Snow and frigid temps notwithstanding, spring is here. I know,
because the calendar tells me. I know, because the sun now sets farther
north than it did in winter. I know, because the ladybugs are coming out
of hiding. But mostly I know, because Mama Robin is back.
There’s
a lot of discussion about robins in spring. People look out and see fat
red-breasted birds hopping in the yard and they view it as a sign of
the season. Maybe it is, and maybe not. We see robins all winter here.
In mid-January, I’ve seen a small flock of them noshing on the red
berries of our Washington hawthorn trees.
Robins will remain in
northern climates if they have an ample food supply. Most of the robins
that we see here in winter are likely migrants from more northern
locations, but some will be year-round residents. Many that we see here
in summer will fly a bit south for the winter. Since we really can’t
tell which of these we have, seeing robins in spring is not a reliable
harbinger.
Two years ago, we had a female robin make a nest in the
ornamental weeping cherry tree that’s near our front door. She thought
it was a good spot obviously, and perhaps it was, in terms of predators.
I had to give Mama Robin props for being brave.
I need to be
careful about anthropomorphizing wildlife, but perhaps she wasn’t merely
brave, but smart. Sure, humans come and go at the front door, but not
much of anything else ventures so close to such a busy location, save
for a spider or two and the moths and mosquitoes their webs ensnare.
That
summer, she raised one clutch of babies there. It was fun to be able to
watch the eggs hatch and grow so big you wondered how they stayed in
the nest. Then one by one, they fledged. First, by hopping onto a nearby
branch, assessing if and how they were going to manage that first
flight.
Last spring, with the old nest still in place, Mama Robin
returned. She built another layer of nest on top of the first, creating a
nice little double-decker one. She laid the usual four eggs, one each
day, but before all was said and done, only one egg remained to hatch
and reach maturity. We aren’t sure what happened to the others.
Later
in the summer, she had another clutch, this time with only three eggs.
All three successfully reached maturity and we didn’t see Mama Robin at
the nest the rest of the summer. Late last fall, rain and wind managed
to topple the nest out of the tree.
Last week, I noticed the
beginnings of a new nest in the same location of the weeping cherry.
Mama Robin was back! This week, she’s refining the nest with grass,
small twigs, and mud. Flying back and forth with her construction
materials, she sets off our Ring doorbell on occasion. We don’t mind.
Any
day now, I expect to see the first egg appear. The mourning doves are
nesting too. Though I’ve only seen a killdeer nest once, I’ve no doubt
those are out there in the open fields. The spring ephemerals are
blooming, and the familiar fresh scent of spring is in the air. Oh, how
I’ve missed you, spring. Welcome back.