For 5 weeks this Summer all work on our porch at the Crash Pad came to a halt, not because we didn’t want to work on it, but because we had visitors. Two families of birds created homes on our porch (read the Nature Report). My heart was captured by the family of Robins we watched grow from featherless eyes-closed tiny beings, to plump little birds with red bellies and funny tufts of fresh feathers on their heads. Experiencing nature this up-close and personal was an amazing experience over the 10 days I observed them with my camera out our front door.
It was my hope I would get to see them all fledge. Not a birder, that’s not something I had ever paid attention to. But now I was all in, an avid Crash Pad Robin Family birder captivated by what was happening under our roof. Because the nest had been built so low to the ground (on our dog ramp!), I worried each night before bed about their survival with the foxes, coyotes, raccoons, and other animals in our ‘hood, but miraculously each morning they were still there!
On Thursday, July 11 our electrical crew arrived. All 4 birds were still in the nest and we told the crew to be careful while they worked around this area. I guess two of the robins decided it was a good time to fledge, because at some point that morning they disappeared ~ likely hopping out of the nest into the woods. I was bummed I did not get to see it.
On Friday, July 12 two robins remained in the nest. We went to bed that night hoping yet again they would stay safe through the night. When we woke on Saturday, July 13, one robin was left in the nest. There were no signs of disturbance, so we trusted the third robin fledged successfully.
I went out on the porch to capture a picture of the last robin. It looked at me, chirped, hopped out of the nest and hopped into the woods. AMAZING! I could hear it’s family cheering emphatically from the woods for it to come. It all happened so fast, I felt so lucky to see the last one go.
My heart will be forever warmed by our Robin Friends. For 10 days I left my camera set up on a tripod and tried to capture the cycle of life happening before me. This video is a compilation of what I saw over these 10 days. The very first pictures of the eggs and the hatch were taken by Kurt as he arrived on two separate visits. After he saw the eggs we thought they might have hatched and be gone by the time we returned a couple of weeks later, so little we knew.
I will always be rooting for our Robin Friends hoping they have made a life for themselves around the Crash Pad. But we are also happy (crossing fingers because I am home as I write this) that all our bird friends have finally left the porch so we can finish construction (and our bike storage). [*July 28: Kurt has returned to the cabin and we have no new friends on the porch; construction resumes].
Share this post