Ok, so it's not a great photo BUT it's my first Robin sighting and I'm SO EXCITED that I just had to document this first sign of spring. Spotted these two this morning on the way to school across the highway at the little city golf course. There were dozens of geese congregated over at the pond, that was what I started out shooting but as soon as I pulled over to the shoulder I thought I saw a Robin and sure enough there were probablyhalf a dozen sitting in this tree stripping off the remaining berries. I heard a Robin chirping last night when I was out in the yard but it was almost dark and I couldn't see him so I knew they were back in town. Also spotted my first Redwing Blackbirds this morning....I'll be anxiously awaiting the arrival of some of our other fairweather friends such as the Killdeer, Meadowlarks, Baltimore Orioles and Hummers.
Of course, every year when the Robins show up a winter snow storm can't be far behind....we are now in a Winter Storm Watch for tomorrow! .Go figure.
Ahh, so cute!! Does that mean the winter is over? I like the colors here, and the blurry background. It's such a dreamy atmosphere in your picture! :-)
@shadowdancer Ha! Well Robins are supposed to be a sure sign of Spring but they ALWAYS arrive way too early and every year you can see them sitting in the trees looking somewhat miserable as the snow is falling on them! You'd think they'd learn to wait a couple of weeks longer to come back!
@bluemoon haha ....I just looked at the larger version of the pic, love how the one robin is taking off, its a beautiful....i'm in central mn. We are pretty close .
Oh, hope they will not regret the early arrival! :-) I was just wondering... I though that here in Germany, they stay for the winter, but I'm not sure... Need to google it, I guess. But a couple of nights ago, I heard the geese coming back which is definitely a good sign! Now I'm waiting for our stork couple to arrive... :-)
Lovely shot! In previous years we would have been excited to see Robins, too, but this year they never left! We're expecting 4-5 days of rain but I'm keeping the snow shovels handy! Hope your storm isn't too bad!
@shadowdancer Our Robins always head south for the winter....they leave in late September or October and usually arrive sometime in March. We've had geese around here all winter though. No such luck having storks around here....we do have Egrets though which are somewhat similar (I think)! :!
@timandelke Thank you Elke... I can never remember a year when the Robins haven't left for the winter. You'd think it would mean a milder winter if they stayed behind but that certainly wasn't the case in most of the country this year. Yesterday our weatherman said we'd just get rain, today their fudging a bit and we're under a winter storm watch but I don't think too much snow is expected (fingers crossed)! Hope you just get rain too! :)
I'm happy for you to know that spring is on the way, maybe it's a long way, but it will come! I love how you captured these first bringers of hope. Lovely!
YESSSS!!!! I saw a couple robins the other day too, along with some red-winged blackbirds on the signs along the highway. Oh, it's coming! This is a very pretty shot...love the composition.
@bluemoon : Paula, we only have one couple of storks in our area, so they're real celebrities! The couple that usually came ended up tragically two years ago, when the male died in a car accident, and the babies died because the mother couldn't care for them, all on her own. It was very sad. If you like, you can look at them here; I loved to take photos of them: http://cdn.fotocommunity.com/photos/16621977.jpg
The new couple that came last year was too young or unexperienced to raise babies, I hope they'll be more lucky this year!
Beautiful capture, Paula. I'm so glad there are a few berries for them because they certainly won't be finding any worms under that new fallen snow! (We have rain today - hopefully your snow storm doesn't continue on into Michigan.)
This is just beautiful Paula, the Robin was the state bird where I grew up (Michigan) I named my youngest daughter Robin, I have fond memories of my mother getting excited when she would spot that first Robin knowing spring was on its way. A FAV for me!
@shadowdancer Wow, I viewed your picure...they're so beautiful. I can't imagine how great it would be to have the opportunity to photograph these gorgeous birds. What a sad story... I hate the harsher side of nature, it can be so cruel.
@bluemoon : Thanks for viewing the picture. :-) It's true, they are wonderful birds, and the death of the male broke my heart. I saw him almost every day during my lunch break when I was at work. Took many picture of him, I think he knew me after a while. And it wasn't even nature that killed him, but technology. He flew into a van. :-(
The new couple that came last year was too young or unexperienced to raise babies, I hope they'll be more lucky this year!