Fledgling Fools
So we have this nest of robins under the deck that move in every year. The parents are vigilent and protective, but usually move in and out in a month, leaving behind their belongings and us with the bill. I've been watching these three babies to see when their flight feathers might appear, as I want to see them leave home. I've been worried, though, because just one jump from the nest could land one, or all, of them in our little fish pond right under it. I've found many a dead little critter in the pond, and I wasn't interested in finding a drowned robin chick, but no one asked my advice on which way to jump. I'm thinking the parents will take care of that.
So I take my coffee on the back porch today and am immediately assaulted by the screams from the mom and dad robin. They are clearly upset I am on the roof of their little apartment. "Oh, this is the day!" I'm thinking, so I run down the steps and look under the deck. No babies in the nest. Rats. I missed it. But the frantic calls by the parents aren't letting up, which means I must be a predator, so the babies must be around. I go over to the pond, hoping... oh please let there be just fish and water... and little Roberto the Robin is sitting right on the edge. He, fortunately, missed going into the pond and landed on the rock border. The parents are clearly going out of their minds that Roberto and I are having this conversation, so I decide to take a few pictures and then get back inside so nature can take its course.
