American Robin Moves Back into the Neighborhood

Here in Colorado, we are all a little giddy about the next week of weather, as some warmth of Springtime in the Rockies has begun! If you share my love of this time of year, I can also share my excitement about the Robin family that has already returned to scope out their nest on my front porch. This is the fourth annual homecoming for these robins, and I like to believe this romantic couple will raise another successful family under my watchful eye.

The American Robin is one of the earliest bird species to lay eggs, beginning to breed shortly after returning from its winter range. Robins make their nests from long coarse grass, twigs, paper, and feathers, with a little gooey mud as the finishing touch. There are abundant robins in our part of Colorado, and I have learned that the American Robin ranks behind only the Red-winged Blackbird as the most abundant land bird in North America.

Harmony Point Needle Felt Pillow

It is exciting to watch this couple inspect the remains of last year's nest. The colorful male is beginning to hang out in the trees near the porch most of the day, where I suppose he is guarding his home from other prospective nesters. Robins are most active during the day, and before the eggs are laid, assemble into large flocks at night. They eat a lot of bugs: beetle grubs, earthworms, and caterpillars, which is fine by me, along with fruits and berries. Once all the snow that is on our lawn melts, these birds will have a feast on earthworms that pull up easily from the wet grass! One of my favorite parts of Spring is sitting on my porch with that early morning cup of coffee and listing to the cheerful, almost continuous Robin song!

I have made many Robin-inspired fiber art items over the years, and I am sharing one of those items in this post. I would love to hear about your bird nesting joy in the weeks ahead. Spring fever is by far the best kind of fever, don't you think?

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne