Beware The Robin
He looks harmless enough, no?
Robin Redbreast.
First Robin of Spring.
Robin's Donuts (mmmmm donuts....).
He's even been immortalized as a comicbook hero's faithful, but rather erm, wimpy sidekick.
But don't be fooled.
He is a terror in the skies. Swooping down mercilessly; attacking anyone who dares venture outdoors. With a rust-coloured blur disturbingly close to your head, he protects his domain... all intruders and unsuspecting passers-by are targets for his wrath.
Hubby, me and even our dog have been victims of his Hitchcock-style air-raids.
But this past weekend I fearlessly screwed up what little I had of my courage and spent Saturday tending my garden* in the backyard. As I emerged from our garage back door, sure enough the ambush began.
"Swoosh!"
I ducked.
He turned for a second strike in his stragetic bombing mission.
"Whushhhh!"
I darted.
But I stuck to my guns... I stubbornly stayed outside and began my work. So his next fear tactic commenced. He resorted to jabbering loudly at me as I crouched on the ground, digging in the dirt ignoring his taunts and threats.
This did not please him at all. He hopped on the fence. He jumped to the garage roof. He flew to the tree. All in an effort to scare me away. But I held my ground and he had to accept my presence; but he was still unsure... I could feel his beady black eyes watching my every move the entire time.
And then I spotted the reason for all his agitation. There perched amongst the Virginia Creeper I had woven onto new brackets to frame our back garage door.
A nest.
Okay, so I'll forgive him, as long as he doesn't poke my eyes out or resort to pooping on me as I enter and exit.
And I have to admit, he's deserving of a great Father's Day on the 20th. After all, he's doing a good job being a protective Daddy Robin.
* By "garden" I really mean my impressivly robust crop of weeds. If only dandelions were hailed as a miraculous new and healthy food source. I would be a kajillionaire for sure.
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Sorry you've been traumatized by a bird! But very cool on the nest!
I have a barn full of barn swallows that do the same thing...I've considered bringing a tennis racket in with me...but that would just be mean :P lol. Robins tend to nest in the same place every year...my friends have one that nests in their garage, right next to the stairs that lead into their house...and every year they have a class come over from the school to observe...the robin is pretty good about it and must not mind too much as she keeps laying her eggs there!
Yep, some birds are extremely territorial when it comes to nesting!
Oh bless! I hope you didn't upset him too much. Poor little robin - never mind you. Ha ha!
Ok....no picking on Robin's! All the ones I know are really nice and have never once attacked me. ;)
Robin (aka Sistertex)
(and that apostrophe does not belong between the n and the s in Robins! It was typed in due to all the rage I was feeling for Robins everywhere ... ok, not!) :)
Nice action shot on that robin. We used to have robins regularly nesting in our arbor. One year, the wind was too strong and the nest kept getting destroyed before it got finished. They haven't tried to next there since. But we do have house sparrows still regularly nesting in a corner of the arbor.
Oh, gosh, I've been swooped at by birds, but not in a very long while. When I was little, a bird used to dive bomb our cat. Poor thing couldn't even walk across the yard! Mama birds (and apparently daddies!) can be ruthless!
That's an awesome photo! (The second one, tho they're all good, of course.)
I've never had problems with robins, but there's a certain kind of black bird (with an orange streak on its wing) that will attack if you get too close to its nest.
Birds are scary.
Maureen:
The Birds. Hitchcock. Father's Day. All in the same post. That's beautiful. LOL
I didn't know the Robins were so rambunctious. But I can understand it. After all, it was his nest. You're lucky that all he liked to do was bluff. Wonder if it were a real Hitchcock episode and that little Robin summoned a few hundred of his friends? Then what?
Happy trails.
Awww! You know though, as a kid I saw the movie "Birds" by old Alfred and must say I'm still suspicious when I see them start to group together;-)
You didn't assume that he was protecting a nest? Don't worry about your garden; ours is the same way. And you should see how tall and thick the backyard is now too. It's gonna need to be weed wacked b/f we can attempt to mow it.
What a great story! You had me hanging on until the very end.
Good luck with that garden of yours. . .mine isn't much better.
I too have been bombarded by the robins this week as they are watching over their brood in our woodpile. 'Tis the Season!
Loved your post. Everyone thinks that Robins are just sweet and docile. We had a crazy robin insisiting on trying to fly into a new window that was put in when we added onto our house. It would spend hours trying to get through the glass until I wanted to shoot it. That happened 3 years in a row before it stopped.
In the back of my mind, I am always a little bit skerred a bird might try to peck my eyeballs!
Great pics! Poor bird, just protecting his nest from you lol!
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Haha! This made my day. Have you ever tried making dandelion soup though? Lovely with potatoes. Also, dandelions can be used as a salad and to get into the good books of any decent rabbit.
"If only dandelions were hailed as a miraculous new and healthy food source. I would be a kajillionaire for sure."....well, they're far too common for you to ever become a kajillionaire (sorry!), but they are a miraculous, if not new, and healthy food source. They're great in salads, steamed, etc. Dandelion wine??? Good luck with the robin! I have some pretty aggressive hummingbirds at my place, but luckily they only direct their anger at each other and leave us humans out of it. :)
Another Day in Paradise
I'm convinced that robins are secretly evil. They're like seagulls at heart, really.
I have a trail full of Robins, Cardinals, Morning Doves, Red winged blackbirds, brown headed cow birds, red headed house finch, orioles, mockingbirds and every now and then a blue jay!! They are sweet ~ Robins and Cardinals are known to be messengers from those we love who are now above. :)
Oh shit! That sooo happened at my moms house a couple years ago!
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