I've been fascinated with the Robins who have lovingly built a nest just outside our bathroom window.

The American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

The Robin is a migratory songbird of the thrush family. The colouring on a robin's breast is what makes it stand out apart from the others, a brightly coloured red breast sets apart the males from the females. This led to its common name, "Robin Red-breast". It is widely distributed throughout North America, wintering south of Canada from Florida to central Mexico and along the Pacific Coast. It has seven subspecies, but only T. m. confinis in the southwest is particularly distinctive, with pale grey-brown underparts. It is the state bird of Connecticut, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

The American Robin is active mostly during the day and assembles in large flocks at night. Its diet consists of invertebrates (such as

beetle grubs and caterpillars), fruits and berries. It is one of the first bird species to lay eggs, beginning to breed shortly after returning to its summer range from its winter range. Its nest consists of long coarse grass, twigs, paper, and feathers, and is smeared with mud and often cushioned with grass or other soft materials. It is among the first birds to sing at dawn (usually around 4am in our neighbourhood!), and its song consists of several discrete units that are repeated. (from Wikipedia)

The birds have gotten used to our comings and goings, but they are constantly on the lookout for the Blue Jays.  Jays have been know to steal the eggs and even the young of other birds.  The Robins will flock together and chase the Jays away from the area.

I've also included one special photo for Mike (WILDTHING).  There is FINALLY a Robin perched on that shovel! :)

The eggs should be hatching by the end of the week and are in a perfect spot for photos.  Wish me luck!