American Robin, one of hundreds on the move through our backyard and the Seacoast right now.

Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. the dog and I took a walk way out back, to the edge of the red maple swamp.

Nice to see the creek flowing freely, ice all gone. Snow is patchy, which is a vast improvement over three feet deep.

Moon, white pine, red maple.

Robins are year-rounders here, but only in small flocks. This spring I’m seeing more robins than I have ever noticed before. Maybe the hard, late winter held them back and they are all migrating at once.

The dog sniffs the tracks of a Great Blue Heron that stalked between swamp and pond edge earlier in the morning.

It’s nice to have a companion and fellow explorer of the morning.

The quintessential early bird, American Robins are common sights on lawns across North America, where you often see them tugging earthworms out of the ground. Robins are popular birds for their warm orange breast, cheery song, and early appearance at the end of winter.