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        Daily Chat >> General Posts >> First Robins of the season!! (pics)
        
(Message started by: Melissa on Mar 29^th, 2008, 5:31pm)

Title: First Robins of the season!! (pics)
Post by Melissa on Mar 29^th, 2008, 5:31pm

Just saw my very first Robins of spring and that makes me SO happy! :D Even though it's supposed to snow tonight & tomorrow.:(

Anyway, these are so dang skinny, I forgot how slim they are at first!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/mfiltz/dsc011832.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/mfiltz/dsc011862.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/mfiltz/dsc011842.jpg

Yay for Spring!!

Title: Re: First Robins of the season!! (pics)
Post by Rosybabe on Mar 29^th, 2008, 5:37pm

nice! all I see around here are mocking birds :(

Title: Re: First Robins of the season!! (pics)
Post by aloneuk on Mar 29^th, 2008, 5:48pm

Wow Great pics Mel
your robins look cool ! very different to ours lol, This is my first robin, not a great pic but he didn't wanna hang around lol.

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/1424/pict0475rb6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Title: Re: First Robins of the season!! (pics)
Post by barry_sword on Mar 29^th, 2008, 5:59pm

Mel, the robins will still need snowshoes to get around here, but there are other signs of spring here, like how bad the roads were heaved when I decided to take Angie for a drive to a place we mountain bike at. ::)

It was a great day out, but crap, we had the Grand Prix off the ground a few times! [smiley=laugh.gif] [smiley=laugh.gif]

Spring is here and that feels good! ;)

Title: Re: First Robins of the season!! (pics)
Post by jon019 on Mar 29^th, 2008, 7:27pm

Thanks Melissa. ALWAYS love the Robin pics!

Where I live there are lots. Watching them patrol a lawn for worms (looks like they are listening, but really spotting and scooping) is a kick.

My Mom was magic with animals. Wild or domestic, it didn't make any difference, they trusted her. It was well known and she was brought many orphans to care for.Twice we adopted baby Robins. It's as close to being a Mom as I'll ever be because I was given the job of "feeder". It was hamburger and worms (I dug 'em) stuffed down the widest open maw you'll ever see (with a pinkie finger).

It was never our intention to keep 'em, so as soon as they filled out, we took them outside. Initially on the ground, then when stronger up on a tree branch. They would fly down to a held out finger and didn't seem to want to leave.

Great personalities, bright trusting eyes, and that red breast, after the baby spots are gone, well, its beautiful. As Dad said, they're not ours, we're just givin' 'em a leg up. So, we would leave them outside all day and go looking for them in the evening. Always came back to a finger and inside for the night.

I had real mixed feelings. 51% of me wanted them to leave and have their own life, 49% wanted them to stay. Eventually, both left, and I hope to a good life. I'll never know.

Thirty years later, at my brothers home in the mountains a thousand miles away, I think I got an answer (who knows). We were sitting outside on the deck, and a totally wild Robin flew in and landed in the middle of us. It was mind boggling, wild animals just don't do this. We fed it some berries, which apparently is not the normal diet, as they came back up a couple minutes later :P. Had a delightful one hour visit and then I shooed it away (reluctantly), because the dogs and cats were going nuts trying to get at it.

Anyway, I do love me some Robins. Your pics bring back
wonderful memories.

Regards,

Jon

Title: Re: First Robins of the season!! (pics)
Post by Jackie on Mar 29^th, 2008, 7:38pm

Mel...nice pictures...thanks. Blake saw our first last week. It was fat and round like a tennis ball. Come on Spring!!!!

Jon....such a lovely story....thanks for sharing.... :)

Jackie

Title: Re: First Robins of the season!! (pics)
Post by Annette on Mar 29^th, 2008, 7:52pm

What lovely pictures Mel !

Thanks for sharing :)

Title: Re: First Robins of the season!! (pics)
Post by Kevin_M on Mar 29^th, 2008, 9:04pm

on 03/29/08 at 19:27:38, jon019 wrote:

Thanks Melissa. ALWAYS love the Robin pics!

Where I live there are lots. Watching them patrol a lawn for worms (looks like they are listening, but really spotting and scooping) is a kick.

Thanks Mel, too. Very late this year and still haven't seen one, probably smart because it's been cold, but just this early morning with the stars still out, I heard one singing about half a block away.
They're our state bird and having them return and hunt a lawn is cool because they don't mind if you're kind of close, they just hop a little farther away and keep hunting, sometimes putting there catches into a pile before grabbing a bunch and flying away.

Title: Re: First Robins of the season!! (pics)
Post by George_J on Mar 30^th, 2008, 1:51am

on 03/29/08 at 17:48:54, aloneuk wrote:

Interesting to see a photo of a European Robin, Ike. Thank you.

Ours were named a "robin" by early North American settlers--who were reminded of the bird you've shown us.

North American "robins" are actually a kind of thrush--by far the most ubiquitous and common of the thrushes. Pretty closely related to the Varied Thrush, which is seen far less often--I've only seen a few of them:

http://identify.whatbird.com/img/4/680/image.aspx

All the best to you and yours,

George

Title: Re: First Robins of the season!! (pics)
Post by sandie99 on Mar 30^th, 2008, 5:01am

Great pictures, Mel! :)

I liked yours as well, Ike. :)

It's inspiring to see that you guys have been able to take these great pics of those birds. My attempts to take pics of our birds have failed miserably so far; I never get close enough before they fly away - or they're gone before I can find my camera! ;;D

Sanna

Title: Re: First Robins of the season!! (pics)
Post by lionsound on Mar 30^th, 2008, 7:48am

Title: Re: First Robins of the season!! (pics)
Post by PollyPocket on Mar 30^th, 2008, 9:34am

Mel I wanted so badly to get a pic of our front yard a few weeks back. We must've had 50 robins right outside the front door, but each time I tried, they all starting flying away.

You would've loved it! Sign of spring for sure :)

Title: Re: First Robins of the season!! (pics)
Post by LeLimey on Mar 30^th, 2008, 10:03am

Mel thanks for the pics! And Ike too, I haven't seen any Robins this year (Not even bloody Robin Hood!)

Jon that story was lovely, I really, really enjoyed it. Have you ever written anything? You have a definite knack for story telling

Title: Re: First Robins of the season!! (pics)
Post by Melissa on Mar 30^th, 2008, 11:35am

Ike, I think your Robin is just beautiful! :D

It was/is supposed to rain w/snow mixed in today, so I'm sure I won't see the Robins again until later in the week. :(

Jon, that was a wonderful recollection. I love reading memories such as yours. :)

Kevin, I'm holding out hope that you see one in the next day or two. ;)

:-*

Title: Re: First Robins of the season!! (pics)
Post by Becky on Mar 30^th, 2008, 7:22pm

We get loads of Robins by mine. We have a nature reserve right by the house, and my garden is linned both sides with privet hedge. So far I have seen Robins, Sparrows, Blue Tits, Finches, Wagtails and a Woodpecker :)