This morning’s trek was pretty much over even before it started. Though it rained in the early hours, as it neared time to leave on my walk, I peered out the window and was pleasantly surprised. Yay – no rain! But, just to be sure, before I got all suited up, I did the most-accurate rain check and stuck my arm out the front door. Nope – no raindrops. It was still chilly, around 50 degrees, and the morning air was murky and misty looking. But, I’m no quitter, and have not yet abandoned reaching that 1,051- miles-walked-in-2018 goal. I threw on a jacket, jammed some packs of peanuts into the cargo pockets and set out. I was a block or two away and the sprinkles started. Muttering under my breath, I headed back home, thoroughly disgusted with the weather once again. We’ve had about six inches of rain, three times the normal amount, in the month of May alone. Likely, we gained another inch today as it was a torrential rainfall most of the afternoon.
At least I can write about yesterday’s walk and give you a dose of cuteness.
Monday, as I wended my way to Council Point Park, I stopped to check on the newly discovered robin family which I wrote about in Sunday’s blog post. Their nest is in the eaves trough of a home in the neighborhood. You may recall that I included their photo, four of them staring at a robin perched in a nearby tree, most likely their Mama, as I walked past them.
A quick glance yesterday told me Mama was nowhere in sight, most likely out trolling for grubs and worms to feed those growing chicks. I looked up to see just two chicks standing on the rim of the nest wearing a wistful look as they watched the world go by.
Suddenly, your roving reporter had many questions about this robin family on Pagel Avenue:
#1 – Where were the other two chicks? Had they fledged already, or worse … fallen from the nest? (My eyes quickly searched the cement driveway beneath the nest and there was no sign of them – whew!)
#2 – Were these remaining chicks waiting for Mama to return with breakfast, or, were they about to take their first flight? (Hmmm – should I hang out a little longer and see what happens?)
I took several pictures and still no Mama robin, so I walked over to Council Point Park, where there were many goslings to ooh and aah over while I walked along the perimeter path.
Of course, on the way back, I had to make a pit stop and check out the nest again. This time an additional chick was standing in the already-crowded nest. They are so tall that their heads appear to touch the roof overhang.
They were wearing their grumpy faces and seemed a little sleepy as they awaited Mama’s return with grub, or to give them flying lessons, so they can leave the nest.
Later, when I uploaded these photos, on the computer screen I saw a close-up of the image the camera collected, but my eyes did not see, i.e., en route to the Park, I took a photo of the back of the chicks and one was still in the nest – there was an eye and beak, so there were three to begin with!
Who knows if the fourth chick was way down in the bottom of the nest and all four chicks were there all along? It seems they’re pretty cramped in this nest and must step on each other just to stretch their legs. Maybe Mama wants them to stay warm and dry up there, away from the elements.
Hope you enjoyed the pics of the chicks. Hopefully tomorrow, weather permitting, I’ll check them out again.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
I’d say it’s time for them to test their wings.
They grow up so fast! Pretty amazingly fast.
Regarding the weather…the Spring for which
we wished so long has come and gone
like a cool Summer breeze. It’s currently 88° here,
and this warm spell is expected to last through the weekend.
Pools are set to open, tho, and I suspect their business will be brisk.
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These robins are pretty big, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them gone from the nest when I go by next time.
Speaking of fledglings, I follow a blogger who takes photos of the birds who frequent her backyard/backyard feeders. Today she wrote of some fledglings testing their independence. These are some beautiful photos and I always enjoy her descriptions as well.
https://backyardbirdnerd.com/2018/05/22/age-of-discovery/
We have warm weather coming Thursday and, unbelievably, three entire sunny days, then Friday afternoon, here comes two days of rain and storms. We will salvage Monday. Like your weather, a normal Spring is just not going to happen in 2018.
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Kathy takes some very nice shots, no doubt.
Thanks for sharing! 🙂 Made me smile.
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I agree. Her posts are always a treat. Kathy’s husband bought her a new long lens for her DSLR camera a few months ago and she was pretty excited about it. I latched onto her after she commented on some of “Trail Walker’s” blog posts. You shared the link to Carolyn’s blog “Trail Walker”.
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We have spotted many new nests at the farm this year. Time to start watching for baby birds. 🙂
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Ruth – I have enjoyed watching the baby birds at Evelyn’s house and now at this house that I pass in the neighborhood. There is still a nest at Park and the female robin is sitting on it. It is too high up for me to tell if she is still incubating eggs or the babies have hatched. Our weather may not be anything special and not feel like Spring, but at least some things we associate with Spring have still happened, like the baby birds. A glimmer of hope for this Spring 2018!
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You are right about the weather not being anything special, but on the bright side, with all of this rain we haven’t have to water any of our crops yet. It seems like the last few years we have begun watering by this time and what a chore that can be.
I think Spring is the time to celebrate new life and it is awesome that you are documenting that with your photos.
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That’s true Ruth – hopefully you won’t have any flooding issues with your crops. Finally, I think we have a three-day reprieve from the rain and temps in the 80s, and hopefully you won’t have to water before the weekend rainy spell.
Glad you like the Spring babies. There will be more gosling pics in a few days … I’ve collected more photos of them and you would not believe how big they are already. (Or maybe you would as you see how fast your chicks grow up.) Ten weeks after the goslings hatch, they are ready to fly and then the Park sprays a grape substance on the grass in the perimeter path area to keep them away for awhile. The geese do get a little antagonistic and don’t like to budge off the path sometimes. The grape substance won’t hurt them but they won’t graze there as they don’t like the taste. By that time, they begin to moult and will lose their flying feathers, so no geese at the Park, or anywhere else around, until late Summer.
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This year with the slow thaw and freeze we really haven’t had any bad flooding. The warm weather is what we really need right now so I am happy that it is finally in the forecast.
I look forward to seeing the photos of the goslings. Although we have geese and ducks visit our pond occasionally we deter them from staying because we use our pond for irrigation and recreation and we would feel bad about imposing on a family raising their young. Our dogs Scout and Trooper are an effective deterrent. They give a little chase and the geese or ducks fly off.
I am glad to hear that the park has a way to deter they without harming them.
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The sun is really going to get things cooking later in the week.
The Department of Natural Resources often goes to the Park to monitor the Ecorse Creek and its marine life – as murky as that Creek is, it does support waterfowl, many turtles (I see them sitting sunning themselves on logs), frogs and fish. People fish there, though not too many fisherman, and I don’t think the fish are too large. I think more fishing is done by the Great Blue Herons that frequent that Park.
As to the DNR, I’ve been there when they take samples of the water. One day they were spraying something on the fields and one of the walkers asked why they would spray pesticide when the bunnies and geese graze there and they told her why they sprayed and assured her the grape concentrate would not harm the geese.
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Wow, they get so big so fast! I bet you’ll see them flying pretty soon… then it’s time for them to leave the nest for good. I wonder if mom and dad will turn their nursery into an entertainment room complete with a big screen TV?
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Didn’t they? Wait til you see the goslings … they have lost their cute and fuzzy chick look. The parents will be true “empty nesters”… 🙂
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Miss Linda………………………………..I see only one little chick in our Robin’s nest by our patio……………I’m not tall enough to be able to take a good look into the nest
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I wonder if only one has hatched so far Ann Marie? When Evelyn’s robins were hatching, only one hatched per day and that is apparently normal. Hope everything is okay up there. I checked out the robin’s nest at Council Point Park yesterday and Mama is still sitting on the nest – whether it is eggs or babies I don’t know because the nest is too high up for me to see in (yes, even for me).
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Not quitting, I like it 🙂 Those robins are cute and big.
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I am also inspired by you and your bike miles Martha. I think Mama needs to expedite the flying lessons. Perhaps she waited due to all the rain … we have not just had garden variety rain, but these waves of torrential rain every day. Good worm weather though. 🙂
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Rain? What is it?😁😁😁 We have had rain for 10 minutes in the past three weeks, on the daytime. At night I do not know. The temperature has been at 70-80°F every day. You get worried that when the summer comes there will be bad weather … Very beautiful pictures of the chicks who soon will left their nest and manage on their own.😊 It´s quite sad, I think, but they need to leave.
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I’ll give you all our rain – we have sunny days and a lot of warmth all of a sudden until Friday afternoon, then the rain/storms return, now even on Monday for Memorial Day. Big parade day/cooking on the grill so people won’t be happy. Hopefully you don’t get drought conditions if you don’t get rain soon.
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Very cute fledglings! Six inches of rain! We continue to be bone dry for the most part! No rain in the forecast either, the last i looked! Send some rain our way! 🙂
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I’ll be happy to Tom … we are getting rain on Friday afternoon/early evening and intermittent rain/storms the entire Memorial Day weekend. Glad you liked these cute little spotted fledglings. I saw one on the fence near the nest today. Took some photos and will upload them in the morning – hope they came out. He was fearless of me … sat on the fence peeping and chirping away. Made my day!
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Those birdies are so adorable – wonderful photos!
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Glad you liked them Jan and wait til you see today’s cutie pie!
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