Of Birds and Blooms

It is just after 7 am on a beautiful day here in Ontario. We have had plenty of rain over the past week, but are looking forward to drier weather as the weekend approaches. This morning as I stepped out, the birds were singing their sweet tunes, and the moon was retreating behind the trees to make way for a new day...

...as the sun was making her glorious entrance in the eastern sky:



This is where much of the bird activity has taken place over the past few weeks so I thought that I would photo journal it for you. This ornamental tree has kept a secret from us, until we noticed a robin frequenting her visits here...

...and we discovered this:



From egg to hatching is apporximately 12-14 days

The mother robin is extremely protective of her young, so I had one of my children guard me while I took these photos...seriously! We did our best not to disturb or upset the mother, or invade her space too much, and made haste when she came nearby with her reproach. The male robin is also very protective and will dive-bomb the enemy and attack if there is a threat to the babies, so we were not going to take any chances!

He will also make sure the female robin has enough to eat and will bring her food if she doesn't leave the nest for a time. I love the image of the male and female robin working as a team toward the common goal of having healthy baby robins to nurture before they leave the nest, and even then, the father and mother robin are protective as they care for their young.

Feeding the babies is a full-time job:



Robins may feed their babies worms, insects, spiders, moths, and some fruits:

After just over three weeks of observing, one morning we peeked in the nest and it was empty. We did a quick search and heard the baby robins chirping for their mother as if lost:

Oh, what a faithful mother she is as she has come to find and feed her little ones, who wait with eager expectation:


Some facts about robins:
Mating:Robins generally remain together for the breeding season, but often mate with other individuals the following year.
Nesting: It takes from two to six days to make the nest, with an average of 180 trips per day to find materials. Males sometimes help gather nesting materials but the female chooses the site and builds the nest.
Brooding: The female robin incubates her eggs for about 12 to 16 days. She sits on the eggs for 40-minute periods. Then she stands up, turns the eggs and flies off to feed or for a break. The male stands guard and sometimes sits on the eggs.

You can listen to the beautiful singing of the robin here

and read more about the robin here.



And a quick garden tour before we head out to the Farmers Market today.

The phlox are in full bloom and smell so delicately sweet:

Meet the Wife of Bath, a David Austen rose that we planted as a reminder of our wonderful time in England. I brought some roses inside so that we could enjoy their lovely fragrance:

Purple coneflower:

Shasta Daisies:

Lilies:

The Rose of Sharon:

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
sun, moon and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to thy great faithfulness, mercy and love

Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided;
great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Thomas O. Chisholm

Symphony of the Birds

One of the amazing miracles of Spring is the return of the birds and their beautiful, cheerful early morning birdsong. I love pausing in my morning just to listen to them; a chorus of singing.
This is the display in the front hall as we celebrate the arrival of the Spring Birds:



One of my favourite birds happens to be the Robin, whose arrival always marks the first of Spring for me:


When I was in England, I was charmed by the british robin, so small and adorable!

Emma Bridgewater does a lovely job of depicting birds on pottery:

And when I was in Stratford recently, I took a wee bit of Britain home with me in the form of this lilac scented candle:


You can listen to the birds of Ontario here:

START:
Barn Swallow, Cedar waxwing, Grasshopper sparrow, Ruffed Grouse, Indigo Bunting, Cerulean Warbler, Am. Redstart, Eastern Bluebird, Piping Plover, Eastern Kingbird, White-throated Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Yellow Warbler, Black and White Warbler, House Finch, Northern Hawk Owl, Magnolia Warbler, Pine Siskin, Pine Warbler, Pine Grosbeak, Am. Bittern, Long-tailed Duck, Brewster's Warbler, House Wren, Orange-crowned Warbler, Bobolink, Common Redpoll, Red-tailed Hawk, Snowy Owl, Black-backed Woodpecker, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Marsh Wren, Winter Wren, Dunlin, Blue-winged Warbler, Black-bellied Plover, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Tree Swallow, Sanderling,
Mourning Warbler, Great Gray Owl, Black-throated Blue Warbler,
Black-throated Green Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Savannah Sparrow, Canada Jay, Lesser Yellowlegs, Canada Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Prairie Warbler, White-winged Crossbill, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Spruce Grouse, Virginia Rail, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Purple Finch, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Savannah Sparrow.

Great birding websites here:
http://www.pbase.com/ahockenberry/ontario_birds_2

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Robin/sounds

http://www.ofo.ca/

Return of the Robin and more....

One of the beauties of Spring is the return of the Robin.
Last week we spotted our first robin and although
I captured it on camera, the robins were too busy 'courting' so the photo did not turn out.
Later in the week, we heard the beautiful chorus of a number of robins in the tree in our yard...such a welcoming sound! (photos found on google images)

We also had a surprise visitor to our home last week,
a stunning Ring-Necked Pheasant, and have since seen several.
They are such a beautiful bird and we felt honoured by their guest appearance!

We have also enjoyed the Blue Jay, the Red Cardinal and the adorable Black-Capped Chickadee, although they have been around throughout the winter enjoying the feeders.


And another sure sign of Spring is the return of the Canada Geese, who make their presence known by their loud honking! They are such a regal distinguished-looking bird:)



"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" ~Matthew 6:26