It was getting close to dark on this heavy overcast day and the bird seen here was staying near the tops of the trees. The poor light made it difficult for me to identify this bird at first. This difficulty was compounded by the fact that I was not really expecting to see a robin. My first winter back in Sitka (2002-2003) I didn’t notice any robins. The second winter I saw some in November, but did not recall seeing them much again until January. Last winter I remember seeing robins in January after not seeing them for some weeks before that. This year again, robins have shown up in January.
My best guess is that the robins that are showing up here in January are those that have stayed as far north as possible for as long as possible. When the sustained colder weather of December and January comes, they move only as far south as they must, and some of them end up in Sitka where they spend the rest of the winter. It seems like a plausible scenario to me.