Tag Archives: American Robin

Garfield – Early Bird Gets the Worm

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American Robin (Turdus migratorius)with youngsters by Raymond Barlow

One of the birds that, I personally have seen, dig worms out the ground is the American Robin. When we lived in Indiana, there were many Robin available to watch. Down here in central Florida, we very seldom see any. Mostly in the winter, a few Robins migrate through here. They do not stay for the winter, but keep heading further down the state.

Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) by S Slayton

Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) by S Slayton

Many other birds like worms also, including Bluebirds.

Yet, it seems that Garfield met a very interesting Bluebird that has a problem feeding her little ones:

” A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.”  Proverbs 17:22

Have a Merry Hearted Day!!

I shared this on the Birds of the Bible For Kids blog today. We all need a Merry Hearted Day!!

Wordless Birds

Longing For Robins by Dorothy Belle Malcolm

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American Robin (Turdus migratorius) by Ian

American Robin (Turdus migratorius) by Ian

It has been 10 years since I’ve seen a robin in my yard. When they came then, it was an amazing sight which I have cherished. Once there was a Baltimore Oriole, however, that was many years ago. In the meantime, there are a variety that come to my feeder and the neighborhood for which I am happy about and keep food out for them.

Puzzle by a window ©Pxhere

I sit at a table which always has a puzzle on it, and if I don’t make sudden moves, I enjoy watching them. Of course the Sandhill Cranes walk around the neighborhood, The Cooper’s Hawks and Crows don’t come to my yard, but I see them in the trees as I walk.

The regular visitors are Blue Jays, Red-winged Blackbirds, Red-headed Woodpecker, Turtle Doves, Titmice, and Sparrows.

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)by Raymond Barlow

American Robin)by Raymond Barlow

In my heart I’m longing for the joy of seeing just one Robin. Maybe it will happen this spring.

2/22/19 Dorothy Malcolm

“But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.” (John 11:22 KJV)

Lee’s Addition:

It has been awhile since Dottie (Dorothy) has written an article for us. I asked her if she would like to write another one. Here is her latest birdwatching desire. The verse is one I have used while birdwatching. I have asked the Lord to please have the bird in that bush come out where I can see it better. Maybe even take a photo. Not surprising, some have appeared to my delight. I think the Lord cares about our desires, especially when observing His Creation. Dottie, we are praying that the Lord will let some Robins land in your yard when they start migrating back north this spring. Stay Tuned!

If you have missed some of Dottie (Dorothy’s) stories, they are listed below. She is also Emma Foster’s grandmother. Humm! Wonder if that is where Emma started her interest in her birdwatching tales? Emma’s Stories

Dorothy (Dottie) Belle Malcolm’s:

The Spring Snowstorm – by Emma Foster

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American Robin by Dan

American Robin by Dan

The Spring Snowstorm

By Emma Foster

Spring had arrived, and many robins had flown back to the north after a long winter. One of the robins, named Charlotte, had flown north to lay her eggs. After many long days of flying, Charlotte eventually landed in a small tree in the backyard of a large brick house.

Flower buds began to peek out of the green grass. The sun shone through the tree branches, making Charlotte very warm while she built her nest. When she finished building her nest out of twigs and leaves, Charlotte settled down and laid her first egg.

Robin Egg in Nest ©Lorl L Stalterl

Charlotte sat patiently on her egg, leaving only to search for some worms to eat. One day when she came back with a worm, the wind picked up and it began to grow really cold. Charlotte sat back down on her egg to keep it warm.

The next morning Charlotte woke up to see snow on the ground. The snow covered all of the flowers, and the wind picked up even more. More snow began to pile up on the ground until Charlotte couldn’t see any grass. She knew that even though the storm was worsening she couldn’t find another place farther south to live because her egg had already been laid.

Spring Snow ©Warren Brown

The next morning, a large black dog hobbled into the backyard. He was very old, and the snow felt good on his old hips. The people who lived in the house called him Jerry, and many times the man who lived in the house had to carry Jerry inside. Charlotte noticed that Jerry didn’t want to come in on his own.

Jerry shed a lot of his black hair, which would fall and stick in the snow. Charlotte grew very cold, and was afraid that her egg would freeze. Suddenly she had an idea. Quickly swooping down, Charlotte picked up some of Jerry’s hair and stuffed it into her nest to keep her egg warm.

At one point Charlotte became very hungry again, but she knew it would be difficult to find any worms. She thought her egg would be all right surrounded by Jerry’s hair. After some digging in the cold snow, Charlotte was able to find one worm, and then she quickly returned to her egg, but when she came to her nest the egg had disappeared.

Charlotte looked everywhere for her blue egg, realizing it must have been blown out of the nest by the strong wind. She saw Jerry sitting in the snow, but she didn’t see her egg anywhere near the tree. Jerry began barking, and Charlotte realized that he had something hiding in his fur. Jerry had found the egg at the bottom of the tree, and had decided to keep it warm in his fur. Charlotte thanked him by tweeting and
carefully followed him as he put the egg in his mouth and got on his back legs to put the egg into the nest.

American Robin (Turdus migratorius) Hatching ©WikiC

The snow began to melt, and after a while, the flowers began to grow again. Charlotte’s egg hatched her chick, who eventually learned how to fly. That next spring, Charlotte came back to the same tree in the backyard to lay another egg. Thankfully, this year it didn’t

Lee’s Addition:

“A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” (Proverbs 17:17 KJV)

Another great story from Emma. This time the friendly dog came to the rescue during trouble. It is always nice when others are able to assist us when problems arise. Thankfully, Charlotte was able to see her egg hatch and grow up.

More of Emma’s Stories

 

 

Lee’s Six Word Saturday – 2/6/16

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LET BIRDS MULTIPLY ON THE EARTH

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And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” (Genesis 1:22 NKJV)

American Robin – YouTube by Rebecca Petty

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Sandra’s New Kooky Challenge

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Little Gray Feather

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01:33. As the Robin flies away, the Grackle cries, “More!”

01:33. As the Robin flies away, the Grackle cries, “More!”

Little Gray Feather,
the Adopted Common Grackle Chick

One of the most bizarre anomalies in the world of ornithology I have ever witnessed was in May 2009.

It was in that month when my wife happened to look out a second floor bedroom window of our condo townhome in Aurora, Colorado and see two little boys carrying bird nests, prompting her to investigate. As it turns out, the two boys were innocently engaged in the exploration of birds’ nests they had discovered—apparently having observed adult birds flying to and from the nests. My wife lovingly explained to them that it wasn’t a good idea to move nests with eggs or chicks and suggested they return the nests to where they had found them.

However, by then the boys had already relocated at least two nests to a not-so-tall conifer at the southeast corner of the townhome complex. Apparently, they figured that by relocating the nests to lower, shorter branches, they could keep a better eye on things. The relatively short evergreen presently had a total three nests and a number of chicks had fallen to the ground. Not knowing what type of birds she was dealing with or what nests the chicks on the ground had fallen out of, my wife donned a pair of gloves and placed the fallen chicks back into two of the nests. When I returned home from work, she requested I examine the situation. Upon doing so, I found that she had mistakenly placed Common Grackle chicks with American Robin chicks and a few chicks had again fallen out of their nests—one to the ground, a couple of others onto branches. It was a problematic scenario for all parties involved, especially the chicks.

01:09. Oh, what joy as the Robin emerges on the west side of the nest with something substantial in its mouth.

Appearances suggested we were dealing with two broods of Robins and one of Grackles, both types of birds being common to the complex. Presuming the highest nest in the tree to be that of a Grackle, I placed the Grackle chicks in that one and divided the Robins evenly between the other two lower nests, holding out little hope for a positive outcome.

In less than two days all chicks died except for one: a Grackle. And soon, the nest had become tipped. I adjusted it so the sole survivor wouldn’t fall out.

Now, one would think an adult Robin would know the difference between one of its own and a stranger. Yet, to our amazement, a pair of mating Robins quickly adopted the baby Grackle and took to raising it as their own. This caused me to think that the nest had actually been built by the mother Robin. We named the chick Little Gray Feather and observed its development into June until it left the nest and was capable of very short flights while still being tended to by its adoptive parents.

Using a Panasonic Lumix-DMC FZ8 digital camera, on May 29, 2009, I took a video of the Grackle in the nest and one of its adoptive Robin parents feeding it and cleaning up after it. Following are photos captured from the video, arranged in chronological order from left to right:

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Little Gray Feather
Copyright ©2015 Dan Vaisanen

Lee’s Addition:

What an amazing story and the photos and video to go along with it. Thanks Dan for sharing this with us. Dan Vaisanen is an acquaintance of James J. S. Johnson.

Other birds have fed babies that are not their own, but this was all done by accident. It is interesting that one species, the Robins, were willing to feed another species’ baby, but that the Grackles would not do the same for the Robin babies. Must be a truth there somewhere.

“So then, whatever you desire that others would do to and for you, even so do also to and for them, for this is (sums up) the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12 AMP)

Deceit:

Good Behavior:

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One is Enough ~ by Dottie Malcolm

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American Robin by Dan at Lake Howard

American Robin by Dan

“One is Enough” ~ by Dorothy “Dottie” Belle Malcolm

Having just returned home from a house cleaning job, my mind wasn’t about birds, but the greeting I would get from my dog Ruby. She was her usual happy, jumpy, self – anticipating a doggy treat for being left home alone.

I was not happy to find her soaking wet. This meant I had not closed the door well to the shower room and she had spent her time there during my absence. It would have been OK except my shower drips continuously – (yes, I do have a plan to have it checked out.) And this is a dog who hated to be showered! Figure that.

So anyway, I told her I needed to check the mail. And yes, she knows what this means. She ran outdoors and as we headed for the mailbox I heard a very familiar sound. We had startled a robin! Oh joy! I carefully began looking for it and found it was still hanging around a flower bed.

I don’t remember who I thanked first, the robin for being in my yard, or the Lord for sending it there!

It is the first and so far the only one I have seen in my yard this year. Recalling the year my yard was filled with them in Feb. 2010 and had told them they were all welcome back, put paid no return visits.

Having at least one, made my day. I’m not hard to please. I do hope to see it again, but if not, I’m happy anyway.

Every time I look out the window on this beautiful spring day, I will have a spirit of thanksgiving. Being able to enjoy God’s Creation is a great blessing.

One Robin is enough.

Dot Malcolm

(Feb 15, 2013)

Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart! (Psalms 32:11 NKJV)

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)by Raymond Barlow

American Robin)by Raymond Barlow

Lee’s Addition:

What a great event. Dottie handed this to me Saturday morning at our annual Volunteer’s Breakfast. All those who volunteer around church are treated to a meal prepared by our Pastors and staff. Dottie has been a faithful Primary Sunday School teacher for years. Reading this story, I can see why they all love her and enjoy her teaching so much. Thank you, Dottie.

See her other articles:

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