Blackbirds, Mourning Doves, and Robins

We are delighted to have Patricia Franklin as our first contributor to Speak Up Saturday.

Patricia Franklin now lives not far from the small town in the shadow of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Colorado which was settled by her ancestors on both sides. She and her husband are Jeepers and researchers of family histories. She has three children and three grandchildren, and spends happy volunteer hours at a multi denominational shelter and charity center. While self-effacing and laid back, she has a brilliant mind and a feisty sense of humor. She’s a small woman, but coming from a family with five brothers she knows how to hold her own.

Blackbirds, Mourning Doves, and Robins

By Patricia Franklin

Blackbirds nested in our lilac bush one year. They hogged the bird bath and dropped trash in it. It was yucky. Last year we had mourning doves. They were quiet and clean, and we kept an eye on them until they hatched and fledged. This year the blackbirds returned, but we chased them away.

I’d been walking around the bush for a few days looking up in the branches to make sure the blackbirds didn’t come back, when suddenly I came face to face with a perfectly formed nest on a lower branch. I’m surprised I missed it, but that was because I looked way up, while this nest was at eye-level. As I watched, a mother robin flew in with something small in her beak to finish up a perfect nest. Now we have a robin’s nest in a location where I can see it from my patio or from my kitchen window. I’m thrilled.

The mama robin is around every morning, but when I go out, I can’t see anything. Because the nest is wide and deep I wonder whether the eggs are in the bottom where they can stay warm without her. Or maybe she’s hunkered down in there too. I don’t know, it’s a mystery.

My biggest fear is of the neighbor’s black cat. He snatches birds right out of our backyard. Maybe my husband will build a fence around the nest. No, that’s not going to happen. Last year he was forced to let a hay crop grow under the bush so the birds wouldn’t be disturbed. He didn’t much like that. Yikes, I can hear him cutting the lawn now. I’d better get out there and guard my little flock while I can.

Bird Nest (Photo credit: Sikachu!)