Tight Fit

 At least one of these North American baby robins will be ready to fledge any day now. I can see the young birds begin to stretch their awkward wings above the nest. The adult robins work together to feed their growing babies several dozen meals each day. Most of the time it is hard for me to tell the adult male and female apart other than the female sits on the nest. Male robins are supposed to have a bolder colored breast and grey tail and the female is paler. Since they are never in the same place at the same time, it is hard to compare them. As soon as I venture near the nest, the mother robin flies away to divert attention away from the babies. If I linger too long, the parents start the warning calls. Usually they scold me from the roof but today the warning "tuts" came right above my head.
 

Watchful mother robin or father robin. I'm not sure.



On May 23, 2011, the nest looks like a bowl of feathers.