I don’t see robins in my yard that often.  Most of the grass was snow covered but there was a long V shaped bare spot with each end at least twenty-five feet long under that large white pine.  Briefly there were five robins there hunting earth worms.  It was unusual to see so many robins concentrated in such a small area.  They simply did not have much area to hunt in.  Most of the grass was snow covered.  I never saw five robins in my yard at once.  It was an unusual sight.

The Robins Are Back

Author: siggy

The robins are back.  Yesterday, we drove around town to see how many we could spot.  We saw three or four.  Today I saw two in the backyard at the same time.  They are back and spring is coming.  I had to strip down to my tee shirt discarding my undershirt.  It still was not that warm.  I tried driving into town with my windows down.  I had to put them up again.  It was almost time to dig out my shorts.  It was almost too warm in my long pants.  It is forecast to hit the seventies several times in the next ten days so I might have to dig up my shorts after all.

We are on the cusp of spring.  The ten day weather forecast says every day will be at least sixty degrees and there might be one or two days that hits seventy.  Today is sunny and warm and I want to go out to celebrate the spring that is coming.  It is less than two weeks away.  Let us see when the robins have all come back and are on everyone’s lawn searching for earthworms.  This winter was mild and there was almost no snow.  I just don’t tolerate cold weather too well any longer and I am awaiting the first seventy degree day.

I looked high and low but I could not spot any more robins.  Every stretch of lawn I looked up and down but no more robins.  I almost doubted the bird I saw yesterday was a robin but I recognized its distinctive hop.  Maybe, it was one that did not migrate–not all do.  It was a warm day today.  Three different colored primrose were blooming–each flower contained a yellow star.  There were pink, white and a multitude of yellow flowers.  The purple crocus we transplanted a week ago were all blooming.  It was sunny and then it rained.  Spring was on the horizon.

The sky is dimly lit just before the dawn.  The birds are in song in full crescendo.  I am wondering when I will see the first chickadees, tufted titmouse and downy woodpeckers come to my feeders.

I am thinking about that Carolina wren that built a nest in the large pansy pot hanging from my garage door.  Yesterday before it became light I shined a flashlight into the nest–flushing the poor frightened bird who high tailed it for parts unknown–and peered into the nest spotting three tiny speckled eggs.  My wife reprimanded me for scaring the bird.  I will leave her alone now.  I want the mother to successfully raise its young and I do not want to scare it out of its wits further, possibly abandoning her eggs.

Two years in a row (the last two) an eastern phoebe built a nest just outside our front door on top of the right lamp but I guess there was too much traffic in and out the house so it abandoned the nest and raised its young somewhere else.

robineggsnestThis year a pair of robins have built a nest in the right corner in the gigantic bush.  At least twice I looked inside it but I could not spot the nest.  A few times when I walked nearby I flushed one of them.  Two robins keep feeding under our large pine tree which is somewhat unusual.  Several time I saw a robin extract a worm from the earth, toss it above its head, then gobble it down.

I love to observe the natural world around me especially the birds that come to our four feeders.  I am expectantly waiting for the first hummingbirds to come to our two feeders I have set up for them.  One is hanging from the pine tree mentioned and the other is hanging close to the window.

According to my bird journal I have kept for over five years the first one usually appears the end of April.  It is the twenty-second of April so my eyes have been continually sweeping the area outside our large living room window.  It was over a month ago the local nature columnist reported someone spotted one passing the Mason Dixon line and they would be here any day.  I put out nectar immediately after that announcement.  Well I am still waiting to spot one and already had to replace the nectar I set up and clean the feeder immediately after I noticed black mold in the feeder.  I guess they must have turned around or taken an extended stay along the way.

Watching birds give me such pleasure.  The money I spend on feed for them is worth every cent.  I love observing their antics:  they are all different.  This has been a lifetime hobby.