Now that winter’s fury is melting beneath more moderate temperatures here in the northeastern United States my thoughts have turned to spring. It won’t be long until the first Eastern Phoebe returns, an American Woodcock has already been found in Central Park, and Red-winged Blackbirds have been vigorously calling “Honk-a-ree” for over a week. And, here on 10,000 Birds, we have already had our first comment on an old blog post talking about “stamping” the first robin of spring.
What? Who stamps on robins? What kind of blog is this?
Not to worry, not to worry. You see, back in 2009, I put up a blog post called “First Robin of Spring.” Several years later, in 2012, we got a comment from someone named Fred Jacob that said the following:
When I was a boy growing up in Iowa some sixty years ago, we would “stamp” the first robins in spring. You licked your thumb, press it into the palm of your other hand followed by a “stamp” with the bottom of your fist. You could “stamp” as many robins as you wanted and once “stamped”, that was your robin and no subsequent “stamps” were binding.
I am mostly sane and not nearly creative enough to think this up, but nobody has heard of this. Can anyone help?
I had never heard of such a thing and extensive use of Google didn’t turn anything up at all. But apparently Fred was not alone because over the last three years quite a few people from Michigan, Ontario, Indiana, Iowa, and Nebraska have chimed in to say that they too, grew up stamping robins and some mentioned passing it on to their children and grandchildren. One comment indicated that stamping robins is a tradition of the Pennsylvania Dutch who are, of course, actually German, but if it is a tradition among them it is entirely unknown if it is something that came from the old world with European Robins and was translated to American Robins or if it is something that has only happened here in the New World. Another commented that she had been told that it took one hundred stamped robins to have a wish come true.
So, how about it, folks? Who out there knows when and how this tradition started? Who out there stamps robins? And who else is going to join me in teaching their kids to stamp robins? Wherever this tradition comes from it is fun, teaches kids to keep an eye on the natural world, and has persisted for quite some time. Why not keep it going? Get out there and stamp some robins!
Hello, thank you for article! I come from the South of France and the spring is already well spotted.
I can’t answer your questions but I am waiting with you for the responses.
In Germany, we don’t stamp any bird, neither robin nor thrush. We can’t be the origin. Unless we did waaaaay back in the late 17th century and have forgotten all about it.
That’s a cool tradition. We never had any stamping but we did listen and look for them as a harbinger of spring.
That can’t be an old-world tradition, as European Robins are non-migratory.
My grandmother used to stamp white horses.
So glad to see this! I grew up/live in western New York. I’ve been stamping robins my whole life. My wife thinks I’m crazy. My grandmother (raised in North Western Pennsylvania) taught her kids and my father.
I just taught my 4 year old to do it. My wife again called me crazy…which led me to this post! Vindication!!!
You’re not crazy! We birders who will drive for hours to see a rare bird at the drop of a hat will vouch for you!
Yes! My late grandmother taught me to stamp the first Robin of spring for good luck! She was born to a second gen Norwegian and a first gen Czech, in cedar rapids, Iowa!
Just stamped my first Robin of the year. I grew up In a small Michigan town along the lake. Don’t know where I got the idea of stamping Robbins, but I certainly remember it and will pass it along to my grandkids. Have to ask my kids if they remember it at all.?
I grew up stamping robins, but in a different manner. We would make a fist of our left hand, lick the first two fingers of our right hand and stamp the left fist. You only did it for the first robin you saw. Never knew why we did it but somewhere along the line someone taught me this.
My husband stamped the first Spring ribbon this morning! His father grew up near Agency, Iowa, and taught him and his sisters. Our children grew up looking for the first ribbon to stamp, and we are teaching our grandchildren.
I was born and raised in Iowa, but this came from my husband’s family. I was fascinated when he showed me the first time, when we were teenagers.
When I was a child my Mother taught me to stamp the first Robin of spring for good luck! I’ve been doing this every spring for about 60 years! Funny, but I just recently wondered if anyone else does this too! A friend I was talking to looked it up and found this site. I don’t know how my Mother learned of this, but I know we have German lineage. We both grew up in Des Moines, Iowa. I see there are other Iowans who have responded to this also. Anyway, it’s a wonderful memory of my Mother and I always dedicate the first robin stamp of spring to her.
My father taught all 4 of us kids to thumb robins. We have Swedish, German, and Polish roots, but sadly I have no idea where the tradition began.
Ellen (Nielsen) Prahlow
When I lived in New Brunswick, we used to stamp the first robin we would see of the year. You would only stamp one robin each year. What we would do is spit in our left palm, take our right thumb and squish it into our left palm. 😉
I grew up and still live in Michigan. I was taught by my grandpa to stamp the first robin of spring for good luck. I have passed this along to my two boys who now do it as well. My son asked me how this tradition started, so we googled and found this blog. I love this tradition as it always makes me smile as I remember my grandpa with love.
I grew up (and still live) in Michigan. My grandpa taught us grandkids to stamp the first robin of spring for good luck. I’ve passed this along to my two boys, too. Today we were talking about the origins of this tradition. Do other people do this or just us? We found this blog in a google search which answered our question. I love this tradition as I remember my grandpa with love every spring when I stamp “my” first robin.
It’s Autumn and I was admiring the sinking Sun when a Robin crossed my path and in quick motion, I STAMPED IT. The motion caught me so off guard because it was a reflex. Pondering it, I remembered growing up in Iowa we always stamped the Robin in the exact way described earlier. I grew up in the 1960’s in Perry.
I just left a comment but wanted to add how emotional and beautiful it is to have a connection with folks who come from beautiful Iowa and also the Midwest.
I recently lost my loving Mother and my beloved Son. I feel so alone without them. Reading your stories about Robin Stamping made me smile and brought me such comfort. I left Iowa 50 years ago when I married, but with Mother gone now I have no idea if I will ever return. I just wanted to say that it brought me so much joy to stamp that Robin. For a quick moment I experienced the sweet joy I felt as a child. I long to see Iowa again. You all flooded me with memories that almost became lost in my grief. TY
Please…Please it would be so nice to know.
Mom had us stamp the robins in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Her family was German coming from Hungary in the early 1900’s. I remember always riding my gold Sears bike to fifth grade elementary school and trying to stamp a robin no handed on the bike. It was always a challenge:)
Ahhh again. I found the following online – maybe the stamping to steady the hand, of an Irish custom that promised a lifelong hand temor for killing a robin.
FROM THE POST…
There are places in us that logic does not reach and I know I am not alone in being soothed by the sight of a robin.
There is a deep connection between people and that little bird. We tell ourselves winter’s tales of how the robin got its red breast.
And in Irish folklore, to kill a robin was bad luck that would result in a permanent tremor in the offender’s hand.
In some parts of the country, if the spideog entered a house, it signalled the death of someone in the family. The birds were accepted as messengers for those in the spirit world.
My grandmother taught me to “stamp” the first Robins of spring too!!
She was born in Illlinois in 1936. I don’t remember why she did this or where she got it from, but I still do it to this day. I am now 35 years old. Grams has passed but I believe she’s with me, stampin’ Robins every spring. <3
My mom who is 95 just told me that as a child, she and her siblings used to stamp the first robin of spring for good luck. She is from Fremont, Nebraska. I had never heard this before. As my mom ages, I am learning more and more about her!
I am 80, grew up in Iowa. My mother taught us to stamp spring robins for good luck. Still wondering where the tradition came from.
I just saw 15 robins in my back yard in Scottsdale, AZ. A rare sight; must be a part of their migration. And I stamped them! Growing up in the 50’s in Boone County, Iowa, I always stamped robins. I remember reaching 1000! My friend from Humboldt said she also stamped robins.
I just saw and stamped my first robin this morning here in Oklahoma. I grew up in a small farm town near Sioux City Iowa and my mom taught me and my brother how to stamp the first robin for good luck. We taught our kids and now my grandkids.
My mother was born in 1934 in Lansing, MI and when she welcomed the robins it went “Good luck, good luck, come to me. I see a robin one, two, three” and would lick her thumb and stamp her hand three times. Great memories! She doesn’t know where it came from but is German.
Also from Iowa & 60 + years ago – we played the “Robin, stamp palm game” – after reaching 100, you made a wish.
I am from Grand Rapids Michigan. I am in my mid 20’s and for the longest time could not remember this gesture. Growing up, my grandfather (German) taught us how to stamp a robin but he left our lives when I was young and I couldn’t remember what to do, just knew when i saw a robin I was supposed to do something with my hands. I would ask my grandmother and father if they remembered what it was but they never remembered. All it took was one google search and here we are! Definitely going to keep this tradition going in my family.
My grandmother taught me this. She was first-generation American born in 1899 to Polish immigrants in central PA, where she lived her entire life. She said it was good luck and did it only for the first robin sighting of the year. I don’t know where it originated; it’s possible that she got it from my grandfather, who had German and English ancestry. I do it every year. My friends and family think I’m nuts, but it makes me feel connected to her, even 40 years after she died.
My mom taught us to stamp the first Robin you saw in the spring.
You licked your right thumb pressed it on your left palm and sealed it with your fist. We are from southeast Wisconsin. We are Irish, Scottish and German. I think my Great Grandmother from Ireland taught my Mom. I have passed it down to my children! Very special!
My Mom taught us to stamp robins – but to get a LOT of luck, we didn’t just stamp the first, we kept going for a few weeks. I believe she had Pennsylvania Dutch in her lineage, but she never identified the origin. Possibly an old family thing.
I stamped my first two yesterday (Central Illinois). We lost Mom in November at age 95, and it’s a happy memory in this first spring without her.