Birds and their stories
My Little American Robin
A story that started in 2011, and continued through 2012 in Lincoln, Nebraska....
March 2011
This little guy was a constant visitor last year in our backyard and he was with a partner... but this year.. he is all by himself. It didn't take that long for me to realize that he has lost his partner or that his partner had left him... (I am not even sure this is a she or a he.. just guessing)
I didn't know much about robins and their mating habits, so I looked up on the web.. Do they mate for life?
No they don't! So I kept on reading
Robins do not mate for life but stay with the same partner throughout the breeding season before they 'move on'. However they have a habit to return to the same breeding grounds if last years 'baby making' was successful. That is when I remembered what happened last year- It was an unusually stormy season and one day I came across a robin's nest that was on a Maple tree in our backyard laying on the ground with three blue eggs in it.
So.. one of the partners didn't consider coming back to the same mating grounds?
I hope this little guy (or gal) will find a partner... pretty soon...
I didn't know much about robins and their mating habits, so I looked up on the web.. Do they mate for life?
No they don't! So I kept on reading
Robins do not mate for life but stay with the same partner throughout the breeding season before they 'move on'. However they have a habit to return to the same breeding grounds if last years 'baby making' was successful. That is when I remembered what happened last year- It was an unusually stormy season and one day I came across a robin's nest that was on a Maple tree in our backyard laying on the ground with three blue eggs in it.
So.. one of the partners didn't consider coming back to the same mating grounds?
I hope this little guy (or gal) will find a partner... pretty soon...
I got some wonderful information from Pamela who lives in the UK. I am including it in here.
Pamela says:
"The American Robin is so different to our British one. Ours has a bright red breast really orangey red brown back and greyer underparts and the blackest beady eyes. The males and females are exactly the same and I ve read that even they have trouble working out sexes when the time comes. I do coloured
pencil drawings of British birds and recently sold a chirpy Robin which I loved. One winter here in England I trained one to fetch food from my hand. His feet were so cold."
Pamela says:
"The American Robin is so different to our British one. Ours has a bright red breast really orangey red brown back and greyer underparts and the blackest beady eyes. The males and females are exactly the same and I ve read that even they have trouble working out sexes when the time comes. I do coloured
pencil drawings of British birds and recently sold a chirpy Robin which I loved. One winter here in England I trained one to fetch food from my hand. His feet were so cold."
My Little Ameican Robin has not given up...
April 2012
The little robin found a mate, and he/she or both apparantly liked our place. They returned to our yard this year, and started building a nest right beneath our deck in the backyard. I was thrilled!
This is one of them, sitting on our balcony and watching us watching him. I read that it's difficult to differentiate between the male and female robin, but female tends to be duller than the male. So... I deduced that this the male, and I named him Joe, and his wife, Jane.
This is one of them, sitting on our balcony and watching us watching him. I read that it's difficult to differentiate between the male and female robin, but female tends to be duller than the male. So... I deduced that this the male, and I named him Joe, and his wife, Jane.
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This the nest they've built.
Well... actually, it seems like 'Jane' is the one solely responsible for building the nest. Imagine that; women have to do all the work! She used grass, twigs, feathers, and mud as well. I've seen her pecking and pulling at the dead grass in our lawn. I'm not sure whether they have already laid their eggs in this little nest. I didn't want to disturb them, so I just watched from far. |
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April 25th 2012
Three little hungry birdies. I never see them with their beaks closed.
Joe and Jane look very very tired nowadays, bringing food continuosly to fill up three empty stomachs.
May 2 2012
Meet James, Jamie, and Jim.
All grown up!
All grown up!
May 4 2012
The nest is empty. I looked everywhere in the yard and found none of them. It rained last night, but that shouldn't be a problem. It rained before, too, and the nest was fine... so where are the little ones? Left already? But... their wings weren't fully developed.
The nest is empty. I looked everywhere in the yard and found none of them. It rained last night, but that shouldn't be a problem. It rained before, too, and the nest was fine... so where are the little ones? Left already? But... their wings weren't fully developed.
May 5 2012
Found James.
So they've left the nest to discover the world.
Where's Jamie and Jim?
Hope theye weren't discovered by someone else.
My collegue mentioned something about cats in the neighbrhood- Oh, No! I don't even want to think of them.
So they've left the nest to discover the world.
Where's Jamie and Jim?
Hope theye weren't discovered by someone else.
My collegue mentioned something about cats in the neighbrhood- Oh, No! I don't even want to think of them.
What you should and shouldn't do!
Oh, James! You are not supposed to sit and stare when someone approaches you.
You know that just one little green leaf won't cover you up. Right? (sigh!)
Maybe Joe and Jane has described us as 'humans you can trust!'
You know that just one little green leaf won't cover you up. Right? (sigh!)
Maybe Joe and Jane has described us as 'humans you can trust!'
May 8, 2012
This is James, checking out the Garden Soil I've just got. I hope the quality is just what he expected. He inspected this for a quite a long time.
I almost... almost... gave up on finding Jamie and Jim.
And then...
I almost... almost... gave up on finding Jamie and Jim.
And then...
Surprise, surprise!
The two little ones were right across the fence. I have no words to explain how I felt when I saw them. They are alright!
James, Jamie and Jim outsmarted all the cats and all the dogs in the neighborhood!
James, Jamie and Jim outsmarted all the cats and all the dogs in the neighborhood!
May 12 2012: Robin kids can fly...
That's the text message I got from Dan. He had taken the day-off, and while tending to our garden had seen our little ones in flight.
Once I got home from work, I spent the whole day outside.
This is James and Jamie, watching their kid brother, Jim, on the ground. Their father, Joe sits close to them.
Once I got home from work, I spent the whole day outside.
This is James and Jamie, watching their kid brother, Jim, on the ground. Their father, Joe sits close to them.
Conversations with family...
Jamie: Hey, Jim... don't you think it's about time you joined us. The view is so much better from here.
And Jim... he cannot fly up to the fence, yet. He can do only half-way.
And Jim... he cannot fly up to the fence, yet. He can do only half-way.
Are you kidding me...
Jim: There are really big juicy grubs in here. I'm not going to leave this lawn, today. You should join me, sister!
Jim and the grubs...
Yum... yum...
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Jim being inquisitive...
Who is the big ugly one sitting on the giant blue thing?
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Hello...
Jim: Hey there; are you a Raven?
Mr. Black: You talking to me, kid?
Jim: Is there anyone else around us?
Mr. Black: You have not paying attention to your lessons, kiddo.
Jim: Excuse me!
Mr. Black: I'm not a Raven. I'm the G-man!
Jim: You mean you are a GRACKLE?
Mr. Black: You talking to me, kid?
Jim: Is there anyone else around us?
Mr. Black: You have not paying attention to your lessons, kiddo.
Jim: Excuse me!
Mr. Black: I'm not a Raven. I'm the G-man!
Jim: You mean you are a GRACKLE?
Recognition...
Jim: Who's staring at me from this shiny stuff? Is that James? How did he get in there?
May I join you...
By the time James wanted to grab some lunch, Jim was busy at the bird bath.
James: What's my little brother up to? I better get up there before he does something stupid.
James: What's my little brother up to? I better get up there before he does something stupid.
I'm sitting right beside you...
Jim: How can you sit beside me, when you are inside this thing?
James: That's not me, silly! You were talking to your own reflection.
Jim: What's a reflection?
James: Do I have to teach you everything? Go, Google it.
James: That's not me, silly! You were talking to your own reflection.
Jim: What's a reflection?
James: Do I have to teach you everything? Go, Google it.
Happy thoughts...
I tried to capture all three siblings together but they never stay in one place. I learnt so much about the robins. Did you know that only 25% of a robin brood survives? Well... ours were 100%, and I'm leaving now with those happy thoughts.
And then... I notice that there are three Grackle families around us. One in the flowering pear tree that's in our front yard. But that's another story... :-)
And then... I notice that there are three Grackle families around us. One in the flowering pear tree that's in our front yard. But that's another story... :-)