Last Spring these baby robins were, for a short time, tucked carefully into a nearby shrub. My neighbors, Ruthie and Jerry discovered their little chirps and pretty soon we were all checking on them daily, especially after thunderstorms. I had a new perspective on robins.
Full disclosure: I find robins somewhat annoying- especially at 4:30 a.m. when the males perch themselves on the tallest branch (across from my bedroom window) and greet each new morning with a caterwauling of high-pitched whistles and sheiks. I tell my friends ‘if these birds just had a melodic song it wouldn’t be so bad’. Give me crows and ravens any day…at least they don’t sound the alarm till 7 a.m.!
As I mentioned earlier, it did give me a new perspective on robins with the new generation growing up so fast in their safe little nest in the shrubs. Baby robins are ready to fledge after only about 2 weeks, at which point the father takes over their care while mom prepares for a new nest. You gotta love them. They’re so cute.
—Jen Salt, Contributor
Jen Salt is an artist who lives in a place she calls “Crow’s Lair Cottage” – just outside of Spring Green where she’s lived for five and a half years. “The Wisconsin River was the draw to move here and I’ve never looked back, coming from a big city. This is home.”