Day 23: Baby Robin

Most of our fun is planned but today was definitely spontaneous. We went outside and as I was checking the yard for dog poop and thinking about what we would do, I spotted a very young robin. I didn't know if it was alive and it certainly wasn't in the best spot below our pear tree and in the path of double trouble and the dog. But it opened it's eyes and blinked at me like it was waiting for me to notice him. I quickly ran inside and got gloves and a box. I needed to move him out of the way. As I moved him I saw his mama on the fence and I was relieved. He was a fledgling and had feathers and could hop but not fly. He also tilted his head back and opened his mouth at my hand, clearly wanting food. I took the opportunity to show the boys the baby bird and they were amazed. I told them we had to wait for his mama to come back and care for him. They then started calling for "mama bird.". The best part (and it made me cry) was the reunion between the two as seen in the second pic. I was so relieved that she found him! When I checked on him at naptime he had a cicada in his beak and had hopped out of the sun. The boys and I checked on him right before bed and he and his mama were hopping around behind our fence line! Hopefully he learns to fly soon.