5-13-08 Robins Update

Here are some update pictures:

Robins on the patio: one egg didn't hatch of the 4. But there are three hungry babies!
Here's the mama robin to the nest on the patio.
And, the nest in the car port. Still waiting for them to hatch. This mama is a lot more skittish than the patio mama - she flies out of her nest every time we come outside. The patio mama will only fly out if we are on the patio or in the yard close to it.

A Colony of Robins

That's right. My backyard is becoming a robin sanctuary. Since my last post on them, the first batch of robins fledged (left the nest) on April 17th. Maggie and I watched the last baby fly out of the nest. Within a week the mama robin was sitting on the nest. I got up there Tuesday afternoon, and sure enough! There were 2 hatched babies and two eggs left (they will fledge about May 20th). I have become a robin watcher and now I know exactly which robin she is - the sides of her head are really sleek and she's got kinda ruffled feathers that make her look like she's got a mohawk on each side of her head. She's the same mama from last year. The picture is blurry, but though I want to see what's going on in that nest, I want the mama robin to stay.

Then a week or two ago I noticed a new bird nest in the rafters of our carport. that's right! Another robin's nest. This mama has 4 eggs. I don't know which robin in the yard this one is, but I am working on watching the nest a little more carefully so I can identify her.

I have to say, I really love having these fun birds to watch in the backyard all the time, and I can put up with the bird poop on the cars. Tyler probably wishes their nests were in the trees, away from the cars, but then I wouldn't be able to take pictures... And I am so thankful for God's Creation, even in something so trivial as robins in the yard.

Baby robins have arrived!

Here's a picture of our new babies. They are quite brand new, eyes haven't opened yet. I just took two quick pictures so I wouldn't disturb them too much. They laid there with their mouths open, but not chirping yet. More pictures in a couple of days.

Robin Update: Three Eggs!

I checked yesterday, and there are now three eggs in the nest. that means the previous picture I took was while they were being laid. So the eggs should be hatching around April 2nd to 4th. The mamma robin is good at sitting on her nest - only flies out when I get within 8 feet or so.

Let there be eggs!

Ok - so I probably shouldn't get so close to the nest, but I just can't help myself - the robins are expecting!!! There are two beautiful eggs in the nest in our rafters. I'll check in on them every couple of days, and take a photo or two. I added a new section on the side of the blog so you can click on "robins" and it will bring up all the posts about our resident family of birds.

A Mish-Mash of pictures from last week

Wow - I am continually amazed at how busy I have been lately. Went to bed every night well past 11 p.m., but I only just cleaned the house Friday... didn't get my Bible study done for Tuesday (I'll blame that on Kelly Webster and our good, but late-night conversation!) ... Anyway, I am so thankful that the Lord gives me enough engery to make it through the week and plenty of grace to deal with the more and more emotional Maggie. Seriously, it's like she's a teenage girl already. Below I've compiled our random pictures from this week. I hope you enjoy them!

For the 3rd year in a row, a robin has built her nest in the rafters of our patio cover. This time I got to watch her build her nest over 3 days. It was pretty neat!

Maggie has perfected the art of holding a cell-phone like Mommy. She can even go hands-free with her head cocked to one side pinching it between her ear and shoulder. She likes to say "I call Daddy" a lot. We call him at work several times a week now so she can talk to him.
She is her mother's daughter. Maggie loves dill pickles. She calls them "my pee-coes".
I didn't mean to dress her so precociously, but I love the fur trim on that jacket, even if it is ridiculous.
This late, but I took a picture of the lock of hair from Maggie's first cut.

Maggie eating breakfast this morning, in her robe and sunglasses! What a rock star.

A Second Year in a Row

The robins have nested in the same nest from last year that I left in the rafters of our patio. Yay! I'm so glad they decided to nest here again. Below is a good picture of the babies in the nest, I took it from inside the house so I wouldn't disturb them. I just noticed the Mama robin a week or so ago, but she must've been there a while already to have hatched young. They are so cute!

On a related note, Maggie ATE a robin's egg shell the other day when we were in the yard. It was just the shell- no yolk- but that's what I get for not watching her like a hawk at all times. By the time I realized what was happening she had already swallowed it - no finger swipe could've gotten it. Yikes! Grandparents will be happy to note I have received visual confirmation of the shell's "passing".

Last year's post: http://spaidfamily.blogspot.com/2006/05/backyard-birds.html

Backyard birds

I know this post doesn't pertain to Maggie, but I thought everyone might enjoy a little nature appreciation. Earlier this spring we had a robin build a nest in the rafters of our patio roof. Mama Robin would sit in there all day and fly out only when we went outside. Well, baby robins soon arrived. I could walk up to the nest and look up to see four tails or beaks, but didn't get that on camera. They flew out of the nest some time last week, and I was sad that they'd left before I got a picture.

Today, as I walked past our dining room window, I see something funny on the top of our SUV. I was happily surprised to see one of the baby robins sitting on the roof! Mama Robin came by several times in about 10 mintues to feed this little guy. Here are some pictures of our family of robins. Enjoy!