Mark Johnston wrote:

> And the nest is in precicely the same 4x6 inch space
as last year. Because the nest is in exactly the same spot, I am convinced
that at least one of the parents is the same bird as last year (probably
the
female). What is amazing to me is that, if my assumption is correct, and
since Robins are migratory, the bird not only managed to migrate back to
her
previous year's territory, but also remembered exactly where she had nested
in it.>

I think you are probably right that at least one of the parents is the
same. From my experience with bird banding around the Anchorage bowl, it is
not unusual to recapture migratory birds in subsequent years that were
banded at the same banding station. Our nets are set up on 2-3 acre sites
and we use three sites. The birds are so loyal to their territories that it
is cause for comment if we recapture a Site A bird at Site B. Like: Hey,
what's he doing over here?

They have good memories. Better than mine, for sure.

Chris Maack
Anchorage, AK
CMaack at compuserve.com