The Case of the Empty Nest

    I  work clearing fallen leaves at the base of the maple tree, the old robin’s nest falls to the ground at my feet. As I pick it up and remember the joy we had last summer watching the Robin family. Shady nudges my hand with her wet nose; I bend down so she can inspect the nest. She is very curious about the old nest just like she had been all summer when the robin family lived in our tree. From the moment the robins began scurrying around our yard she was fascinated by them.  What a character our Labrador has become, if I didn’t know better I’d say she was living a secret life helping animals around the farm and those beyond our pastures fences!

“Shady, can’t you find any twigs?  I need to get this nest finished quickly because my eggs are coming,” urgently called Mother Robin Redbreast. “Shady, I need you to dig up some fresh mud to use as glue to hold the twigs together,” she urges Shady again.

Shady finds a nice spot in yard, near the tree and begins to dig a big hole which soon fills with rain water and the dirt becomes mud to be used in the Robin’s nest.  At the bottom of the muddy hole Shady finds a rotten old bone she had buried last year which is now just stinky enough for a good chewing.

The next morning Mrs. Robin calls, “Shady, we have good news!  Last night I laid 3 eggs. They are a beautiful color called Robin's Egg Blue!”

“Congratulations!” exclaimed Shady. “I can’t wait to meet the chicks.”

“We’ll have to wait 2 weeks for the chicks to finish growing inside their eggs.  Then they will be strong enough to crack the shells to come out into the world,” Mrs. Robin explained.

Later in the springtime, Shady glances up at the Robin’s nest and is surprised to see 2 fluffs of feathers standing on the edge of the nest.

“Be careful little birds!  You’re scaring me!” shouted Shady.

“Shady, don’t worry it’s just flying lessons,” said Mother Robin.

With all this stress of flying lessons Shady decides to lie down directly under the nest, in case a tiny bird doesn’t quite know how to fly and needs her soft Labrador stomach for a landing pad.

Little Regina Robin flaps her tiny wings and jumps off the nest and into the blue sky!  She climbs up through the air when suddenly and very quickly little Regina Robin begins to fall through the branches.....