Video: Hatch day for the Robins!
The Robins started hatching today! Mom and Dad share feeding and diaper duties, and they are such fresh parents that they still seem to be unsure how to do it. You can see Dad bringing some food and Mom wanting to feed it to the baby but then letting him do it when he seemingly insists. She's eating the diaper instead. You can watch this cam live here in my livestream section and on my Birdsy channel.
We are having a nice week
ahead of us with very mild temperatures that will wake up gardens and wildlife from their winter slumber, while migration still continues. This weekend, female and nonbreeding male Redwinged Blackbirds arrived here. The females look distinctively different but if you pay attention to some details like beak shape and some color hints, you can tell what they are. The Robins are also frolicking around, and I would not be surprised to see them starting to build nests this week. I may even consider setting up the pond, if work time permits.
I have been busy
with work but not a lot is going on either while the yard is getting ready for #spring. Temperatures are not there yet but it definitely sounds like spring. And I love that I am seeing more Robins! When the ground is frozen, they are happy for dried fruit like raisins (make sure to keep your dogs away!), mealworms or suet nuggets.
The Robins
have multiplied in the last couple of days, and they found out that there are mealworms on the menu here. Now they compete with everybody else whenever a worm is available outside the cage feeder for the BBs. In the evenings, they are still strutting about, and since the day traffic is gone then, I throw them a handful as a good night snack. I love the details in their faces.
Video: It's been a wild week
with some really bad stuff happening. During times like these I am happy to have the birds because they keep me busy, hinder me from being glued to the news, and also make me happy. The American Robin’s German name is Wanderdrossel, “wandering thrush”, and this morning after a night of snow fall, this merry group wandered into my backyard. The Grackle is also still around, and while things still look and feel winterish, there is a sense of spring in the air.
Updating this post because just now, a flock of Redwinged Blackbirds showed up too. Things will develop slowly, but spring migration has begun.
Video: Another surprise visitor
The American Robin is the state bird of Michigan, and I have seen people complain about this because many Robins go farther south for the winter. However, some also stay. I heard a flock in the area for several days (there is a Mountain Ash, a Cedar and a Crabapple tree nearby - all bird magnets), and yesterday, this one came to the bath. I don't count this as a sign of an early spring, we are quite a bit away from that, but it was a fun sight. It's very cold this morning, stay warm and have a great Monday!
It's Friday, and that is a good day
to introduce the May bird of the Ostdrossel 2022 calendar. It is an American Robin, and I chose this bird and photo for May because it is my birthday month, and I am in love with the clarity and light here. You can almost see the trees awakening with all this fresh and vibrant green. The bird is sitting on a bowl with an orange half and a blob of grape jelly that I put out in spring. I do it for the Orioles mainly, but many other birds enjoy it as well. If you want to try it too, choose grape jelly as natural as possible. Mashed grapes will work too. American Robins are the state bird of Michigan, and while they usually leave my area late in fall, some will also spend the winter in the state. Come good into the weekend!
My calendars are available here: https://www.createphotocalendars.com/Shop/ostdrossel
Robins are the state bird of Michigan,
but they do migrate too, even if just within the state. I love Robins because they are a lot of fun to watch and listen to but also because they remind me a lot of a European bird I love, the Eurasian Blackbird. American Robins look basically like them but have a lot more color going on. I did not see any for a while but right now, a group is visiting, exploring the feeders, searching the lawn and taking baths.
The Robins
are having more than one brood per season, and since I have seen them gathering more nesting material, I put up the little bowl with mud and leaves and grass up again to help them out a bit. This one apparently took a good portion, and then came straight to the feeder. Happy Friday!
Now with birds feeding babies,
I often see them coming to the feeders with natural food, mainly bugs from the garden. I always find it interesting to see what they find. This Robin looks to have a caterpillar, and I am wondering what kind it is. One of the dreaded Gypsy Moths?
(This Robin has a skin condition that shows on his legs. He has been coming for years and it does not seem to affect him, in case anyone is wondering.)
Things have slowed down
quite a bit right now because everybody seems to be nesting. Some are already done with the first batch, like the Bluebirds, and today I also heard the haunting voices of young Starlings and then eventually also saw one popping up at the bird bath. The smaller amount of visitors made me feel more easy about going out to plant my veggie garden. It was a hot day, and everybody wanted to go to the bird bath badly. The Robins did not care about me being out and about and enjoyed the relatively empty feeding stations. Dr. Clara is pretty much done with her nest, and I expect her to start laying eggs any day now. The one oddball thing right now is there are no Hummingbirds around. After having had a pretty good start of the season with them about ten days ago, none have showed up again. Same for the Catbird. I know that migration is still going on, so I hope to see some more new visitors soon.
When you put out grape jelly,
it’s not just the Orioles who go for it. Many birds seem to have a sweet tooth, amongst them House Finches, Grosbeaks, Woodpeckers and these guys - American Robins. For a short time today, the sun came out, and I am happy it was when the Michigan state bird was there for portrait time. When I first saw Robins, I thought they were interesting, but in close-ups they reveal all these really cool details like eyebrows, rictal bristles, eyerings and throat feathers. I personally also love their song. I am always happy to have them around.
Video: Home improvement for the Robins
Robins use mud to fortify their nests. I have seen them starting to build the other day and thought it would be fun to make a little mud pit for them. It has been dry for a bit so they seemed to appreciate it. I mixed soil and water with some small roots and dried leaves.
Round is the word of the day,
for one because we are experiencing what is hopefully the last frost and for two because it’s Earth Day! The weather might not be good for gardening everywhere yet but this time is perfect to get a little garden planning on. There are lots of possibilities to make your garden more inviting for birds, also some that might not come to a feeder. Native flowers and berry bushes and trees can help creating more habitat for the wildlife around us. Stay warm! (MoDo, Grackle, Robin and Cardinal)
Spring rain
and mild temperatures have started to wake up the garden. Everywhere you look, tiny soft green is finding its way to the surface, and the air is full of promise. I have started some of my veggie seeds and was daring enough to put radish and beet seeds into the ground (while crossing my fingers for no more deep frost). The Robins are enjoying that the ground is more workable for worms, and they are looking for nest sites. In between, they never say no to a good bath. And then proudly come to see if there are any snacks.
The Robins have returned,
there are several around, and some of them have figured out that there are mealworms in the feeders sometimes. Which is great because it allows to study their interesting features. The “mustache” is not really that, it’s something called rictal bristles. Nobody is really sure what they are for, but they seem to have some kind of sensory function.
With the arrival
of the first migratory birds, tensions are also on the rise. The Robin has discovered the mealworms, and will fiercely defend his right to eat.
Video: Talk to the wing!
I cannot wait to set the pond back up. It looks like competitive bathing season is here and the heated bath is way too small. 😆
The end of summer
is always bittersweet, but for the birdwatcher it is also an exciting time because there are young birds all over the place. It is very entertaining to watch them explore the world, lead by their parents. The August in my calendar shows a parent American Robin and his adorably proud youngster. They are the state bird of Michigan, even if they migrate more south in the cold season, and I always eagerly await their arrival.
You can get an Ostdrossel calendar here at ostdrossel.com or here.
Video: vocal morning visitor
This American Robin had quite a lot to say at 7 am :) Robins usually leave my area during the winter months, which is funny because they are the state bird of Michigan. I always kind of hope one stays.
