Bye Bye Birdies

Yes, I'm almost sad to report that our little hobgoblin robins have flown the coop.

I got up early on Wednesday morning and went outside for a quick check on them. I was lucky enough to find just one little hobgoblin left in the nest, and he was perched on the edge ready to leave. As soon as he saw me, he hunkered back down.



Seconds after I snapped that photo, he popped up, jumped down, and hopped away.

He's been back to visit us a few times though, and we have seen all three baby robins at one time so we know they all made it out of the nest and are flying, even if it is a little unsteady.

Bye Bye Birdies. See you next year.

Except please don't build your nest right on our deck and outside the back door. It was sort of inconvenient.

Let's Play "One of These Things Is Not Like The Other"

Can you spot the intruder?




Someone apparently decided that this was the line for free meals.


And he wasn't happy about being evicted.


Not. Happy. At. All.

Hobgoblin Goblers

They are growing so much every day.

Birds of a Feather

Look how the little hobgoblins have grown! Their eyes are open now and they are getting their wing feathers.



Meanwhile, we had some more feathered friends visit us.




And then away they went.




. . . and back down into the creek.


And what, you ask, were my Labrador Retrievers doing while all of these birds were invading our yard?


Good thing we don't hunt with them. One is too lazy to care and the other one would rather play with sticks.

Robin's Hood - Growing Like Weeds

The hobgoblin robins are growing like crazy and screaming for food all the time. (You can only clearly identify two of the little hobgoblins in this photo, but all three are healthy, growing, and hungry as heck.)

Robin the robin is spending less and less time sitting on the nest and more and more time finding food for these little monsters.

They are already getting their wing feathers, and it will be only a matter of a week or so before they start to leave the nest.

I'm sure that Robin the robin is looking forward to that as much as I'm looking forward to getting our deck back.

Robin's Hood - Lunch at Red Robin

I'm happy to report that we have three healthy baby robins.

And they are hungry. All the time.

Robin the robin leaves the nest to feed the little hobgoblin robins every 10-15 minutes. The minute she comes back to the nest, they pop right up with their little beaks ready and waiting.

Robert the robin has also been visiting the nest and helping Robin out.

He's a little bit of a nest hog.

But at least he brings food when he comes.

And it's nice to see that he takes a hand (or beak) in helping care for the little hobgoblin robins.

Robin's Hood

I had a thought all ready to post this morning complaining about how Robin the robin has taken over our deck and we can't sit outside and enjoy the nice weather and we can't cook on the grill.

But then this happened.

How can I be mad at a new mother?

Robin's Hood - Day 3

Another hard day of labor by Robin the robin.

Robin's Hood - Day 2

And the count is now two eggs!

A quick Google search tells us that robins only lay one egg per day and that they usually have four or five eggs in the first laying of the season (which we believe this probably is since it's so early in the spring). It then takes another 12 to 14 days for the chicks to hatch.

So stay tuned.

Robin's Hood - Day 1

The Robin mama has been spotted.

And she is expecting.

We're hoping that the egg has been fertilized and that we will have a baby robin in a couple of weeks.

In the meantime, she has custody of our deck and back door.

We're Expecting

. . . baby birds.

A momma bird picked our unfinished brick wall just outside the back door as a good place for her nest.

. . . beautiful weather.

The last couple of days have been gorgeous, and our flowers have started to bloom. Let's hope that spring is officially here and that winter has moved on.

. . . a call.

We're waiting for the doctor's office to call and schedule the next surgery for Vern. He will need at least two more surgeries and will probably be off work for at least two more months. They are bringing in a special radiologist to help with the placement of the nephrostomy tube into his kidney.

. . . the unexpected.

Because honestly, expecting the unexpected has been the way we have rolled lately. I wouldn't expect any less.