Ian and Tweeters,

In a study of urban birds in Vancouver, B.C., where I did biweekly and
sometimes weekly censuses, I found that most of the breeding American
Robins arrived in the last 2 weeks of February and the first few days
of March. The wintering population in my study areas was only a small
fraction of the breeding population (numbers not handy at the moment).

On the other hand, Dr. Jamie Smith, in a study of color-banded Robins
on the University of B.C. campus not far away from my study areas,
found that most of the Robins there were permanent residents (i.e.,
non-migratory). However, this is definitely the exception rather than
the rule in south coastal B.C. At the same time, it does appear that
the seasonal status of Robins is habitat-dependent. In many forested
areas, they are abundant in summer but virtually absent in winter.

In the southern B.C. Interior (Merritt and Kamloops areas), where I
have years of data, the Robin migration peaks in spring about the last
week of March, spilling over into the first week of April in some
years.

Wayne C. Weber
Kamloops and Delta, BC
contopus at shaw.ca


----- Original Message -----
From: Ian Paulsen <ipaulsen at krl.org>
To: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Friday, February 21, 2003 9:54 AM
Subject: Robin migration


> HI ALL:
> Does anyone know the timing of American Robin migration in the
northwest?
> Are the breeding birds arriving yet?
>
> Ian Paulsen
> Bainbridge Island, WA, USA
> ipaulsen at krl.org
> A.K.A.: "Birdbooker"
> "Rallidae all the way"
>