Fly Robin Fly

Chalk it up to being a compassionate nature lover, but recently we had a robin nesting in the eaves of the barn, and in order not to distress the mother while she was attending to her eggs I put off mowing the lawn in that area. I don't now what the time frame is for the eggs to hatch and the babies to fly away, but the grass got pretty unruly during this period. I mowed the lawn once at a distance I deemed to be safe, but sure enough it scared the mother away and I worried that she might not come back (she did). We also avoided the door that was near the nest, again so as not to scare her away.

Interestingly enough we've noticed some odd behavior in a robin around the main house. For whatever reason this bird has been flying into the window, repeatedly. It also does it around the barn and I figured it was losing it's mind or something along those lines. Seems like flying into a window is not a good survival strategy. Our cats were itching to get their paws on it. I heard later that it was a way that birds, robins included, mark their territory. I guess it's letting the neighbors know that you've arrived. Either way, we took heed of the message and stayed away.

Just recently I noticed that the nest seemed quiet, and after repeated trips with no bird in sight, I decided to finally mow the lawn. Boy, talk about a relief. The grass was up to my knees at that point. There's just something about unkempt lawns that get under my skin, don't ask me why. I'm not sure if I should leave the nest as it is, which could open up the door for the robin to return and set up her home once again. This is not necessarily a bad thing, though it means an un-coiffed lawn for a few weeks. I guess there are worse things in life.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to marantophotography for the pic.