A non-commercial guide to organic gardening in the mid-Atlantic states, with some specifics to central Virginia..and some information applicable across the country! Or to other time zones! Across the seas! Who knew? "No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden." Thomas Jefferson
Central Virginia Organic Gardener
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Empty Nest Syndrome
Two robins left the nest around 2PM today, the last two were restless all afternoon (second photo above), and flew the coop between 6 and 7 PM. I was cooking dinner and did not get to see them go. Bye-bye birdies. What a gift this has been to see them develop so fast, from blind, little, reptilian-looking creatures, to fully feathered juveniles. What a pleasure to watch them feeding, to see the care given by their parents (and I do not care if the parental behavior is a hard-wired instinct, it is still care taking in a tough world). Last evening, on my walk around the neighborhood, I no longer saw robins on the lawns and in gardens, flipping over leaves and mulch searching for worms...I saw parents. So the babies have left to a wider world and now the most difficult passage of their life begins, life as imperfect flyers in a neighborhood full of cats, skies full of hawks, and streets full of cars. Robins have a 80% mortality rate, but I have a deep hope that Huey, Dewey, Louie and Scrub will beat the odds.
Happy nature!
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4 comments:
Aww I hope more robins make home near your home or on your home again in the future, I too enjoyed seeing them grow through your eyes! Thank you for sharing that.
Thanks JennaDee,
Robins have two broods per season, so there is hope for another brood nearby! Will it be so visible, within sight of my door???? I am leaving the nest up, in hope.
You are??
Unless that 'anonymous' is my husband, and he wants the nest down, yes I am, I think!
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