It's a bird. It's a plane.

It's ... another nest!

   A while back I posted a photo of a nest built by architecturally challenged robins in my rain gutter.  Well, their story continues. 

   A few days ago there was a ruckus in the backyard with lots of noise that brought me out to see what was going on. Just as I entered the yard, two brown thrashers swooped by me, chasing and diving at a pair of robins, which seemed to be fighting each other.  The thrashers were so close I could feel the woosh of air against me as they wheeled by.  I thought to myself that for some reason they wanted to chase the robins out of the yard and then I kind of forgot about it.

   Next I noticed that I was no longer seeing Baby Robin around, although the parents were still hanging out and eating cherries.

   Last night I was outside cruising the garden and admiring the tiny grapes on the arbor when a robin erupted from the leaves right by my head. 

   Here is what I found, perched atop one of the posts holding up the arbor.

   These are not brightest members of the bird world.  They built their second nest on a post that is 3 1/2 X 3 1/2 inches square.

   Baby is allowed back in the yard today and is hanging out in the birdbath as it is nearly 90 degrees.  I suspect he is the one who was being chased away and told in no uncertain terms that he needs to stand on his own two feet.  I don't know what the thrashers were doing.  Maybe the robins hired them for help.  You know how grown kids keep coming back home these days to live off their parents.  Anyway, he seems to pretending to not even recognize his parents.

   Mama is sitting on the nest in the hot, hot sun.  You can tell she is hot because her mouth is open and she is panting.  I filled the birdbaths and I hope Papa will spell her so she can go get a drink and cool off.  I wouldn't count on it if I were her. He is pretty busy eating the cherries I want for pies.