Native Americans would refer to particular years by events that marked them. In the four years that I’ve written about the pond, there are times (seasons and years) that I have become interested…or perhaps…obsessed…with a particular thing at the pond. Those of you who have been with me through the years, must remember The Year of the Turtles. For some time plants were all I could write about. There was The Two Year Span of the Great Blue Heron and a never-ending supply of photos and posts about it. The Year of the Red-winged Blackbird may not yet be over…
And now, much to my dismay, the most common of birds, the American robin, has captured me in a way I cannot believe. It may as well be that I’ve become struck by the presence of squirrels! How can this ever-present bird have finally be compelling to me after decades of taking it for granted. I believe this is The Year of the American Robin!
Guess what? Come to find out, it is the American robin that has built the nests that astound me by their sturdiness and design – donuts of mud stacked atop one another and held together by straw. You might remember me referring to them as the Guggenheim in my post Architectural Feats, because they are so like that NYC museum in design. Yes, the American robin built the Guggenheim! I am stunned! But in this post is the evidence!
When I took the photo above, I had no idea there were hatchlings in it. I only realized when the next day I was taking more photos of the nest and what did my wondering eyes see? Fluffy white down and new pink skin and sweet baby bird beaks. Then, on closer look at the photo taken the day before, I can see the evidence of the hatchlings in the nest – which I’d completely missed as I marveled at the nest itself.
Here now is the mastermind of the nest, sitting atop her babes, keeping them safe and warm.
In the course of three days, I can see how they’ve grown and how the details of their wings are taking shape. See how it appears that one egg didn’t hatch. I don’t know that it will still.
I try not to get too close to the nest but with the 200 lens there is enough detail in these photos to make out the forming birds. I hope I am able to see those hungry beaks fed!
As I made my final loop around the pond this afternoon, there was a robin pecking away at the soil and carry what looks to be three worms at a time. I imagine these are going to be delivered to a nest.
Not all of the bird stories come to a happy endings. A few posts back I showed a robin sitting on her nest in a pine tree. She’s no longer sitting on the nest and no hatchlings are there. About 20 yards from the nest I saw this. There’s no telling from which nest it was taken and dropped.
I feel so sorry each time I walk by the empty nest.
SilverLining 