Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Happy Invasion

There was a busyness outside my windows in the early morning.   I saw shadows darting.

The sky was filled with fat-breasted red robins. They were chattering with the sound of small clinking chains as they flew from tall tree to tall tree making dark and speedy silhouettes against the winter's gray sky.  Too many to count but in the dozens, arriving with noisy fanfare.  They sounded like teenagers on spring break.  The skies, the trees, all was theirs.  It was as if they had been released from boarding school.



They flew to my holly trees that were covered in winter-ripe berries.  I was excited to maybe get a good photo or three.  I had been waiting for the arrival of the Cedar Waxwings, more exotic and rare, but the happy (delirious?) red-breasted robins would have to do.




They moved from the back yard with its shorter hollies to the front yard with the one tall 20-foot tree covered in many berries.  I decided to sneak out the door to the porch steps for clearer photos rather than those above taken from the windows.  I moved with the stealth of a stalking house cat, but in ten seconds they got very quiet.  The silence was surprising, and then within the vacuum of no sound, I heard the soft air movement from many wings flying away all in the same instant to the trees on the other side of the ravine, three seconds and they were far away.

I had startled them so I went back to my backyard windows to watch the feeder activity.  I saw this in our winter trees. HIs steely eyes on the feeders.  Maybe it wasn't me after all.



9 comments:

  1. Winter robin flocks are a delight to see for you, and apparently the hawk. Robin flocks are suppose to be good luck and such.
    Nice photographs

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lovely post, in words and photo.
    Our robins came early and then again, stripping every berry available.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Some robins are staying here in winter now. Our winters are milder than they used to be. Great photos!

    ReplyDelete
  4. A returning flock of robins make a lot of happy noise.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Amazing how a predator can clear the trees, or feeders, in an instant.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Not your fault this time, but I'm glad you had the view and photos.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love the closeups of the robins. When I was a kid growing up in Minnesota, it seemed robins were the only bird seen. In Texas, I only rarely seem them during a migration backup north. They stop to eat the red berries off my nandina plants.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a delightful scene you've captured! The flurry of activity with the red robins and their lively chatter must have been a joy to witness. Even if the Cedar Waxwings didn't make an appearance, the robins brought their own charm to the winter landscape. And that hawk, with its keen eyes fixed on the feeders, adds a touch of wild beauty to the scene. Thank you for sharing this wonderful glimpse into nature's wonders! 🐦🌳

    ReplyDelete
  9. Superb photos Tabor, the American Robin is a treasure to rest eyes.

    ReplyDelete

Glad to hear from you once again. I really like these visits. Come sit on this log and tell me what you are thinking.