Robin Redbreast (2nd Ed, 1957)

it is early spring flowers will soon be in bloom already willows are showing their fuzzy [Music] coats about the time winter snows are melting Robins begin flying back North from their winter homes father Robin always comes first you may see him with his bright red breast sitting on a fence post or in the early morning you may hear him singing high up in a tree father Robin finds a good place for a home with plenty of water and plenty of food mother Robin arrives a little later and soon the fields and forests are filled with the songs of these best known North American birds when the warm days of spring come on the robins begin building their nests to start with Father Robin hunts for grass strong dry grass and carries it to a good safe place in a tree as he builds the nest he shapes it with his body with his wings and his tail mother Robin does her share of the work both Robins make trip after trip Gathering the grass they carry it in their beaks see how mother Robin drops the grass into the nest and works it into shape sometimes Robins plaster the inside of the nest with mud they press the mud into the grass and this makes a strong well-built Nest shaped like a bowl one week later mother is sitting on the nest while father is singing nearby look there are four eggs in the nest four pale blue robin eggs whenever mother Robin leaves the nest father Robin sits on the eggs keeping them warm for eggs must be kept warm if they're to hatch for two weeks day and night mother and father take turns keeping the eggs warm all the time one baby robin has just hatched and another egg is hatching see the hole the baby inside has picked in one shell now there are two baby robins their eyes are still closed but their mouths are wide open soon there will be four babies mother Robin spends much of her time keeping the nest clean but look there are only three babies did one fall out or did a CAT take it father and mother Robin busily care for the three that are left baby robins need a lot of food earthworms are good food for them what a big wide mouth now the robin babies are a little older mother Robin divides a worm between two of them but the third will have to wait and here comes father Robin and now the third baby at last gets his share father Robin Nestles carefully over the young birds to keep them warm it has been two weeks now since the babies were hatched how their feathers have grown they need more and more food father and mother Robin work all day long into the wide mouths goes the food that helps the young Robins to grow big and strong it is a few days later the babies are still growing their feathers are growing too as mother Robin is watching nearby she sees something it's a big cat prowling among the trees the babies don't know they're in danger but the cat goes to the very tree where the young Robins are how father Robin is excited up climbs the cat coming closer and closer for a moment longer father Robin watches and then suddenly he flies straight at the cat and now he Dives at him the cat has had enough for this time the Young robins have grown so much that the nest is crowded one big baby finds more room by climbing on top of brother Robin and that's not very comfortable for the one below today two of the robins have left the nest and are exploring the branches about them brother Robin is left all alone he's not sure that his wings will carry him gradually he picks up courage although he may sit for hours on the branch beside the nest he may even sleep here for the night this one is found a place among the leaves when young Robins are about cats should be kept indoors here's another of the babies after a while young Robins will have red breasts like their parents this one doesn't know how to get its own food yet but his parents are not far away and mother robin keeps bringing him worms before long the young Robins are old enough to find food for themselves earthworms are their favorite food and they never seem to get enough of them when days are warm Robins like to bathe father Robin takes a shower by splashing water over himself while baby robin takes his bath in a nearby pool this young Robin is prining his feathers prining helps to give the robin a fine clean coat isn't this a nice place to rest and there's plenty of food nearby robins eat many kinds of berries and fruit besides berries and fruit and worms their favorite food Robins may eat grasshoppers caterpillars beetles and other insects the worms insects and berries that a young Robin eats in just one day May weigh more than the baby robin itself how the robins have grown this one looks almost as large as its mother see how fluffy his feathers are and what a strong Bill he has now now the young Robins are old enough to take care of themselves theyve learned how to fly and how to find food look at this mother and father Robin are building a second Nest Robin sometimes raiseed two or three Broods in a year and they build a new nest for each brood when the second brood is hatched mother and father Robin must begin all over again to care for the nest and bring food to their young ones by the time the first Frost has come in Autumn the robins have begun to flock together soon they are ready to fly away way to a warmer climate where they will live through the winter but though they go south now they will return next spring to start new homes once again