After I wrote this post, I payed more attention to the family of Robins that occupied the top of the bricks at my mother's house. Closer attention made me realize there were three hatchlings. They were constantly hungry, which was a full time job for what originally thought was a parent, but soon proved to be parents.
The female, smaller than the male, stayed fairly close. She would hunt in the adjacent yards on the ground for insects. Never out of sight of the nest, she was constantly on guard for any activity in the vicinity. If I lost sight of her, moving towards the nest would get her attention and I would catch her movement as she maneuvered for a better position to observe what I was doing.
On Sunday, while she was across the street, the male caught my eye when he brought food for the now full feathered hatchlings. Larger than the female, he quickly fed the young birds and was off again. Instead of staying close, he flew a few yards away and then disappeared over a neighbor's house.
I spent a few minutes examining the young birds. They completely filled the nest and were aware of me as I watched. As I moved, they turned their heads to follow. I knew they were getting close to having to leave and wondered when that would be. I soon found out.
This evening, I stopped to see my mother and noticed the nest was empty. Scanning around the yard, I looked for any signs they were still around. There were no signs of feathers, which would have indicated a predator found them. Looking around in surrounding planters and small bushes didn't yield anything either. After a few minutes of examination, I heard the peep that was the constant reminder to the parents of the ravenous hunger of their babies. Looking up into the branches of an oak tree, I saw a miniature version of the parents. Soon, another jumped from an upper branch and landed next to the first one I spotted. Within seconds the third flew from a higher branch and landed next to the other two. I searched, but never saw the parents.
So, there are now five robins living in the area. I don't know if they'll stay, or if they'll migrate to escape the brutal heat that will soon arrive. It's been interesting to watch, and I'm really surprised all the hatchlings made it to adulthood. If I have the opportunity, I'll take some photos.
That's really neat. I used to put up hanging pots of flowers on my porch. Every year three years in a row my flower pots became homes to momma birds and a nest full of babies. I couldn't bring myself to kick them out, so every year I ended up with a hanging pot of dead flowers by the time the babies flew the coop. The last year I decided to replant the pot after the babies were gone, only to have a momma bird and a second nest of babies. I don't plant hanging pots of flowers anymore, but it was really neat in it's way.
ReplyDeleteI've raised too many critters to not be a little concerned about any youngster. Besides the fascination, I get a little attached.
ReplyDelete