I think it's a European legend that the birds find their mates on Valentine's day, but I know from keeping chickens that birds are very sensitive to day length. I always expect my hens to slow down the egg laying around Halloween and then start it back up around Candlemas. No robins here yet, Larry....but I expect to see a couple in a few weeks. (That and our real harbingers of spring: Turkey Vultures). Once you see the vultures hovering around, you know it's spring! San Juan Capistrano has swallows; Waynesboro has vultures.
