Writing inspired by the places, people, culture and history of the Midwest.

Ready to take flight? – A robin update

May 14, 2013 By 2 Comments
Three robins crowd a tiny nest.

Three robins crowd a tiny nest.

Only a couple of days ago, the baby robins – their little heads marked by wild bits of hair – could barely peek above the edge of the nest. Only when Mama flew in with a worm did they crane upward, their beaks wide open. I could not tell how many babies filled the nest. Two for sure. More than that? Impossible to tell.

Yesterday, however, the nest was packed. One of the young – probably the first to hatch – stood high in the nest, her speckled breast beginning to show a tinge of rust. She scanned the horizon, perhaps thinking of her first flight. Meanwhile her younger siblings still huddled low in a nest literally full to over flowing. Of necessity, someone would have to leave soon. There simply isn’t room for all of them to remain, they’re growing so fast.

One more day, oready to fly?

One more day, or ready to fly?

Today, only one bird remains in the nest. Her beak is wide open as she looks out to the maple tree across the way. Missing the warmth of her siblings? Feeling all alone? Looking for her mother? Hoping for one last meal before she’s on her own?

I scanned the shrubs and trees and lawn, looking for the juvenile robins who’ve gone before her. None were in sight.

As the young launch, I wish them well. I hope they will find lots of worms. I hope they will keep a sharp eye out for nasty predators. I hope they will choose wisely when they build nests for young of their own.

I have many hopes for the robins, as I did for my son when he left the nest. And I am amazed at these robins, as I was with my son, at how quickly they grow.

Other Robin posts:
Hungry & growing: A robin update
Life & Death in the Wild Kingdom
How to spend waiting time? A robin, writing update
And then there were four
A bird’s eye view

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Hungry & growing – A robin update

May 10, 2013 By 3 Comments
Mouths open, ready to eat!

Mouths open, ready to eat!

An experienced Mama Robin is very difficult to photograph. Her babies aren’t so easy to capture either. But I’m pleased to report that the baby robins in the downspout nest are making good progress.

 

As I passed by recently, Mama was dropping worms into wide-open mouths. As soon as I grabbed my camera, Mama flew off, probably hoping to attract me away from the nest. I snapped this picture before the babies got the word and retreated below the nest rim. You’ll need to look closely because the babies blend perfectly with the nest and the bricks behind them. Very good camouflage. There are at least two babies, maybe more, mouths up and wide open, ready to eat.

 

Mama doesn’t spend near as much time on the nest anymore. She spends more time shuttling back and forth, finding worms and bringing them back to fill hungry mouths. It helps, I’m sure, that the weather has grown modestly warmer. Mama’s food is more important to the babies than Mama’s body heat.

 

FYI, the windowsill nest is still in place but no one has returned to take up residence.

 

In other bird news, I looked up from reading the morning paper to see a Baltimore Oriole on the deck rail. My camera wasn’t handy, so I simply enjoyed the sight until the Oriole flew away. Then I quickly went for my camera and when I returned, there was an Indigo Bunting at the finch feeder.  I’ve never seen either Orioles or Indigo Buntings so close to the house.  In this picture, the Goldfinches are easy to see. Look to the bottom of the feeder and you’ll see the bright blue of the Bunting.

 

Two Goldfinches and an Indigo bunting

Two Goldfinches and an Indigo bunting

A bit of trivia courtesy of The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds, “Indigo Buntings have no blue pigment; they are actually black, but the diffraction of light through the structure of the features makes them appear blue.”

 

I love this time of year. So many birds migrating offer a continuous show! 

 

Other Robin posts:
Life & Death in the Wild Kingdom

How to spend waiting time? A robin, writing update
And then there were four

A bird’s eye view

 

 

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Life & death in the Wild Kingdom – Robin Update

May 5, 2013 By 14 Comments

Robin Nest EmptyOne day, I looked past my computer screen, out the window to the front lawn, where a smallish bird pecked away at the wood chips under a Redbud tree. At that exact moment, a Red-tailed hawk swooped down out of the sky and captured the smaller bird in its talons. The hawk remained on the ground for the time it took to look around, then it flew off, the smaller bird firmly in its claws. If the smaller bird was not already dead, there’s no doubt it would be soon. The whole event took less than 10 seconds.

Wow! We had an episode of Wild Kingdom right in our yard. Excited by what I’d seen, I rushed to tell my husband.

We had another episode of Wild Kingdom in our yard yesterday.  Yesterday morning, I peeked at the robin nest on my bathroom windowsill, hoping as I did each day to see the eggs start to hatch. The eggs were still intact though the robin was away getting breakfast. That whole “early bird” thing. I went about my day.

That afternoon, I took another peek at the nest. Not only was the robin gone, but the nest was empty! All the eggs gone, no doubt to a predator bird. Possibly a Blue Jay. We have many of those in our yard and they’re known for robbing nests. 

As one reader pointed out, the window sill was a very exposed site. Perhaps the robin was a first-time mother, choosing the site for it’s warmth rather than safety. Since robins nest two or more times a year, perhaps she’ll come back to this nest or she may choose another site.  My husband agreed we’ll leave the nest where it is, just to see.

Nesting in a more protected site.

Nesting in a more protected site.

Looking for solace from our loss, I want to check on the nest on the downspout under the eaves. As I stood looking at that nest, which unfortunately I cannot see into, the mama robin arrived with a worm in her beak. The wide-open mouths of baby robins stretched above the edge of the nest and Mama shared the bounty. Having served lunch, Mama settled into the nest to keep the young warm while they napped.

I’m hopeful for this nest, protected as it is by the eave, downspout and corner of the house. But even that is no guarantee. My husband had a nest in just such a position on a downspout at his shop. The eggs hatched, the young were headed toward fledging. At that point, a hawk swooped in and robbed the nest. No robin has chosen that site since.

As another reader reminded me, reproduction is a numbers game. The more eggs, the more likely one is to survive. The very fact that robins lay clutches of multiple eggs and do it more than once a year speaks to the species knowledge that not all will make it. Maybe even that most will not.

What’s the message here? I guess one is that there are no assurances in life. We do the best we can, but we do live in a wild kingdom.

 Other Robin posts:
How to spend waiting time? A robin, writing update
And then there were four
A bird’s eye view

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How to spend waiting time? A Robin & Writing Update

May 4, 2013 By 7 Comments
Robin incubating a clutch of eggs.

Robin incubating a clutch of eggs.

Waiting can be so difficult. That whole “watched pot” thing. Whether it’s 30 seconds to heat up the coffee in the microwave or 2 weeks for eggs to hatch – time just passes so slowly when you must wait for an outcome. I’m in that waiting phase in two ways now – with the robin nesting on my windowsill and with the novel I’m writing. 

Mrs. Red Breast moved from laying to incubating her clutch of four eggs. Though I left the shade up while she laid the eggs, now that she’s nesting, I’ve pulled it down to keep from startling her off the nest. An expectant mama just does not need to be startled or to worry about being startled.

Whether she worries or not, I don’t know. I’m likely ascribing my own emotions to her.  When she’s not on the nest, I worry if she’s abandoned it. Now that we’re experiencing an unseasonal and heavy snow, I worry the eggs will get too cold. I worry whether Mama can find enough food in the brief moments she flies away from her post.

To distract myself from my role as Chief Robin Worrier – I’ve been fortunate to have found the support of several readers who informed me a nest of eggs is called a clutch, and who shared links as well as their own knowledge of robin behavior. I thank all of you for your comments!  A few interesting things I’ve learned:

  • The American Robin is actually in the thrush family. Though immigrants to America named it after the European Robin, they’re not the same. The European Robin is similar in size and shape to some of our bluebirds.
  • Robins don’t listen for worms, though the way the cock their heads makes it appear that they do. Rather, one eye is trained on the ground watching for worms while the other eye is scanning the sky for predators. Here’s a link to more surprising robin facts.
  • American Robins can become trusting of humans; European Robins are not.
  • Even though robin nests look trashy, they are quite clean. Robins keep their nesting area and the nest itself cleared of insects.
  • The jury is out on when and how much the male robin is involved in caring for the young. Apparently it depends on how many babies hatch. Stay tuned. I’ll report on what I see.

I just love learning little things like this. Like Mrs. Red Breast, I am in the stage of anxiously/eagerly awaiting news of my novel, tentatively titled All She Ever Wanted.  This week, I gave draft copies to beta readers. This is the first time I’ve put my novel in front of readers who know nothing of the story and who I trust will give honest feedback on how or if the story works, whether the characters have depth and are believable, how well I’ve established the setting of rural Iowa during WWI. 

While I wait the next month for my readers to read, I’m figuring out ways I can distract myself from my Chief Novel Worrier role and do something productive. One thing I’ll be doing is working on a one-page synopsis of the novel as well as the critical cover blurb. Both of these tasks will require research and study and no doubt the help of others who’ve walk this path.

Writing novels and nesting birds. There are just so many similarities to these experiences. Don’t you think?

Other Robin posts: A Bird’s Eye View – And Then There Were Four

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Beauty & the Beast – Spring Snow

May 3, 2013 By 10 Comments
Magnolia tree bearing the weight of snow.

Magnolia tree bearing the weight of snow.

My predawn walk to the mailbox this morning was marked by the beauty of trees coated with snow. That kind of wet snow that clings to every branch creating the effect of a winter wonderland. The kind of winter scene we enjoy so much in December.

However, it is May. Magnolia trees are in full bloom. Our maple and ash trees sprout seeds and leaves. The grass is green and growing with enough vigor that we’ve already mowed and begun collecting grass clippings for mulch on the garden.

During my walk to the mailbox, I considered how pretty this record snowfall was in spite of its untimely arrival and planned to bring my camera out to capture this winter/spring visual delight when the sun was up.

How much can an old willow tree take?

How much can an old willow tree take?

Later, as I trudged through the snow, I faced the beauty and beast nature of this snowstorm. Snow against the raspberry sherbet redbud blossoms, the luxurious pink magnolia blooms, and the spring green tree leaves was striking in its beauty. However, already laden with heavy blossoms, the limbs of the magnolia tree drooped to the ground under the added weight. Some had cracked. Our old willow tree, already damaged by a heavy winter storm lost so many branches it’s hard to tell where the tree ends and the ground begins. Around me, the sound of tree limbs snapping punctuated the air. A beast tore through our landscape.

Unexpected green in a black and white landscape.

Unexpected green in a black and white landscape.

As I sit looking out my window, I mourn once-beautiful trees that appear to have had a bomb set off in the middle, I wonder if they’ll survive such an assault. I cannot help but think of the Boston Marathon. There, too, unexpected violence ripped apart a beautiful spring scene.

I take hope in that nature has a remarkable way of healing. Some of our trees may not survive. But I expect most of them will. The scars will be visible for years, perhaps forever, but the trees survive. In the Boston bombings, three people did not survive the assault. But most will. They’ll have scars, but most will survive. Nature and human nature. We survive.

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And then there were four

April 28, 2013 By 9 Comments

Four Robin Egg NestMrs. Red Breast added another egg to the nest Sunday morning.  Someone suggested the total would be four. Maybe so. It seems a neat number and there’s hardly room for more.

My concern that she might be scared away by our use of the facilities so far seems unfounded. I performed my morning ablutions while she was in residence. We were both appropriately discrete, each directing our eyes elsewhere to give the other necessary privacy.

Some years ago, we had a cardinal nest in a burning bush right next to our outdoor water faucet. Lady Cardinal put up quite a racket each time we came near but eventually she became used to us. We were treated to watching (very carefully) a nest of babies grow and take wing.  Hoping to do the same here.

I realized in writing my last post that I didn’t know what to call a nest of eggs. We have pods of whales and gaggles of geese, litters of puppies, cats, and pigs (all mammals).  But what do you call a group of eggs in the same nest? Not a flock. So what? Anyone?

NOTE: I first wrote about Mrs. Red Breast when she reached three eggs. Here’s the link to that post.

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A bird’s eye view

April 27, 2013 By 22 Comments

We know it’s really spring when the robins start building nests. Every downspout around our house has a robin in residence. Until now it’s always been the downspouts. But this spring an enterprising mama is making her home on our bathroom window sill.

You can't get a better view than this!

You can’t get a better view than this!

When I first spotted her, Mrs. Red Breast was still building the nest. Each time I went into the bathroom, she flew away. I wondered if she’d persist in this location. Would she be chased off the nest every time we used the facilities after she had her babies? Because, really, we aren’t going to stop using the bathroom!

When I told my husband, he said, “What do you think? Knock it down before she lays eggs?”

It must be said that robins make messy nests. Bits of twig and leaves dangle from the nest. The idea of bugs and bird droppings is not all that appealing. In some cases, I’d agree with him, but not this time. The opportunity to see a robin raise a nest of babies from a foot away is too good to pass up.

Mrs. Red Breast did finish her building. And then she began to lay eggs. One a day. Today she had these three.

This afternoon when I was working in the yard, I looked up and saw her nestled firmly in her home. Laying more eggs? Incubating the three she’s laid? Time will tell.

Have you ever enjoyed such a bird’s eye view of a nesting bird?

UPDATE: I’m sharing the progress on this nest. Here’s a link to the story on a fourth egg.

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Timing is everything

March 14, 2013 By 6 Comments
Saguaro cactus and a carpet of yellow, Mexican poppies.

Saguaro cactus and a carpet of yellow, Mexican poppies.

With so many things in life, timing matters. In my experience, that’s never more true than when it comes to seeing the wonders of nature. My travels this week have brought me to the desert southwest and Phoenix, Arizona.

I’ve enjoyed Arizona’s deserts many times over the years, visiting family and friends or on business. But in all these years, I’ve never seen the desert in bloom. That is both a matter of good timing and the right weather. This week my timing was spot on.

Desert blooms, Lake Pleasant, Arizona

The yellow overpowered the more subtle, yet equally beautiful, lilac and purple blooms.

Last week it snowed in Arizona, even in Phoenix. This week the desert took advantage of that moisture added to earlier rains to put out a spectacular display of color. Sweeps of yellow Mexican poppies; delicate spires of purple flowers that looked to be in the Lobelia family, tiny lilac colored stars.

Yesterday, my friend Carol and I hiked near Lake Pleasant, though hiking is somewhat of a misnomer for our walk, which was constantly interrupted by my exclamations about how spectacular the flowers were and the innumerable stops to take pictures.

Desert booms, saguaro cactus, Lake Pleasant, Arizona

A carpet of flowers covered the desert floor.

As an Iowa girl, I’m very fond of green, but the desert has its own beauty. And never more so than when the flowers bloom.

Have you seen the desert in bloom? Have you experienced a moment of very good timing? Please take a moment and share your story.

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A high-class problem

March 9, 2013 By 2 Comments
The Hare - Crystal Bridges Museum

The Hare – Crystal Bridges Museum

If you could choose to do anything, what would you do? That’s a question life coaches ask to encourage their clients to explore where their passion really lies. What would make them the most happy/satisfied/fulfilled. It’s not an easy question to answer.

In a limited way, I’m exploring that question this month as I take a week to drive from Iowa to Utah for a writing retreat. Though I’ve often traveled alone on business, I’ve never made such a long driving trip on my own. I found the prospect hugely exciting and also challenging.  Every step of the way, I would decide – what, when, where, how. In other words, I have to know myself.

Rather than take the direct route west, I elected to head south for Arkansas – the only state I’d never had occasion to visit.  Now that I’m here, I have to say, I don’t know what took me so long. The land is beautiful, the people friendly, there are far more things to see and do than I can accomplish in the two days I’ve allotted.

Yesterday morning I spent wandering the trails of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, enjoying both natural and man-made art, relaxing on stone benches where I could appreciate both a bronze bear and spring temperatures that promised flowers soon, wandering off the paved trails to follow meandering trails with flagstones banked to test the skill of bikers and to make me think I was walking the Yellow Brick Road. When I finally wandered inside the museum, I found a wonderful collection that I spent only an hour or so exploring. Not nearly enough time, but after soaking in so much beauty outdoors, I found myself less interested in what hung inside.

I went back outside to my car to think about this while I ate lunch. As I ate, I unfolded a map over my steering wheel, dug out a variety of flyers from the welcome center, and considered my options. Return to the museum refreshed by lunch? Go back into history and visit the  Pea Ridge Civil War National Park? Search out the artist conclave at Eureka Springs? I could do anything. But, what?

At that moment, a man returned to his truck parked next to my car. When he got in, he opened his windows just as I had. It was a beautiful day. He looked over and asked, “Would you happen to be lost?”

“Oh, no,” I answered. “I’m just thinking about where I may go next.”

He laughed. “That’s a high class problem to have!”

“Yes,” I responded. “I guess it is.”

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What legacy will we leave?

January 14, 2013 By 12 Comments

Bald EagleWhen I was a little kid growing up in Iowa, we seldom saw Bald Eagles, even though we lived near the Mississippi River. When we did chance to spot one, everyone, children and adults, looked skyward, hoping for a glimpse.

Eagles were endangered because the pesticide DDT found its way into the eagles’ food supply, ultimately weakening the egg shells, causing them to break during incubation. Since DDT was banned in the early 1970s, eagles have come back.

Now, Bald Eagles are common in Iowa. It’s not at all unusual to see one of these majestic birds soaring overhead. In the winter, there are even more eagles as the birds migrate along the Mississippi and Missouri River “super flyways.” Adults and children still find it a thrilling sight, gathering on  bridges to watch our national symbol swoop for fish in open water and roost in the tops of trees.

The Des Moines River runs through a park near my home so I ventured out to see if I might spot some eagles for myself. I pulled into the parking lot and hadn’t even gotten out of the car when I saw three mature eagles in a nearby tree.  One by one, the eagles took off, leaving me yearning for their return. Even though the river is low, they would be back as long as the river isn’t frozen overPop can in river.

The drought has been so severe the river now runs in less than half of the area its carved for itself. I set out for a walk, figuring it’s not every day you get to walk on a river bottom. Winter or summer, the river can be a quiet, peaceful place. As I walked, the silence was broken only by the sound of geese calling to each other.

I took along a plastic grocery bag to pick up any trash I might see. Very soon I realized I should have brought more than one bag. Cans. Bottles. A cowboy boot. Even underwear! In no time, my bag was full and the handles were tearing. I left the bag to pick up on the return and continued to walk. In the distance, the sun glinted off the water moving around what I thought was a pile of brush. As I got closer, I could make out a wheel. Then a tire and an axle.

Wagon trash in riverDuring a drought, the river reveals how we’ve cared for our waterways. The disregard we’ve had for them over the years, using them as a trash bin. Perhaps people thought they’d never fill up. Or that no one would ever know because the garbage sinks out of sight. Perhaps. Until a drought like this shows us the folly.

River clean up efforts like Project AWARE – A Watershed Awareness River Expedition – involve hundreds of volunteers every summer to clean tons of trash out of Iowa’s rivers. The visibility Project AWARE has brought to the plight of our rivers has encouraged thousands of volunteers in communities across the state to get out on the water, too. Those volunteers are doing good work, but they can’t make real progress until people stop putting trash into the rivers in the first place.

Sometimes we humans get it wrong and are able to fix it. We were able to do that with Bald Eagles. I hope we can be that smart when it comes to our rivers.

Bald Eagle photo credit: w4nd3rl0st (InspiredinDesMoines) via photopin cc

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