When the light begins to break, songbirds sing their happy calls of gratitude that Morning has Broken, reminding us of the lyrics to the song Cat Stevens made famous.
American Robins are among the first birds to lay eggs in the spring and, therefore, are considered a symbol of renewal and new beginnings. In this episode I share how the sadness of baby robins that didn't survive turned into a happy story of a successful Song Sparrow nest passing the nesting spot off to the Robin Family.
I hope you enjoy the story.
Related Stories & Helpful Links:
Song Sparrow meets Robin – Blog Post
Ep16. One World, Robins of Renewal
One World / Memorial Day – Blog Post
Doublefile Viburnum Angels – Blog Post
Robins of Renewal in the Garden – Blog Post
Cat Stevens' - Morning has Broken lyrics
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I'd love to hear your garden and nature stories and your thoughts about topics for future podcast episodes. You can email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com. Thanks so much for tuning in.
You can Follow Garden Dilemmas on Facebook and Instagram #MaryElaineStone.
Episode web page —Garden Dilemmas Podcast Page
Thank you for sharing the Garden of Life,
Mary Stone, Columnist & Garden Designer
AskMaryStone.com
More about the Podcast and Column:
Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries.
It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.
Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
Direct Link to Podcast Page
Ep 164 Song Sparrow Meets Robin
Sat, Jun 08, 2024 2:09PM • 9:09
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
robin, nest, garden, bird, pruning, song, shrub, family, beech tree, leaves, brown, brood, dilemmas, horticultural oil, learning, share, branches, morning, world, live, mary stone, garden, nature, inspiration
SPEAKERS
Mary Stone
Mary Stone 00:00
Mary, Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I'm Mary Stone, and welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights and Discoveries. It's not only about gardens. It's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learn from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in, in the spirit of learning from each other, we have lots to talk about.
Mary Stone 00:26
Hello there. It's Mary Stone on the screen porch, and I've been camping out here most nights keeping my coughing to myself. Things are improving, and I am so grateful. Thank you, kind listeners, for your kind words for healing and thank you, bird, for singing your songs. One of the joys of being out here are the sounds of nature, which have a cadence to the night. Just as the light begins to break, the overlapping chorus of songbirds is so glorious, layers and layers of her happy morning calls of gratitude that morning has broken. Bringing to mind the lyrics to Morning has Broken that Cat Stevens made so famous. Morning has broken like the first morning. Blackbird has spoken like the first bird. Praise for the singing, praise for the morning, praise for them springing fresh from the word. I'll add a link in the show notes for the song and the lyrics.
Mary Stone 01:21
Speaking of first birds- American robins are among the first birds to lay eggs in the spring, and therefore are considered a symbol of good fortune, renewal and new beginnings. While they are migratory, many stay put now. We spoke about how to keep robins in your yard year-round in Episode 16, One World, Robins of Renewal. I'll be sure to put a link to that episode in the show notes as well. Today's chat is about a Song Sparrow and a robin family with a bounce back to a family a few years ago. But before that, I want to thank those who reached back after last week's chat about Holy Moly Rose Remedies. It was fun to hear from Tara, whose gardens are magnificent. She's a client of mine who takes such loving care of her garden, and she accepts her canine kids who often have the zoomies running through it. It's their garden too. Tara successfully treated the black spot on her roses with a recipe she read from Garden Design Magazine. It's an antifungal spray that you can make with one tablespoon of baking soda mixed with a gallon of water and a bit of horticultural oil or liquid soap to help it cling to the leaves. It's not only effective to powdery mildew, but also black spot, and I'd use neem oil as your horticultural oil for a one two punch.
Mary Stone 02:38
As I sit with you, I hear a little brown bird who routinely flits around the rain gutters feeding on insects, leading to this week's story, which starts like this. Hello, fellow listeners and readers, the routine of a family of robins nesting in the double file viburnum outside the kitchen window did not happen this year. Let's just say, some aggressive pruning in the fall, done by somebody who lives here, inhibited the protection of the thick canopy of branches and leaves. It's true, the viburnum needed pruning that should be done right after the bloom - the shoemaker and her shoes - no time for my garden.
Mary Stone 03:15
Over the years, I prune the Viburnum Mariesii to become a small tree, and it takes some finesse. Its gracefully cascading branches from the multi stem trunk were stunning. Though without seasonal pruning, it can impede on the views from the bay window, though it also protects the afternoon sun from heating the house, I might add. Watching the broods of the robin families is well worth the lack of views of the rock garden. I didn't realize until it leafed out how disfigured the plant is. Now I could only enjoy the flowers from the second floor, where the lacy white blooms coat the branches, but I still enjoy the little white Angel petals when they drop to the ground. I'll restore my beloved shrub tree with tender, loving care and careful pruning. It's where my dear Sara, two dogs ago, once took her afternoon naps.
Mary Stone 04:06
So the robin family nested in the Juniperus rigida pendula, a weeping form of a needle Juniper. While protected on the sides, the nest, on the top of the small tree was exposed. I was worried about that, and sadly, the hatchlings were snagged. Gratefully, I didn't witness it, and I was comforted by watching a little brown bird, a song sparrow, successfully nest in the Vibram outside the screen porch. I sit here now and a robin flew into the same shrub to feed her brood, but I am jumping ahead in this story.
Mary Stone 04:37
Two weeks ago, I glanced up from my writing spot on the screened porch to see a robin in the beech tree - the sun augmenting her orange chest. I call her a she, maybe a he. They work together as a team. Perhaps he and she are the ones who built a nest in the viburnum. Jolee jumped onto the chair rail to take a look. Sure enough, a robin flew out of the viburnum as the one was sitting in the tree. I hope it's the same family whose first brood was snagged, making a fresh start. The little brown bird finished using her nest.
Mary Stone 05:10
After the first call with Jolee, we walked around the front to enjoy the brook. The day before I saw the robin in the beech tree, I looked into the little nest the surrounding leaves painted with white streaks, a bird takes flight and lands behind the neighboring shrub. Jolee goes for the chase. Leave it Jolee, he's just learning to fly. She returns to me knowingly. I recall when a song sparrow seemed to chase a robin family from nesting in the viburnum outside the kitchen window. Maybe this time, they offer the shrub as a safe haven for the robin family after their successful brood. A happy thought. Garden Dilemmas? AskMmaryStone.com.
Mary Stone 05:51
So, let's revisit the tale of the little brown bird from around Memorial Day in 2016 a holiday set aside in memory of those who served. It's heartwarming to see folks setting up their American flag, our symbol for the United States of America, especially given the divided state our country seems to be in, and still is after all these years. It's heartbreaking, isn't it? If I may share a story of an American Robin and the little brown bird, a song sparrow per mom's bird book. She always had one on hand to identify her feathered friends.
Mary Stone 06:25
Mr. and Mrs. Robin set up residence for nesting in the viburnum outside the kitchen window. They were fun to watch- each bringing in their yard debris collection to build the nest. During the rainy spell, I saw Mrs. Robin sitting in the nest. A cute little brown bird was in the Smoke Bush next door, maybe two coming and going. Then in the next day or so, Mrs. Robin was nowhere to be found. I noticed two feet from the robin's nest a smaller, tidier abode that was new to the scene. The tightly organized nest mirrored the compact body of the little bird who turns out to be the visiting brown bird from the smoke bush. It seems they may have bullied their way into the viburnum kicking Mr and Mrs Robin out. I didn't witness the invasion, though. Maybe they didn't argue. Perhaps the Robins just moved on. It seems there's plenty of room in the shrub to share. Though, the birds look different. They are very much the same. They need the same nourishment and water and have the same instincts to build a nest, to raise their families. And they have the same challenges, such as weather and invaders who may steal their eggs or young.
Mary Stone 07:31
I reached out to my birder buddy, Dennis, here in Blairstown. He is unsure if a song sparrow would have driven the robin away, as they were much smaller, but if it did, the robins will find another spot. It's comforting to know, but how joyful it would be to see them living in harmony in the same viburnum, united in one neighborhood, country and world. So, to think this family of song sparrows, generations later, may have encouraged Mr. and Mrs. Robin to take advantage of their successful nesting spot warms my heart, and I hope yours too.
Mary Stone 08:04
So thanks for coming by and joining me on the screen porch. I always appreciate our time together, and I hope you have as well. And if so, I would so appreciate if you could share the podcast with a friend or family member so more can join us in learning and growing in this garden of life - so that more of us can live in the philosophy that this is one world that we all share together, and we can do that peacefully. It starts in our own neighborhoods, our own communities, in our own yards. It starts at home. Thanks so much. See you next time.
Mary Stone 08:38
You can follow Garden Dilemmas on Facebook or online at Garden Dilemmas com and on Instagram at hashtag. Mary Elaine Stone. Garden Dilemmas, Delights and Discoveries is produced by Alex Bartling. Thanks for coming by. I look forward to chatting again from my screen porch, and always remember to embrace the unexpected in this garden of life, have a great day you.
