GOOD NEWS PEOPLE ...

Tools    





An American Robin has a small nest that I see on my daily walk. I am totally fascinated by her tiny family, which now consists of 3 chicks. They look just like this stock photo. Momma is very attentive & sits on the nest keeping them warm.

What worries me very much is that the nest is at eye level and, therefore, vulnerable. Why the heck didn’t they build a nest much higher up in the tree?

The little flufflets are so adorable. I pray to the Dear Lord to keep them safe until they fledge, which, amazingly, will be when they are 14-16 days old.

Amazingly, to me, this American Robin has come back to the nest she made last year. It was falling apart, but she made the new nest on top of it. How incredible that, of the thousands of trees where I live, this little bird remembers the exact tree she used last year. My only worry with this nest is that, again, it is at eye level. Wish she had the sense to pick a bigger higher tree.

Anyway poor momma was scared by me walking down the sidewalk so I had a peek into the nest. Three little blue eggs! I even touched them & they are so small.

Thrilling to see this today. I shall carefully monitor the proceedings.

(Stock photo)
__________________
I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.



I was so worried that I had perhaps contaminated the nest by lightly touching the 3 eggs. But momma was there today sitting on them. Phew. A relief. So clever to build her new nest on top of her old one. Makes it better because it’s higher now & almost impossible to peek inside.



I thought maybe Connecticut has been too chilly so far for these wee critters. But yesterday there was a little family of 4 goslings & a family of 6 goslings. Even when the 10 goslings ran among each other they each knew which of the parents was theirs. Interesting & clever.

Like I said, it’s been chilly so the bigger family huddled under mom like the 2nd photo. Beyond cute.




(stock photos)
Not too warm today & wet, but I saw my first gosling like the photo above. Momma was sitting on the ground (with poppa vigilant nearby) so I knew she had a gosling. Sure enough I could only get a glimpse of at least one tiny gosling tucked into her feathers with its little head popping out. Will check back during the week & hope I see it or them walking around.



Two families now of baby goslings. One family bigger than the other. Six tiny goslings in the original family I saw. Then today another set of 6, much bigger.

What puzzles me every year is the 2nd family weren’t at this place last week. So how did they get from the closest water spot to the water spot where they are now? Because the goslings can’t fly yet & there’s no direct swimming route. So do they walk the babies there at night? It’s doable, but very strenuous for small goslings. So mysterious to me.

Anyway, I pray to the Lord to keep both families safe. So many dangers from the sky, on the ground & underneath the water.



Incredibly, both families are intact with 6 goslings each. The littlest ones are so frickin cute, it’s not even funny. And today was a rare added treat: an elusive blue heron.

And the are robin’s nest has two little beaks peaking out. She had 3 last year, but I think there’s only 2 this year.



The parent geese + their babies have disappeared from both watering spots. I have no clue what’s up with that, but pray to the Lord to keep them safe.

Happily (and rarely) I did spot a female Mallard with her teeny weeny family of 6 or so ducklings. So cute & very vulnerable. Will pray for them too.



This photo brought tears to my eyes. A 10 year old (who was so composed during several calls to 911) with the officer who rescued her from Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX.