Friday, June 10, 2011

Flying lessons

Last night was a very stormy night in Waukee. Bill and I were a little concerned about Robin Banks and Robin Scherbatsky. They had left the nest only a few hours before the storms began, and we knew that they were still trying to get their bearings and learn to function in the real world. We hoped that they would find a safe place to spend the night so that they wouldn't get pummeled by the storm. Apparently, we needn't have worried. It turns out that our young robins are quite resourceful, and they had plenty of shelter during the storms last night. And how do I know this, you ask? Because they spent the night in our garage.

As I was getting ready to leave for work this morning, I stepped out onto the driveway to see if I could catch a glimpse of our robin family. As I was scanning the neighborhood, I heard a chirping noise, and I realized that it was coming from behind me. I turned around and saw Robin Scherbatsky sitting on one of the shelves in our garage, looking like she owned the place. I ran upstairs to get Bill so that he could properly document the occasion. After taking a few close-up pictures of Ms. Scherbatsky, Bill tried (without much success) to shoo her out of the garage. Meanwhile, Robin Banks tried to sneak out of the garage without being noticed. However, his plan failed when he flew into Bill's leg. (Apparently our robins still need a little bit of work on their navigation skills.) Much chaos ensued.

After Mr. Banks exited the garage, we continued to encourage Ms. Sherbatsky to do the same. We finally got her to leave her perch, but instead of flying out the garage door, she flew in toward the house. She took a quick tour of the garage, bumping into several walls along the way. Eventually, she became stuck in a corner behind our cross country skis. It soon became obvious that she wasn't going to be able to free herself, so Bill put on his official robin gloves (luckily, he still had them handy from when he had to rescue Esther the other day), and he helped Ms. Scherbatsky find her way out of the garage.

Usually, the only time that our garage door is open is if we're pulling one of our cars into or out of the garage. So, we're not entirely sure when the kids managed to sneak into the garage. Apparently they're very stealthy little robins! At first, we thought that they might have hopped into the garage when I opened the door to leave for work this morning. However, judging by the number of, um, souvenirs that they left behind, we're fairly certain that they spent the entire night in the garage.

Shortly after arriving back outside, Ms. Scherbatsky was greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Robin, who were eager to give her a flying lesson. She's actually pretty good at lifting herself off of the ground. She managed to fly into one of our bushes, then across the street, and then into one of our neighbor's trees. However, she still hasn't quite mastered the art of perching in the branches of a tree. She attempted to perch in our neighbor's tree, but she wasn't able to gain a foothold, so she came tumbling to the ground. Luckily, she seemed unfazed by her fall. Kids are resilient that way. As Bill was leaving for work, he saw Mr. and Mrs. Robin feeding breakfast to Ms. Scherbatsky.

It was fun to watch Ms. Scherbatsky's flying lesson, and we're glad that the kids have decided to stay in the neighborhood. We're hoping that we'll be able to continue to track their progress as they perfect their flying skills. And we will make sure that we check the garage for squatters before closing the garage door at night.
Garage Queen

Robin Banks after his hasty exit (above)
What are you doing in my garage?

Thursday, June 9, 2011

In loving memory

It's been a sad day here at the Robin Diaries. We had an exciting afternoon, as Robin Banks and Robin Scherbatsky graduated from the nest and ventured out into the world. However, after Robin and Robin left the nest, it soon became apparent that Esther was not in good health. She was lying on her side in the nest, and she wasn't moving much. Mr. and Mrs. Robin stopped by the nest and tried to feed her a few times, but she was too weak to eat. Esther appears to be resting peacefully now, but it doesn't look like she's going to make it. Needless to say, this came as quite a shock. I guess it's a reminder that things in nature don't always work out exactly the way we would like.

Although Esther's life ended much too soon, we're very grateful for the time that we got to spend with her. No parent is ever supposed to admit to having a favorite child, but we always had a soft spot in our hearts for Esther. She was the runt of the litter, the underdog whom we all cheered for. She was smaller than her siblings, but she wasn't afraid to stand up for herself and make sure that she got her fair share of worms. When I witnessed this behavior, I couldn't help but think, "You go, girl!" We're very sad to see Esther go, but we will always have fond memories of our sweet, young robin.

In loving Memory
Esther Robin
May 28, 2011 to June 9, 2011

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Failure to Launch

When Baskin Robin bravely ventured out of the nest yesterday, we assumed that his brothers and sisters would soon follow suit. So, we've been eagerly watching the Robincam, hoping to catch a glimpse of another young robin spreading its wings and venturing out into the world. But so far, no one is leaving. The kids spend a lot of time peering over the edge of the nest, contemplating the distance to the ground. They often puff up their chests and flap their wings as if they're going to leave, but they always change their minds at the last minute.

Like so many twenty-somethings these days, our young robins seem to prefer the comfort and convenience of remaining in the nest. I guess I can't really blame them, because they have a pretty cushy life here in the nest: they're living rent-free in a nice neighborhood, their bush provides plenty of shelter from inclement weather, and Mom and Dad have been providing all of the worms that a young robin could possibly want. Meanwhile, poor Mrs. Robin is running herself ragged, trying to teach Baskin how to fly and hunt for worms, while still tending to the other robins back in the nest. Although the kids seem quite content with this arrangement, we suspect that their days in the nest are limited.

For starters, the nest is getting incredibly crowded. The three remaining robins are looking very -- um, how can I say this nicely? -- well fed. Now, I'm trying to be diplomatic, because I don't want to make insensitive comments that will cause the kids to struggle with body image issues later in life. But seriously, these birds are huge. In fact, the nest has gotten so crowded that there isn't even room for all of the kids to sit on the floor of the nest simultaneously. Consequently, Robin Banks now spends most of his time sitting on top of his younger sister, Esther. Poor Esther! I think a little bit of exercise (in the form of flying and worm hunting) would be good for all of them.

In addition to the space issues, Mr. and Mrs. Robin appear to be rapidly losing patience with their free-loading children. Lately, we've noticed that Mom and Dad are feeding the kids much less frequently than before. Occasionally, one of the parents will return to the nest, give all of the kids a good nudge, and then fly away without giving the kids any worms. We suspect that this is their not-so-subtle way of letting the kids know that it's time for them to leave the nest and become productive members of society.

According to Wikipedia, all of the baby robins should leave the nest within two days of each other. Perhaps the mother robin kicks any remaining kids out of the nest after two days(?). As of 05:00 tomorrow morning, it will have been two days since Baskin Robin left the nest, so I guess we'll find out what happens then. Stay tuned...

Time Lapse from 6.8.2011

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Empty(ing) Nest

We had a bit of a surprise this morning, Carrie was leaving the house for an early morning run around 5am and found one of the baby robins hopping around the driveway. After a quick debate she decided to get me up so I could witness our first baby leave the nest, for which I was very thankful for. I got a short video clip of the baby robin, we think it is Baskin Robin, on the driveway getting fed by Mr. Robin and hopping around a bit.



Currently Robin Banks and Robin Scherbatsky are looking very close to leaving the nest, standing up on the edge of the nest and flapping their wings around. Esther looks very content to spend another day in the nest. We can hear Mrs. Robin encouraging them to hop down from the nest and she seems to be making a lot of trips to the nest and then leaving right away as if to say 'follow me'. It should be an exciting day, though it may be hard to get a lot of other work done.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Esther's (mis)adventure

Lest anyone panic after reading the title of the post, I want to start by assuring our readers that all of the robins are currently safe and sound in the nest. I can say this with confidence, because Bill and I have been checking on them quite frequently since this afternoon's "incident." (What can I say? We're concerned parents, and we worry about our babies.)

So, about the "incident"... Around 4:00 this afternoon, Bill ventured out to the nest to take a few pictures of our ridiculously cute baby robins. After peeking into the nest and confirming that the kids were doing OK, Bill turned away from the nest for a moment to set up his equipment. When he turned back to the nest, he saw little Esther precariously perched in the bush, struggling mightily to get back into the nest.

A few minutes later, Mr. Robin returned to the nest to feed the kids, but he was unable to help Esther back into the nest. Considering how big Esther has grown, I think it would be nearly impossible for Mr. or Mrs. Robin to pick her up at this point. So after Mr. Robin left, Bill very carefully picked up Esther and returned her to the nest. I know what you're probably thinking -- we all learned as children that you should never touch a baby animal in the wild, because the parents will detect the scent of a human, and they will reject the baby. However, according to my favorite source for all things robin-related, robins identify their children by sight and sound -- not by smell -- so picking up a baby robin will not cause its parents to reject it. (Bill did wear a pair of gloves, just to be on the safe side.)

Esther is now safely back in the nest, and she's gone back to doing what she does best (begging for worms). She seems to have recovered quite well from her fall. Kids are resilient that way. Both Mr. and Mrs. Robin have returned to the nest several times, and they don't seem to be at all bothered by Esther's brief contact with a human.


We later reviewed the video footage to find out how Esther had fallen out of the nest. It appears that she placed her foot up on the edge of the nest in an effort to get a good position for feeding time. When Mrs. Robin returned to the nest with her worms, all of the kids were very eager to get their fair share of worms. With all of the commotion, Baskin Robin (Esther's older brother) bumped her with his wing, and she tumbled out of the nest.

It's been a traumatic day for all of us, but we're very thankful that Esther is OK. We're considering installing a baby gate on the nest to prevent future accidents.




Time lapse from the day:

Friday, June 3, 2011

Our babies are growing up!


It's been 8 days since our first eggs hatched, and the kids are growing by leaps and bounds. With each day that passes, they're starting to look less like indistinguishable pink blobs and more like actual birds. The robins are now covered in feathers, and their wings have grown quite a bit. The kids also opened their eyes recently, and they seem to be very alert and active. Esther is still lagging a few days behind her siblings, but she seems to be doing quite well. I think she senses that she still has some catching up to do. Consequently, she isn't shy about pushing her siblings out of the way when it's feeding time.


Mrs. Robin is no longer sitting on the nest. Apparently now that the kids have feathers, they no longer need Mom to keep them warm. However, feeding the kids continues to be a full-time job for Mr. and Mrs. Robin. The kids have become quite adept at begging for worms. As soon as they sense any motion near the nest, all of the kids tilt their heads back and open their mouths as wide as they can. It's rather entertaining to watch.


As the kids continue to grow, I'm reminded that our time with them is limited. According to wikipedia, baby robins typically leave the nest after about two weeks. However, after leaving the nest, it takes them another two weeks or so to master the art of flying. In the mean time, they continue to follow their parents around and beg for food (much like human children who continue to beg their parents for money after they've left the nest).


A few of the kids are already starting to show some interest in flying. We've caught several glimpses of the kids hanging their heads over the side of the nest, trying to see what lies below. And we've noticed that Robin Banks likes to stand in the nest and flap his wings from time to time. So far, he hasn't been able to generate enough momentum to leave the nest, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time.
Baby Robins require a lot of worms!