Tuesday, May 18, 2010

A face only a mother could love

I'm sure some of you bird lovers are wondering about those 3 robin's eggs. Sure enough, I received text messages of congratulations in my hotel room from family back home informing me I was a proud Gramma of two. Two so far had hatched on Thursday. When I arrived home Friday, all three were alive and well.

Here's a series of daily pictures of the babies starting with Friday.
















































And finally, today (Tuesday)













Now it's hard to imagine in that (dare I say) ugly mass of flesh that there is anything alive or responsive. But when Mom or Dad arrive with a worm dangling overhead.....








Like stepping on the garbage can lever....up come those lifeless looking little heads!                           
And why not with such delicious offerings!! Yum!
I'm amazed at the dedication of Mom and Dad. I mean, I remember being a new Mom and the exhaustion I felt from no sleep and always tending to the baby (singular)....letting your own needs take a back seat to the baby's needs. But honestly.....I didn't have to do nearly as much as this young couple! They spend the entire day from dawn until dusk searching earnestly for food and bringing it back to the nest, while watching at all times for danger and fending it off. Poor innocent sparrows or finches who might want a drink nearby - they get dived at and told in no uncertain terms to get lost. Thankfully, so far these parents are leaving the humans alone to come and go as we please!

I hope to post some videos of the feedings before too long. It should get interesting as these babies rapidly grow and become more visible and vocal. I've read that often the weakest of three is left to fend for itself while the two strongest are nurtured and taught to survive. I'll have a hard time watching that if it happens, but I've promised myself I will not rescue an abandoned robin baby - let nature take its course. A robin who doesn't learn to survive in the wild, but lives out its days in a cage in a house with worm feedings would not be a good thing!                                                                                     

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