Robin chicks
June is the season for cute baby birds in the garden - in this case a speckled, fluffy robin chick.
20 June, 2010
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Editor's Choice, Historical Novels Review, August 2009
Available from: Wordery.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, Amazon.de, Amazon.ca, The Book Depository (free worldwide shipping)
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BBC Radio Suffolk interview.
Review on Reviewer's Choice
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Top 5 Best History/Historical Fiction blogs, Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2009
A blog mainly about researching, writing and reading historical fiction, and anything else that interests me. You can read my other articles and novels on my website at www.CarlaNayland.org
Books
Editor's Choice, Historical Novels Review, August 2009
Available from: Wordery.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, Amazon.de, Amazon.ca, The Book Depository (free worldwide shipping)
E-book version in various formats (Kindle, EPUB (for Sony Reader), Palm )available from Smashwords.
Signed copies available direct from author (limited stock), email for details.
BBC Radio Suffolk interview.
Review on Reviewer's Choice
Review on Historical Novels Info
Awards
Top 5 Best History/Historical Fiction blogs, Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2009
About Me
- Carla
- I'm a scientist with an interest in history, particularly the history of Britain in the 5th-10th centuries AD (i.e. between the departure of Rome and the Norman invasion). I write scientific journal articles, for which I get paid, and historical and fantasy fiction, for which I don't. I'm a keen hillwalker, though I live in the flatlands of East Anglia. I'm a devotee of BBC Radio 4, the network that justifies the license fee all by itself. Carla Nayland is a pen name.
Blogs I read
- Alex's Historical Fiction (archives only)
- Alianore (blog about Edward II)
- Ancient Musings (Meghan)
- Anne Gilbert
- Barbara Martin
- Bard's Nest
- Bernita Harris
- Christina Croft
- Constance
- CW Gortner
- Dorothy Dunnett blog, run by Bill Marshall
- Early Medieval Britain
- Elizabeth Chadwick
- Esmeralda's Cumbrian History and Folklore
- Grumpy Old Bookman
- Historical Fiction Online
- History Buff
- Hitting the Books (Nessili)
- Jack Dixon
- John Baker's Blog
- Katherine Christensen
- Lady Despenser's Scribery
- Lucy Ann White
- Martyn's York Diary (archives only)
- Memorabilia Antonina
- Metaxu Cafe
- Nan Hawthorne
- Passages to the Past (Amy)
- Reading Adventures (Marg)
- Reading the Past (Sarah Johnson)
- Reviewers' Choice Book Blog
- Rocketpunk Manifesto (Rick)
- Sally Wilde
- Sarah's Bookarama
- Scott Oden
- Senchus
- Ship Burial Novel
- Steven Till
- Susan Higginbotham
- Tanzanite's Shelf (Daphne)
- Tea at Trianon (Elena)
- Tenth-century Europe
- The Lost Fort
- Trifolium Books UK
- Wordcarving
12 comments:
Awww.
Now, there's a competiton for Constance's corgies. :)
It is practically mandatory to say 'Awwww.' (We've had fledgelings hopping around our garden lately, too.)
Are these a different breed from 'robin redbreast,' or is that only a characteristic of adults?
Cuuuute!
Sweet, aren't they?
These are 'robin redbreast' chicks. The red breast is a characteristic of adults (both sexes). The young birds gradually develop the red breast from about three months old, so these will start to develop it towards the end of this summer. Robins are territorial all year, sometimes quite aggressively so, and the red breast is a signal that this is a potential rival and should be attacked. So not having the red breast is a sort of protective measure for the youngsters while they are growing up.
I hadn't seen Gabriele's comment before I wrote mine! :-)
The evolutionary aspect is fascinating, from the chicks not having the red breast to its role in territoriality. Like a flag, it identifies adults as targets, but also asserts a claim of ownership.
I moderated both comments together, so they appeared at the same time - coincidence that you both said the same!
Yes, the red breast acts rather like a flag.
It might just be this individual chick, but the speckles seem to be more pronounced than on the robins around my neck of the woods.
My parents have a small pond in their back yard (AKA, The Place Where Koi Go To Die) that the local robins love. The robins figured out a long time ago that the family cat is an utterly hopeless hunter. They don't even bother dive-bombing the cat any more. She'll be in the back yard and the robins will fly right on down and start bathing. Drives her crazy.
Individuals do vary, and also the speckles seem to become less pronounced as the chicks get older.
Robins are pretty adept at figuring out when humans/pets/etc are really a threat and when they can be either safely ignored or followed around as a likely source of food. Very savvy little birds, or at least they give that impression.
I'm afraid that all I can say is 'Awwwwww!' ;-) Absolutely adorable.
Kathryn - well, as Rick said, it's practically compulsory :-)
I have very similar photos that I took two weeks ago. I love birds...we had two male goldfinches at a feeder today.
Hello Sharon and welcome! Goldfinches are lovely birds.
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