Robins are one of the sure signs of spring. I’ve been admiring them when I feed Zelda as there are usually a few sitting on the paddock fence. But tonight, there were 18 robins and counting, hanging out on the grass and searching for food. During the warmer months, robins are very territorial, but in the winter and early spring, they travel in flocks (also known as rounds) banding together to find more food and scare off predators.

Getting up close to wildlife is one of the things I really enjoy about riding. Whether it’s finding a herd of deer, a couple of foxes or a round of robins, you can always get much closer to them when on a horse. Tonight Zelda and I marveled at the robins. I know they’re hard to see in the photo, but to see such a large number of them today made me think of all the things that robins symbolize: hope, renewal and rebirth. It seems fitting that such a large gathering would be out on Easter.