Robin Days

Squint and you'll see the teen Robin on
the fence framed by sunflowers.

Sad to say, they are all but finished.  Robins hang out nearly year around.  One can count on hearing the chur-up, chur-ee in the morning light no matter where you live.  But sometimes the Robins come by the dozens, and Robins are not a flock bird.  They are independent and territorial.  However,  toward the end of summer when all the Robin children are learning their dining skills and manners, the yard is covered with them.

What draws these winged messengers of happy tunes at this time of year is our front-yard Choke Cherry tree. That tree is another story. We discovered that it suckers (information not in the property disclosure when we bought the house).  Not just a few here and there, but enough that on-line searches say the only way to deal with the suckers is to remove the tree. Pluses of the Choke Cherry are its lovely blossoms in the Spring, the dark chocolate leaves that match the house trim and the black, large-pit choke cherries--breakfast, dinner and dessert to the Robins.

Choke Cherry: a feast for the Robins

The tree is mostly bare of fruit now. The Robins are on to other diners. The tree will no doubt stay another year.

Use Your Imagination

The leaking sprinkler head by the West Side fire station is
a local avian watering hole.  Certainly surprised me!

They waited in line.  I didn't know that birds did that, especially not Cedar Wax Wings.  But while the Robin drank his fill, they were hanging back watching.  I interpreted this as waiting.  Half an hour later, at the same birdie drinking fountain, five or six Cedar Wax Wings queued up to sip, then burst away in a tiny cloud as I approached, scaring them right out of this picture.  But just use your imagination--Robin below and the slickly dressed wax wings above.