Last week, in between the bouts of unsettled weather, I took a trip up Route 97 and stopped at the eagle-viewing pull-off just downstream of Lackawaxen, PA. There was a fair amount of ice on the river. I looked for any eagles up and downstream but, spotting none, sat in my car waiting for any sort of bird to appear. In a few minutes, I saw a bird fly over to and land on a tall staghorn sumac plant. The bird was perched almost directly in the sunlight, but I managed to get rid of the glare to see that it was an American robin, possibly attracted by the seed pods that the staghorn sumac retains over the winter.

The bulk of robins that occupy the region over the summer are migratory and appear late in March, but there are a few that overwinter here. These robins find winter habitats near water and a food source such as a stand of berry- or fruit-producing plants. Robins are widely considered to be one of the harbingers of spring, but there are also quite a few to be seen over the course of the winter.

Other birds can be seen now: chickadees, titmice and various species of woodpecker, especially if you have a feeder out. Cardinals—a hard bird to miss in snow covered habitat—are also attracted to feeders. 

Speaking of feeders in backyards, the Great Backyard Bird Count, a global bird count organized by several partners, occurred just as this column was going to press. Check this site to see what it was all about and to see what birds were found in your county or town: www.birdcount.org.