The First Robin

“Look, there’s a Robin!”, Irene exclaims excitedly.

I join her at the window and sure enough there is no mistaking it, a solitary red-breasted robin has landed in our front yard, the first sighting of 2007. This first messenger of spring should show some excitement at the prospect of another season in the north but it just stands there, head raised and looked around in some confusion.

“He’s not sure if he is really in the right place”, I remark.

The robin runs forward ten paces before he stops. He stands, glances around, hoping the scenery might change for the better - no such luck!

“Poor fellow needs snowshoes”, says Irene. “He probably thinks his navigation is a bit off.”

With head raised, it gives us another look before it takes flight into the spruce trees bordering the lake. It is windy and still chilly out there for April 29th. The Robin is not early and I am sure he is home for the summer but this is surely one of the more dismal arrivals he has had in the years he’s been coming here.

The robin is a treasured messenger of spring. It does characterize a messenger or courier in the way it delivers the message, winging down, running forward and raising its head and pausing to ensure that it has your attention.

“Here I am, it’s spring!”

Each summer a number of the birds nest and raise their young around our house. The pleasant and comforting melody of their evening song caps a treasured summer day. I believe that a number of the birds are regulars and return each year to feast on our multitude of bugs, spiders and things and to raise their young in the pleasant surroundings of Lake Laberge. The young are mobile within 14 days out of the egg and the parent birds raise at least two batches before again heading south.

Our calendar is marked; the first Robin arrived in our front yard at 11:30 AM on April 30, 2007. A momentous affair.