Knitting Sandwich

baby robins: week two

i apologize for the tardiness of this post.  when last we visited the robin babies it was may 28th for pete's sake!

even though i've been lax in posting, i was right on top of taking daily pictures.  so let's go back to sunday may 29th:

monday the 30th:

tuesday the 31st (things are starting to get a little bit crowded in the old nest):

on wednesday june 1st lil and i were driving home from running an errand and as we turned into the driveway i spied a newly fledged robin sitting on a brush pile.  (i was kicking myself for not having a camera with me.)

when we came and checked the nest only two little guys were left!  in retrospect it's obvious that two of the babes were more mature than the others, especially in the last couple of pictures.  

so here's wednesday june 1st's picture, the two little guys:

thursday june 2nd:

when i saw them on friday the 3rd i knew it was only a matter of time before they fledged (aren't they so cute with their speckled breasts?!?):

and sure enough by saturday morning the nest was empty.

i hope the parents decide to come back again next spring.  i love having baby birds!

-melissa

baby robins: week one

a lot changes in a week when you're a baby robin.

sunday:

monday:

tuesday:

wednesday:

thursday:

friday:

and saturday:

aren't they just so sweet?  and today their eyes opened!!

i've been keeping my visits down to once a day, but still the parents are not overly amused with me.

i've tried to reassure them that i mean them and their sweetlings no harm, but i don't think they believe me.

-melissa

hatching in progress

eeeee!!!  i'm so excited!!

-melissa

return of the robin family

the robins are back!

i had noticed the nest a couple weeks ago, but when i checked it was empty.  i had assumed it was an old abandoned nest.  imagine my complete surprise and joy when i saw a bird sitting atop the nest today!  

they've chosen a much better spot than two years ago when they built their nest right next to my backdoor.  over here on the north side of the house they'll have much more privacy.

and you just know as soon as the mama flew off i had to get a peep inside...

*four* eggs!!  how exciting is that?!?!?  oh sweet robin eggs... i'm so happy the robin family is back!

-melissa

and just like that, they're out!

so i wrote that last post, went out and ran some errands, came home and went to hang out laundry.  i stepped out the back door and out of the corner of my eye i saw a bird fly down from the nest.  i looked as i walked past to see if it was the mom or the dad.  but it was not the parents, it was one of the babies!  i can't believe i got to see him fly out of his nest (even if only peripherally).

don't you just love the little stinkeye he's giving me here?  

his brother is still up in the nest (in my head they're brothers but i have no empirical proof of that).  so for now the parents only have this guy to keep an eye on - such a sweet little bird, out there in the big big world!

-melissa

growing

this week we got our garden planted.  springtime sees our backyard so full of growth and change.  somethings are nearing the end of their growing phase and will soon be moving on.

while other things are just getting started - pushing in roots and (hopefully) planning on staying around all summer long.

-melissa

robin update

what a difference a week makes when you're a baby robin!  

here are the little guys last tuesday:

and here they are today:

they're really beginning to look like birds!

this is the first peek i've had at them since last thursday due to the fact that we've been out of town - and i can only see two of the three birdies in there.  i'm hoping the third one is just buried under his siblings.

from everything i've read the babes will fledge two weeks after hatching, so i'm selfishly hoping that they'll do it before we leave for nyc next monday!

-melissa

we have baby robins!

saturday was the two-week mark for our robin eggs, so i have been keeping an eye on the nest with great anticipation.  this morning when we went out to hang the laundry, lily spied the following on the ground.

sine the parents were already startled off the nest (this happens whenever we use the back door) i quick grabbed the mirror and peeped inside the nest.

there's three of them in there, aren't they so creepy-cute?  we have since been enjoying watching the parents take turns sitting on the nest while the other goes off to hunt for food for the babes.

here's  one of them (i think it's the dad, the mom has more white around her eyes) feeding them a little buggy-type thing.  

i'm so excited that the babies are here!!

-melissa

and then there were three

we got a surprise this morning - a third robin egg in our nest!  

who knows - we could get even more!  i've read that robins lay anywhere from two to six eggs.

and now, since i've already brought you over here i might as well also tell you that my apple tree is beginning to bloom.

-melissa

and here's to you, little robin's eggs...

remember last week when my robin couple built a nest on top the light by my back door?  well this weekend the mama laid her eggs! 

the interweb informs me that these little sweeties will hatch in 14 days - so stay tuned for more robin updates.  

-melissa