The Weather Notebook: Listener Question: Weather for the Birds

Hi, I'm Dave Thurlow from the Mount Washington Observatory and this is The Weather Notebook. Nature can give us some indication of upcoming weather. Listening to the chirps of a cricket can forecast the low temperature. And Robins, they forecast Spring right, or do they? That's today's listener question from Melissa Misco, from Flint, MI. A listener of affiliate station WUOM:

Bird Photos and Sounds - Nature Sound Studio

"In these parts I've always been told that the first robin you see is a sure sign of spring. And right before that last heavy snowfall, I saw several and was rejoicing and then much to my dismay we received this big dumping of snow. And when I was mentioning to someone that 'no I saw robins, how could this be,' they replied that not all robins leave, that's not always an indication. So in all of this ramble, my question would be how indicative are robins, geese and/or other migratory birds in helping us to predict the weather?"

Robins mostly spend the winter in the southern states but many stay in the north all winter long, if they can find food. Food such as berries, seeds, buds or dormant bugs. I've seen a flock of Robins on the side of Mount Washington in January! Geese are the same, only going as far south as they need to each winter to find food and water. On a warm snowless winter they might never leave. And many birds, from Chicadees to screech owls, always are part of a wintery landscape. The best indicator of the true end of winter? Not Robins. I would say any one of the family of swallows. And the best indicator of summer weather. The warblers with their sensational summer songs.

Our show is made possible by Subaru and the National Science Foundation. The Weather notebook engineer is Sean Doucette.