The robins are back! I saw my first one several days ago and since then they’ve started showing up everywhere. I now have hope that spring will finally arrive.
Interestingly (to me, at least), I’ve got two male robins hanging around my bird feeding station. My presence does not seem to bother them at all. One of them has discovered he can get to the suet if he sits on top of the suet holder and leans forward. The other chases that robin off, but hasn’t eaten any suet. Both robins have been chowing down on the seed I have out there. I have some seed out in a tray feeder and that’s the seed they are visiting. I’m curious about how long the seed will remain appealing to them. I’m guessing once insect life gets back into full gear they’ll quit coming for the seed. In the summer, I always have robins with me in the garden. My garden is rich with worms, and the robins follow along behind me as I weed.
A male grackle has shown up, too. He’s dropped by a couple times over the winter, but never stayed. Now he is. I’d be willing to bet he’s the same bird that kept trying to chase me from my garden last summer. At the time I thought it was a crow, but I know now that it was a grackle. From what I’ve read, they aren’t territorial like that, but this guy sure was. The nest was way up high in a tree at the edge of my garden and that was just too close for that guy’s liking. I imagine he’ll be using that nest again this year. Oh goodie. And even once the nest was empty, that grackle family clucked at and chided me all summer long. They would sit on the telephone wires over the end of the garden and tell me at length of their displeasure at my presence.

