Jaci Dawn

We had such a balmy last week of January! There were flocks of Brewers blackbirds and American robins flitting from tree to tree along the business parkway where I work. I don’t mean little flocks of blackbirds, either: hundreds of blackbirds. Not European starlings (which are nasty, non-native birds that make a croaking carl), these were native Brewers’ blackbirds (all shiny black) that chirped and cheeped cheerily as they flitted into the branches of the trees.

The robins were all over the lawns, showing off their bright red breasts and hunting for bugs. Unfortunately, they were NOT holding still for the camera.

I wanted to get a photo os several birds at once, but they kept hopping and flitting off in ten directions. I wanted to get a photo of this guy’s little face with the bright eye and yellow beak, but he kept turning away as he looked for worms.

None of the birds were very cooperative. The blackbirds were too high; the robins were camera-shy.

Now, if I had known he was going to do that, maybe I could have panned the camera and followed him!

Oh well. I eventually gave up trying to get photos and just watched them as they hunted worms and slugs and caterpillars (there were caterpillars out, too!).

To me, robins are always the first portent of spring. I hope they are right and it will be an early, mild spring.