A Robin's Diary
Howard L. Greer
Each year we witness the universal life cycle drama in microcosm, by observing the Robins who attempt to set up housekeeping in the Hollies, Yews and Junipers. While it is obvious from the abundance of Robins, that many of these endeavors have the, hoped for happy ending, many also do not. In 2002, two nests with young Robins hatched in each, had unfortunate endings. One day they simply were empty. Whether by snake, neighbor cat, squirrels, or perhaps other birds, the young disappeared within a few days of hatching. I don't know their fate, but it became apparent to me that the difficulties all birds face in keeping our planet stocked with the perpetual soul music, is great, and the odds for survival are not all that favorable.
One such Robin adventure occurred in Spring 2002 in our backyard. Fortunately I spotted it early enough prior to the chicks being hatched which enabled me to set up an X10 camera at the nest. I recorded to video tape approximately 6 hours of video each day until the adventure ended. Reviewing the tapes has given me a much greater appreciation for the wonder of nature and the dedication of these Robin parents to their babies and to each other.
I have selected video from each day to share via the internet this adventure as described from one of the chicks point of view. The Videos are obviously reduced in size and in WMV to accommodate some reasonable access, and will be best viewed by broadband users. The WMV files will probably require that Windows Media Player 7.1 or higher be installed on your PC. Please join Adam, Eve, Mi, and Mishado and the sights and sounds of their fifteen days in May.
Click here to go to The Robin's Diary (happy ending)
In the Spring of 2004, I had another opportunity to watch the miracle of nature unfolding and this time it was revealed very clearly how nature balances life among all the players.
Click here to go to the 2004 Robin Story (unhappy ending)
And Again in 2005 two new nest under surveillance
Two Successful Fledged Robin Nests (Happy Endings) and a Single chick Cardinal Nest (not so Happy)
2006 a fresh Look at two Robin Nests (happy endings) and other wildlife in the 2006 Wildlife Diary
Another successful Robin Nest in the 2007 Wildlife Journal
The 2008 Journal Two Robin Nest that end Tragically .
Backyard Wildlife Directory
Note: unless otherwise specified ,all media content on these Backyard Wildlife pages were recorded and or photographed by HowPeg for the purpose of sharing them intact with the web pages as presented. As such they are copyright protected . Permission to use for educational purposes will not be withheld if request include appropriate planned application . Such request can be made via the following link
