Trailer helps you get chicks!

[rabbit]

Not exactly but it can't hurt when Momma Robin is looking for upscale nesting sites. I haven't had robins in a camera-accessible location until now. I had a barn swallow nest abuilding on an over-garage carriage light back about a month but for some reason abandoned. The birds pictured hatched out around 2 July and have endured some really hot days as have their mom and pop. Nest is atop our electrical meter box and just barely meets the hgt requirement of robins (5 to 15' above ground). The area is fenced and serves as an exercise and relief area for our dogs--4 yr old greyhound and 9 yr. old Shiba Inu. The greyhound has NO prey drive but the little Shiba fancies herself a bird hunter (they were in use as bird dogs in Japan at least before WWII, probably as flushers). The tap for the hose that fills our kiddy pool and buckets for garden water is located directly below. Between the dogs and nightly watering, the hot weather and 24/7 food procurement, waste removal, and area security, Momma has had a lot on her plate. She dive bombed me a few times before I started talking to her; I'm now convinced she thinks I'm harmless but exasperating. She continues to dive bomb the smaller dog but pulls up at about 10' distance. The nest is on the northeast corner of the house which leads me to believe she knew what she was doing but it is still a pretty hot place for a nest. I wet the bricks down a couple nites last week to bleed some of the evening heat. Dad feeds em but he's not much for wrangling and keeps his distance. Men are so brave--not!! The big guy of the three went airborne sometime today while I was at work. I took a good look around before I let the dogs out; didn't find him so I suppose he's outside the fence and lying low to avoid the cats, hawks, and whatall. And then there were two. The second has lost the speckling and is turning orange on the breast and looks to be contemplating its aerial destiny. The "runt" looks to me like maybe it would be happy to stay in the nest a bit longer. The orno-experts say the chance of survival to one year old is 25%; the oldest banded robin recorded and later observed was 14 yrs. old; the usual longevity is about two yrs.

[cpaharley2008]

thanks, great post and info and pictures

[rabbit]

Thank you. Do my eyes deceive me or is that an Escape I see before me! With that shape conforming "airstair" type door, the strut to the awning, and no view of the other side to reveal that there's no "wing" there, it resembles the image of a very boxy seaplane.

May not ". . . slip the surly bonds of earth" or ". . . dance the skies on laughter-silvered wings" but the awning makes it look like it could.

jack

[cpaharley2008]

Yep, it left Chilliwack this am, eta Either Wed or Thurs, you are going to have to go to Burn't Cabins in Oct to see it though.

[bec]

Originally Posted by rabbit

Not exactly but it can't hurt when Momma Robin is looking for unscale nesting sites. I haven't had robins in a camera-accessible location until now. I had a barn swallow nest abuilding on an over-garage carriage light back about a month but for some reason abandoned. The birds pictured hatched out around 2 July and have endured some really hot days as have their mom and pop. Nest is atop our electrical meter box and just barely meets the hgt requirement of robins (5 to 15' above ground). The area is fenced and serves as an exercise and relief area for our dogs--4 yr old greyhound and 9 yr. old Shiba Inu. The greyhound has NO prey drive but the little Shiba fancies herself a bird hunter (they were in use as bird dogs in Japan at least before WWII, probably as flushers). The tap for the hose that fills our kiddy pool and buckets for garden water is located directly below. Between the dogs and nightly watering, the hot weather and 24/7 food procurement, waste removal, and area security, Momma has had a lot on her plate. She dive bombed me a few times before I started talking to her; I'm now convinced she thinks I'm harnless but exasperating. She continues to dive bomb the smaller dog but pulls up at about 10' distance. The nest is on the northeast corner of the house which leads me to believe she knew what she was doing but it is still a pretty hot place for a nest. I wet the bricks down a couple nites last week to bleed some of the evening heat. Dad feeds em but he's not much for wranglng and keeps his distance. Men are so brave--not!! The big guy of the three went airborne sometime today while I was at work. I took a good look around before I let the dogs out; didn't find him so I suppose he's outside the fence and lying low to avoid the cats, hawks, and whatall. And then there were two. The second has lost the speckling and is turning orange on the breast and looks to be contemplating its aerial destiny. The "runt" looks to me like maybe it would be happy to stay in the nest a bit longer. The orno-experts say the chance of survival to one year old is 25%; the oldest banded robin recorded and later observed was 14 yrs. old; the usual longevity is about two yrs.

That is lovely ..... thanks for sharing ..... great pics !

[bec]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Yep, it left Chilliwack this am, eta Either Wed or Thurs, you are going to have to go to Burn't Cabins in Oct to see it though.

That looks awesome ..... you must be so excited !

[rabbit]

bec, glad you enjoyed the brood.

"Guess I'll go out to Alberta" some day. Never been west of Windsor, Ont. or north of it for that matter. Bicycled Nova Scotia and New Brunswick some yrs. back. Never enuf time; never enuf yrs. to see it all.

jack

[djtriceflt]

Enjoyed it, nicely done. Thank You!

[rabbit]

The chicks are all gone this morning. Moved quickly out of the fenced yard altho there is some fairly heavy cover in the flower beds and hedge. Might be a sense that dogs are not good news or maybe the parent birds need to move their range after two weeks hunting a small area.

jack