Dear Tom,
Robins love the orange berries produced by the Mountain Ash tree in our yard. If they start eating the berries early in the season, they are indicating a cold winter; if later, a mild winter. This fall, they started late, meaning a mild winter. Your thoughts?
— Merilee Cole, in the suburbs
Dear Merilee,
Your question is a variation on an often-voiced theme: Can animals predict the weather? Experts from a variety of fields all agree that animal behavior is reactive, not predictive. There is no documented evidence that squirrels, robins or groundhogs (the animals most often believed to be able to predict upcoming weather) — or any animals for that matter — have that ability. Animal behavior is a response to past or current weather or the result of instinctive imperatives; it is not based on predictive ability.
