Robins & Co. (a.k.a. "Hideous Beauty")

More fun with the birdies in our tree.

The other afternoon, I glanced out the kitchen window and saw that Mom & Dad Robin had fled the nest to go dig for worms. The baby robins in the nest (Williams, Givens, Leach and The Boy Wonder) were sort of awake, lolling drowsily about in the nest with their mouths comically open. I couldn't resist sneaking out and snapping some shots.

Looking at them at full size I was struck by not only how hideous these little things are, but also how huge they'd grown! Just days ago they fit into tiny blue eggs and now they were twice their previous size. What the heck kind of irradiated worms were their parents feeding them?

Last night, I was back at the kitchen sink and looked out to check on our birdy guests. Once again, mom & dad were nowhere to be seen and the babies were up and active and chirpy. I thought it would be a fine time to sneak out and grab some action shots, so I snatched up my camera and headed out the door. There in the yard was Mama Robin, a fresh worm pinned firmly in her beak. When she saw me, she gave off a chirp of alarm and began pacing in the road outside our house. Within seconds, Daddy Robin had appeared as well, wielding his own worm. I decided to sneak back in the house and not disturb them, though not until after taking her picture.

Inside, Ash and I gathered in the window to watch the parent birdies feed their chicks. Oh, and what active chicks they were! As soon as a parent lit anywhere near them, what looked like Sandworms from Dune snaked out of the nest and began chomping at the air. (*Spiiiice*) I knew I had to get a shot of it somehow, so I waited until both parents had unloaded their worms and flew off, then I snuck out the back door and climbed up the retaining wall to get to their tree. Once there, I reached up and started snapping pictures, sight unseen. The chicks must have thought I was a parent, for they began lunging for worms and peeping.

After about three shots, I was reaching up for a fourth when one of the Robin parents practically flew into my face. I don't think they'd seen me before their arrival and it seemed to surprise the both of us. I had already pressed the button for the photo but due to my camera's slowness it didn't actually take the shot until I was hoofing it for the house. So my last shot is a picture of the flower bed as I flee for my very life.