Empty Nest Syndrome

These were the Robins that hatched on the railing of our porch last spring.

I remember I was talking on the phone pacing on my porch (which I do quite often) and this Robin started frantically building a nest in our empty Bonsai pot on the railing, right in front of me! At first I tried to shoo it away thinking it would be a horrible place for any bird to live but you could tell that the Mother Robin was about to explode she was so pregnant. So I let her be.

Two days later there were four beautiful pale blue eggs. I was so worried that my dog Lily (who used to catch Robins regularly when we first got her) would harm them or that the wind would knock the nest off the railing. So Martin, the kids and I started keeping a close eye on Lily and all other things that might harm them.

In no time at all those eggs hatched. It was such a great experience for the boys to have an opportunity to watch nature unfold so closely. Oddly enough, Lily rarely ever went near the nest. The Mom and Dad Robin would even let us stand quite close while they fed the babies. Then one day without any warning, they were all gone. I know the babies were so big they could hardly fit in the nest anymore and it was probably time to move on. I was just so worried that something bad happened to them. I guess I expected to witness some flying lessons or something. It was just so quick! I had grown quite attatched to them. The nest is still where they left it.