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Thursday, March 19, 2009

The Spring Alarm Clock

Do these guys really have to start chirping
at 4:00 in the morning?
We really have a lot of robins in our yard. Here in Ohio, they are considered one of the first signs that spring is here! They are known, of course for their bright orangey red breast and their bright blue eggs.
They are known for their habit of hopping along the ground and also for cocking their head to one side. When they do this, they are actually listening for worms moving underground. On a good day, one robin will eat
15 feet (yes, feet) of worms!
They also eat insects and even small frogs. They do not eat seed.
Because of their eating habits, they are especially fun to watch in a birdbath. They don't just daintily stand on the side and take a sip...they jump straight in and take a whole bath. They need it after all that digging in the dirt! We usually have nests on several downspouts on our house each spring.
So.. Welcome, Robins! But could you keep it down until 7:00?

22 comments:

  1. I love Robins, they are so beautiful. They are not so common in Scandinavia, what we have here are sparrows and blackbirds. I always enjoy watching birds, as they are so fragile, yet true survivors.
    Wow, do they sing already now at 4am? In the summer here the birds start singing sometimes between 2 and 3am. That stresses me out like nothing else. Particularly if I go to bed late.;))

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  2. My yard has been covered in Robins,,I have never seen so many, and they are fat! At least they haven't been chirping at 4!!!

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  3. Tukes has been having fun chasing them. They're not exactly swift movers... chubby as they are! I've been checking the nest in the holly tree, no eggs yet.

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  4. Oh they are so pretty and their blue eggs are just gorgeous too. I didn't know about their eating habits, I thought they did eat seeds. Learn something new everyday. Thanks. Hugs, Marty

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  5. They've been in the garden in swarms lately. I love seeing them there.

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  6. Well, you know, the early bird gets the worm and all that! When my mom tried to get me up early, I'd always growl that the early bird could HAVE the worm, I didn't want it - that was reason enough to sleep in late! I couldn't even stand what my sister was cooking for breakfast - I skipped breakfast more than once because she was in the kitchen cooking something disgusting. Cereal and milk, people!

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  7. Hah! An alarm clock bird. I just love robings - especially their last song at night. They say good by to the day. Our mockingbirds sing in the wee hours.

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  8. They are noisy little buggers aren't they? We suddenly have our Kildeer back here at The Glen and they have that piercing, mournful cry...but NOT at 4 a.m.!

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  9. I've enjoyed the return of robins each Spring since childhood! It was always an exciting moment to see the first one!

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  10. I love to hear the Robins, always makes me know that Spring is on it's way. One year as I was down on my knees, pulling grass and weeds away from the fence, I notice this robin, hopping along close by, apparently as I was pulling the grass and weeds, it had rained the day before, I was pulling enough dirt loose that the robin was finding worms and bugs quite easily. And it didn't seem at all afraid of me.

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  11. I've seen some robins, and I'd take yours at 4:00 a.m., because I have stinkin' bullfrogs in the lot and all around me 24 hours a day right now, with the exception of like one hour around noon. Seriously, I thought we had crickets somewhere in the garage or basement the other night, and then the next day I couldn't figure it out and finally opened the back door and was bombarded with ear-splitting noise. We have huge reeds and some water standing from all the snowmelt, mud...perfect conditions apparently...and we're sort of out in the 'country' I guess, but without land.

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  12. Isn't Spring wonderful!
    I love the birds.

    I love the pictures you posted also. Very beautiful.

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  13. Robins are so sweet. I think they are pretty too. I used to help my daddy find 'night crawler' worms back in the 50's. I guess all those feet of worms sounds yummy to the birds. Sweet pictures.

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  14. Kayren ~ that is SO funny! I'm surprised your boys haven't tried to make one a pet! I know I would have at that age! :)

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  15. Museswings ~ you're right...they are the last ones to sing at night! Actually, it really isn't singing, is it....it's just a chirp...a really loud chirp! Ha!

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  16. The boys are mad at them because they are so loud.

    Sparky is the frog-lover that would make them a pet. She had two of those water frogs when we lived in Illinois. We had to give them away when we moved.

    If it were a snake, the boys might be in. Of course, Hubby would be on the next plane to another continent. He wouldn't let Caboose in bed with him the other night because he had his stuffed snake with him.

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  17. I have just loved seeing the robins (and other birds) recently. I'm not hearing them in the a.m. at all, but maybe that's because I get up at 6 and it's pitch-dark here still at that time. Love the photo!
    Susan

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  18. "Little Robin Redbreast, sat upon a rail...."

    I think I must have recited that to my daughter a thousand times when she was small. Remains one of our favourite nursery rhymes. We love robins!

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  19. you know that Robin looks very fat and happy. I haven't actually seen one in ages. Miss the cute littel English Robins--about the size of sparrows here. their American cousins are sooo much bigger.

    I love how English Robins are used for English xmas cars too. Sweet.

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