Photography Animal Photography Saturday 5 May 2018

Over the past couple of weeks, I had observed Robins (or at least one Robin at a time) building a nest right outside the front window of my house in a crab-apple tree on a branch only about 6 feet off of the ground.

So a week ago today, I went out to take a closer look and saw this nest:

The crab-apple tree was beginning to bloom and then and for the next week or so, smells heavenly.

Either that night or the next, I noticed a Robin sitting on the nest. So on Monday night, I went outside and took this picture.

Then Tuesday morning before going to work, I took this picture.

So much life goes on all around us. We see only small parts. This is true of human life as well as the abundant life in our extended environment.

What is life?

Is it temporary events that organize the local world?

It is certainly not an easy question to answer. Or ponder.

Not all organization leads to life. I know a little more about this story of the Robins nest, the part that happened between Tuesday and today, but I don't know the end of this story yet. I apologize for getting so esoteric, when really mostly what I have thought about was how beautiful was the blue color of the eggs.

Clearly, you can see from the above photo, that Robins exert considerable effort in creating a formidable nest for laying eggs. Or at least it appears to be the case. I questioned why it was built so low to the ground or close to the house on a branch so easily accessible to cats, for example.

We can't know the end of a story until it is over. And even then, when the story is understood to be a subset of a larger story, it becomes clear then there really is no end to any story. Even as a memory, a story has meaning.

But I'll say that what I know gives meaning to the word blue—not the beautiful light blue color of Robins' eggs, but blue as in the expression blue Monday—the feeling many work-slaves feel at the start of another long work week at a job not enjoyed.

I'm in a strange situation right now, in that I just recently started a job that I like more than any job that I've had in a couple of decades. So as a general rule I'm not feeling the blue-Monday blues, but the excitement of some color of happiness or at least relief. My favorite color is purple. But there really are an infinite number of beautiful colors to rely on or remain focused on just one.

I'll post a follow-up, here on my channel in the animal photography category in the coming days, once I know more about this Robin story. And once I find the time in my busy schedule to enjoy these simple parts of life.

For any of you who has a mobile device, you might benefit from an app that I've been using now for a couple of years. It is called Merlin Bird ID; it is offered by the Cornell Lab or Ornithology in partnership with others (I have received no money from any of these groups). I've found it to be an excellent assistant in identifying birds, especially in confirming a birds identity by the sounds they make. Also, by accident or happenstance, I discovered it would in some cases bring birds in closer, to better observe them.

Here is an audio/video recording I made this morning of one of the Robins I saw frequenting this nest.

Here's what the crab-apple tree looks like today in full bloom:

(It's the tree on the left with the almost white blossoms; the pink blossom tree on the right is in my neighbor's yard and is another variety of crab-apple. And, yes, the blossoms start pinkish and turn very light.)

I hope YOU have a great day!