American robins are amazingly hardy birds.  They now breed north of the Arctic Circle in Alaska and are found year round in most of the U.S.

Since robins eat fruit and forage on the ground for invertebrates they can put up with chilly weather, but when snow covers their food they move south in large numbers.

Visiting robins are already here.  Yesterday I saw some very pale birds among a flock eating porcelain berries.  I’ve read that the pale ones are from the West.  I wonder where…

Right now the robin flock is still building in Pittsburgh and will peak around Christmas before January’s snow.  If you’re near their roost at dusk or dawn you’ll see them swirling, thousands upon thousands of birds.

This video shows what it’s like, filmed near Daytona Beach, Florida in December 2008.

Enjoy our visiting robins now.  They’ll be heading south to visit Chuck Tague (near Daytona) in about six weeks.

Lots of robins!

(video posted by jayc28 on YouTube)