The American Robin is one of the earliest bird species to lay eggs, beginning to breed shortly after returning from its winter range. Robins make their nests from long coarse grass, twigs, paper, and feathers, with a little gooey mud as the finishing touch. There are abundant robins in our part of Colorado, and I have learned that the American Robin ranks behind only the Red-winged Blackbird as the most abundant land bird in North America.
|Harmony Point Needle Felt Pillow|
It is exciting to watch this couple inspect the remains of last year's nest. The colorful male is beginning to hang out in the trees near the porch most of the day, where I suppose he is guarding his home from other prospective nesters. Robins are most active during the day, and before the eggs are laid, assemble into large flocks at night. They eat a lot of bugs: beetle grubs, earthworms, and caterpillars, which is fine by me, along with fruits and berries. Once all the snow that is on our lawn melts, these birds will have a feast on earthworms that pull up easily from the wet grass! One of my favorite parts of Spring is sitting on my porch with that early morning cup of coffee and listing to the cheerful, almost continuous Robin song!
I have made many Robin-inspired fiber art items over the years, and I am sharing one of those items in this post. I would love to hear about your bird nesting joy in the weeks ahead. Spring fever is by far the best kind of fever, don't you think?
Thanks for stopping by,