Fledged

The day has come. We are empty-nesters. All of the children have flown the coop so to speak. Nothing left but a lot of white bird poop stains all down the tree and on the ground beneath it. A sure sign of progress!


Baby Robin is seriously contemplating flight. Obviously, the thing has already made it out of the other tree, the tree of its birth. I guess you don't just get it after the first time or two. The parents have to keep screaming at you to do it again and again and again. Like humans learning to walk, a lot can happen during your first few attempts at mobility, so the parents hang around ready to protect, scaffolding their young from danger.


This is half of the cheering section. Both parents were flitting around raising quite a racket trying to coax that baby to fly! Obviously it had already moved from the nest tree to the new tree, but I guess it takes a lot of encouragement with each attempt. I witnessed this same behavior with the Canyon Wrens at the cave. Those parents also whistled NON-STOP for a LONG time, trying to encourage their babies to fly toward them. A busy morning for Mr. and Mrs. Robin, conducting flight school. I wonder if they had a different baby stashed in each tree.


Farewell, Baby Robins! May you do what robins do best (make more robins)!