Weekend Birding: Daddy Robin
I spotted this robin digging furiously in the wood chips and dirt under my large maple tree. Then he flew into the magnolia and sat there for a few minutes with a beak full of what I will refer to as ‘dinner’. At the very least there is caterpillar, worm and some kind of flying insect on the menu. The nestlings should be pleased with the selection!
I know this was dad robin because male robins grow black head feathers during breeding season to attract females. The difference is subtle until you see a pair of them together. Then you will notice that one has black head feathers and the other dark gray.
I’m hoping to see some young robins any day now.
I link up my bird photos on Saturday Snapshot hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.
Under My Apple Tree 
Great picture, Leslie. I didn’t realise birds could have more than one thing in their beak, how do they pick up the second/third one? Anyway, looks like he’s looking after his offspring well.
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Until I started photographing them with the zoom lens I didn’t realize they did that either. He just kept digging around and adding stuff.
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Well, he is certainly a handsome fellow. Pretty red chest. And I too am fascinated by the ability to pick up more than one insect at a time. Lovely shot.
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Usually they don’t have that much food at once. When I saw the green caterpillar I ran for the camera, which is always close by.
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Sounds like they were going to have a gourmet feast! Nice photo – didn’t know that about the head feathers.
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Doesn’t look too appetizing to me but, hey, if you’re a robin, it’s probably a gourmet treat. Fantastic photo!
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Wow, he found a feast! Why are the feathers near his legs fluffed out like that?
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I think he got them ruffled up when he was digging in the wood chips.
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Oh, my, what an awesome photo! So clear and detailed. Not so sure that I like the dinner, though. LOL
Thanks for visiting my blog.
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Leslie…just WOW, that is a mouthful for sure! Great capture.
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That is an amazing hunt for that bird and I’m so impressed that you were able to catch it in a photo!
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I was sitting outside reading and watching the electric company guys working on the pole to restore power, the transformer had caught fire and blew up on the hottest day last week. I’m easily distracted when I see a bird so the foraging robin got my attention.
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Lovely picture! You might enjoy this video I found that shows baby robins in time lapse photography.
http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9479342&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1
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Thanks for that link. Great video, I loved it!
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Fantastic photo! I hope you get to see the baby robins.
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Awesome shot! It’s so nice to see these birds up close. Robins are among my favourite birds. They have such a lovely song.
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Daddy Robin is here in time for Father’s Day. Wonderful photo, Leslie, as always.
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Hi!
Great snapshot! He’s a very handsome guy. Have a great day!
Sherrie
Just Books
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Wonderful capture! Thank you for sharing.
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Great photos. I have quite a few snapshots of birds but none as magnificent as yours!
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I did not know that about Robins, love how they look for their food. Thanks.
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Wonderful shot…interesting how he can hold all those different morsels at one time 🙂
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I’m so envious of your camera, or your picture-taking skills, or both. What a great photo. Having a beak full of morsels makes me think of that Aesop’s Fable where the fox is carrying a bone and sees his reflection in a pond. He really wants that bone the reflected fox has, so he tries to grab it and loses the bone he had. Glad that didn’t happen to the robin.
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I love this pictures! I also didn’t realize that birds can pick up multiple things in their beaks at once. I have a soft spot for robins because that’s the name of one of my sisters…
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