A Naif in the Forest by Darrell Berger

Wing Tips to Hiking Boots: Musings of a New, Full-Time Poconos Resident 

My wife brought home a huge hanging Oxalis to replace our winter bird feeder. It attracted a couple of robins. 

“What are they so interested in?” I asked. 

“There must be some insects on the plant,” she guessed. 

“That is one big robin,” 

“Maybe she’s pregnant.” 

The next few days brought as various and contrary weather has we have had since the last not quite spring. Some days were sunny. Most were gray and damp. Two were balmy and we could sit on our deck. One night there was what everyone hoped was the season’s final frost. 

I hadn’t seen the robins in a few days. I looked to discover what had been so interesting to them.  It was a nest, far from finished. They had not returned. 

Robins don’t migrate, exactly, but they will travel south as food becomes scarce. They build their nests almost anywhere, altitude and material being less important than peace, quiet and security. 

The couple must have started their nest when our deck seemed perfect. Then, there goes the neighborhood! We started hanging out right next to them. There was even a dog.   

Robins will abandon a nest if it is discovered or disturbed. They will seldom return to a nest that has been moved, regardless of how carefully. They navigate back and forth, and feel secure, not merely from the nest itself, but from the whole nest setting. Our couple might have reconsidered whether our deck was sufficiently secluded and secure, as well they might. It is also possible that the copious amount of mud available this season tricked the robins into nesting before her ovulation. 

They may return, as there is plenty of time to complete the five or six days necessary for construction, before it would be needed. As interesting as this would be to observe, it’s not something that should be observed. It would be better for the robins to find a more secluded location to enjoy the peace and quiet that their instinct seeks . I live very peacefully, but to a newly hatched robin, I’m Godzilla.