Finally, Singing Robins!

Saturday morning my husband and I went to our local seed exchange organized by Project Grow at The Leslie Science Center in Ann Arbor. Snow, snow, snow, all 7.5 inches of it, was everywhere, and so were robins! We saw dozens at The Leslie Science Center, hopping, flying, and fluttering from ground to shrubs to trees. It was a sight to see on the glorious sunny day. However, not one was singing. Not one! When were they going to announce to the world that winter was done (snow or no snow) and spring has truly begun?

Flash forward to this evening. As my husband and I stepped outside to say good-bye to my mother before she drove home after spending Easter day with us, we finally heard our first robin of the year just singing his heart out from the tippy top of the tree across the street. It was a lovely and beautiful way to end the day, knowing that spring was finally ready to surge forward.

Now that Ann Arbor has set a record for the most snow during the season (and for the month of March!), maybe the snow gods will pay attention to the second memo sent by my husband that says "We've had enough. No more snow! We're not going to take it anymore until November!

There is nothing more fun to watch than a robin splashing away with vigor in a birdbath. Although there will be plenty of puddles of melting snow everywhere for a while, I hope they find the birdbath in my backyard soon, all nicely cleaned and heated for them (so much more inviting than a puddle of melted snow - at least to my way of thinking!)

Ending with a very apropo blessing:

Thank you for the flowers so sweet,
Thank you for the food we eat,
Thank you for the birds that sing,
Thank you, Earth, for everything.
~~Author unknown

Diana Dyer, MS, RD