The 2012 Robin watch begins



 Well, I had my doubts.  The robins started a nest, a truly sloppy, crappy nest of long skinny pieces of stems and leaves that blew off the eaves boards.  Then a nest appeared around April 15 (and I don't know how the babies will fit in that corner) that they decided was going to be home.  It took a while to finish (new parents??)

Mama started nesting around the 18th, so I got "crime scene tape" from our custodian and put it across the door to remind myself and delivery people not to use that door.  She flew away on the 22d and did not return. Such disappointment!!  So yesterday morning (Thursday) I took the tape down. When I got home from work, she was on the nest.  The flapping tape must have scared her.  And I have to park close to the road or the car scares her off. 

I am now in robin-watching mode. Many lessons were learned last year.
The watch length is about 2-3 weeks.

Robins need a security blanket: I have taped a shawl across the lower part of the front door window so I can walk about in the living room and not have her fly away.

Pictures of birds require a very steady hand: I set up the 6' stepladder again so I can pictures leaning at least one arm on a ladder step.

Today I read the camera manual and discovered that early morning low-light pix need to be taken with the aperture set at 1/25.

Fuzzy but properly exposed.  I was steady. She moved her head.

Watch for updates!

Spring is either here or on the way

Note to self: change the blog picture from winter to spring!

In mid-March we had a couple of days in the 80s - amazing weather for March.  Then for two weeks it was really really cold and snowy - but I was on vacation in Florida visiting Tim and Danielle and getting a lot of beach time - which meant that when I returned to Vermont I looked healthy again..

Now it's really trying to be spring here.  The trees are not leafing out yet but the forsythia is blooming in Norwich, some early flowering trees are in bloom in Barre, and some early spring bulbs are out in the yard.  With luck it will rain all weekend - we need rain very very badly.  January through March was the driest first quarter in 40 years.

But the big news is that the robins are back.  They are making their nest by the front door, like last year.  It is the sloppiest, messiest nest I've ever seen, or else it's modern art.  So the front door is off limits once again. 

Details and pictures to follow.