Baby Time

Meeting the world in wide-eyed wonder: American robin fledgling (click to enlarge)

When I stopped to watch this fledgling robin on our lawn yesterday, an anxious mother called out a loud, sharp, repeated alarm. I had my camera in hand and squatted down to photograph the youngster, but I had to be fast. Sure enough, I managed just one frame before it responded to its mom’s commands and raced unsteadily through the garden fence, away from the scary human.

It’s definitely baby time around here. I was in a hurry yesterday and almost stepped on another young robin, standing motionless in the middle of a path. Later in the day I watched a Purple finch father in rapid motion, feeding three hopping, noisy fledglings atop one or our garden trellises.

Other, much quieter babies are in the offing. For a few days now, our young doe, Elgie, has been absent – which likely means she’s busy in the forest, welcoming new fawns into the world and figuring out how to do her best to protect and nurture them. We look forward to meeting them once she feels ready to introduce us.

Ah, Baby Time: that delightful season of new beginnings and wide-eyed wonder.

**Today is World Environment Day, which this year marks the launch of the UN’s Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Rewilding our lawns and gardens, growing trees, greening cities, cleaning up our coasts – each can be a step towards making peace with nature, today and all year round. Learn more about World Environment Day.