Birdies

 

Sadly, our hummingbird nest did not survive another spring, what with the wind, earthquake and (most importantly) an attack by other birds determined to bring it down.  I was sitting by the kitchen window, at my makeshift home office, and had a front row seat while a robin picked the last pieces of my hummingbird nest apart.  Jason was particularly mad that the robins then destroyed the netting in our rain gutters - all the netting in our rain gutters - and used one little piece almost as a decoration to make their own nest in the front yard.  I guess that's nature.

We loved the bright turquoise eggs, and it was fun to watch those eggs become little baby robins - from a distance.  Here's the thing about robins.  When they have newborn babies in the nest, they are mean and they are LOUD.  Jason risked life and limb to get the one-and-only picture below of the newborns.  He narrowly escaped being pecked to death when he climbed up the ladder to snap this picture.  We didn't risk that again, as mama and papa bird were not happy that he dared to get that close.  For the two or so weeks that we had newborn robins in our front tree, anytime we walked outside, even innocently, to get the mail, the birds went into a screaming frenzy and we instinctively covered our heads for safety.  No joke.  Robins are mean.  I wasn't as sorry when the baby robins left the nest as I always am when my hummingbirdies leave.  But it was fun and interesting to watch.