Update on robins

When I wrote my last post, I hadn't seen mama bird in quite some time but we had been in a drought and grass was dying so I imagine food was getting harder to fine.  I began to get a little worried.  The following morning I decided to go up the step ladder and see how they were doing. I poked my head above the rafters so that I could barely see the nest from a safe distance and saw a little bit of movement but not much.  

In the evening, the skies turned black releasing a hard driving rain which I knew would provide mom with lots of worms and grubs, for a big breakfast meal.  I am sure she was as excited as I was!  Sure enough, beginning at day break, I noticed mom made many more frequent trips to see her quadruplets and to feed them the best insects, Mother nature had to offer. 

In the days that followed mom and I worked together. She would come to the door and hover.  Upon seeing me inside, she would go perch on a nearby spruce tree and wait for me to leave. I would then shut off my machines and go into the house for awhile, in order to give mom and kids some privacy.

One morning, I went inside to work on an order and as I always do, stood a safe distance away from the door and asked if anyone was inside and no one flew out the door so I felt like I wasn't interrupting anything.  As I walked toward my saw, I could hear something in the distance which sounded like wings flapping.  I followed the sound to an older shed addition which was storage for additional lumber.  I had some oak boards standing on end that had a bird trapped between it and a window. It was a starling.  I moved some wood and cleared the way so that it had a direct path to the exit, to freedom. Then it occured to me!  Starlings are enemies of robins!  Yikes!  I might have just freed a murderer!

I hurriedly grabbed my step ladder and climbed to the top of the rafters and hollered at the nest before me, and immediately saw 4 tiny little heads rize to the sky with their mouths wide open, chirping for food.  Phew!  I was so relieved!  They must have been playing dead when the starling was nearby.   I figured mom had to be close by and I saw her later that day with her brood.

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Days have passed and as I look to the nest each morning as I pass through the opened door, I notice, the once tiny little buggas, are beginning to outgrow their nest.  It looks pretty crowded in there!  It won't be long before mama teaches them how survive on their own.  I have decided to move everything out of the way of the door so that they have a clear path to the outside world.  I hope and pray that they all survive.  It's a cold, cruel world outside and the lessons of life can be very difficult at tmes but I trust in their parents to show them the way.  She has tolerated my presence and taken great care of her babies, nonetheless. 

Nature is so amazing! 

To be continued..........