Where the robins go

A robin emerged from the woods

...and landed in our path 

then flew up onto a branch...

I've often wondered where the robins go for the winter.  They seem to be around until late fall then suddenly disappear only to re-appear at the first sign of spring. Conventional wisdom says that they fly south for the winter, but my canine wisdom tells me otherwise.  With the heavy snow falls lately, the robins have started to appear leading me to believe that they could not have flow south.  I suspect they gather deep in the woods where they wait out the winter. Their recent appearances coinciding with the heavy snow falls suggest that they have emerged from the woods in search of food. On our walk one morning, a robin flew down, landed in our path and would not move. We stopped and watched it as it watched us. Then it flew up onto a branch as we moved forward.