Rockin' Robin

Our family lives on the top floor of a three-story, walk-up apartment. Last week while returning home from work I glanced towards our apartment and noticed something on the ledge of our bedroom window. I couldn't make it out from below, so I walked inside our bedroom and cracked the blinds. From there I could see the beginnings of bird's nest--twigs and grass arranged in a circular pattern. The next day it was complete:

My mother is a bird lover, so I called to tell her what I had found. "Mom," I said, "a bird built its nest on our windowsill!! What kind do you think it is?" I described the nest and sent her a picture by e-mail. We consulted Cornell's Bird Guide, where we looked up every possibility--sparrows, mourning doves, robins, and several other birds. "Frankly," I said, "all the nests look the same to me." At this point we could do nothing but speculate. Secretly, I hoped it was a Cardinal (my personal favorite), but I was doubtful as I have never seen a Cardinal within several hundred yards of our home. "We'll just have to wait until we see the eggs," Mom concluded. I agreed. I would wait and see.

So. . . I waited. For three long days I waited, constantly checking the window for signs of a bird. But not a feather was to be seen. . . . That is, until Friday at 5:30 a.m. when I awoke to the sound of a bird chirping. Grabbing my camera, I dashed to the window. "What kind of bird is it?" I wondered anxiously. Slowly, I slid our blinds to the side to find a Robin sitting in the nest!!

Later that day I took pictures from below:

And others from our balcony:

Saturday I discovered the FIRST EGG!!

Today we found a SECOND EGG!!

According to Cornell's Bird Guide, Robin eggs incubate for 12-14 days. So, in two weeks we should have baby Robins chirping outside our window. I will keep you posted.