring. This robin was part of a small flock that I spotted last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
Robins also bring a smile to my face, because they invariably bring to mind the song “When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin’ Along)” that includes these catchy lyrics (as found on lyrics.com):
When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’ along, along
There’ll be no more sobbin’ when he starts throbbin’ his old sweet song
Get up, get out of your bed
Cheer up, cheer up the sun is red
Live, love, laugh and be happy
Now I’m walking through
Fields of flowers
Rain may glisten but still I listen for hours and hours
When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’ along.”
Readers from the United States may have noted that I initially called this bird an American Robin, rather than simply a Robin. Thanks to my occasional trips to Europe, I have been introduced to the European Robin (Erithacus rubecula), an equally beautiful but completely different bird. Here’s a link to a posting about a European Robin that I spotted in Paris last November.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Oh that song brings back memories! 🙂 Love Robins, and ready for Spring, though really would like to have at least one snowfall first! LOL!
I too would enjoy a bit of snow before calling it quits on winter. We have had only six-tenth of an inch of snow so far this winter.
We have had a few inches more, but thats it!
Nice Mike! Like the dappled light on the Robin!
Having robins year round was one of the first things I noticed in the south. Only a few would stay in New England.
I grew up outside of Boston, Ted, so I too was not used to seeing robins until spring came and I could see them pulling worms out of the ground.
So, you are slowly making your way to the southern climes 😁.
So it seems. I would welcome some Roseate Spoonbills and Anhingas, but will pass for now on the alligators–I would not want to be surprised by one of them while chasing dragonflies.
Message us when you’re ready.
This post brought a smile to my face, Mike.
Beautiful colors. Beautiful composition.
Thanks, Michael. This is the kind of photo that I love to take–an ordinary subject with as much care and attention as a once-in-a-lifetime subject.
Out in California we have really large flocks of American robins throughout the winter. Some years there are more robins than others, but either way, I never ever tire of this magnificent bird. That chirping always gives me a smile. This is a wonderful photo, Mike, and I liked hearing the lyrics too. I only knew the refrain, then when I read all the lyrics here I remember my mother singing them.
Nice catchlight! I love all the browns and rusts of the background echoing the robin’s colors. Robins are still harbingers of spring for New Englanders, although isolated flocks are seen occasionally in winter.
Thanks, Eliza. The harmony of colors was somewhat of a surprise and was not really something that I could control, but it sure did work work out well. We have daffodils popping up all over and trees starting to blossom–it sure looks and feels like spring has arrived already.
That means ours is not far behind– yay!
Coincidentally, I was just telling my husband the other day about how we viewed robins as harbingers of spring in northern New Jersey where I grew up. Here in MD, they stick around all winter, and this year, they are the only birds we see sometimes. When we moved to Gaithersburg in 1984, I made a list of bird species I saw near the house or on our street. I think I had more than eighty on the list. They seem to have mostly vanished. A sad day, when there are no birds.
I believe your photo is of a female. The males’ heads are darker than the females. But this one does have somewhat darker feathers on its head than on its body, so I am not sure.
Your info about the disappearance of birds is sad, but not surprising. Perhaps it is due to the increased construction and/or destruction of habitats. I moved here in 1993 and there was a pretty good amount of undeveloped land in my area back then. Since then it seems like they have shoehorned houses/townhouses/apartments into every available spot.
Lovely song! Bobby Day’s “Rockin’ Robin” really gets me going though! 😎