This photograph was taken on March 27, 2003, and I thought it would be a great image to kick off the month of April.
The robin has migrated to its summer range in Montana and seems to have arrived a bit early. However, seeing robins in early spring is not unusual, and often there’s still snow on the ground like we see in the photo. Robins appearing on the landscape are one of the most certain signs that winter is mostly over. Even so, in Montana, I’ve actually seen it snow in July, though unfortunately not for many years. Out of season snow doesn’t seem to affect these common but beautiful birds of the thrush genus.
North America has over a billion fewer birds than it did 40 years ago. A wonderful group, Partners in Flight, is working to put a stop to additional losses.