[mou] Where are the robins?

[Thomas Maiello]

I just spent two weeks in eastern North Carolina and a bit in South 
Carolina since it was only 1 mile from the retreat center where I was 
teaching.  The first week I got to teach nature to 10 boys aged 8 to 14 
and then a week of girls aged 7 to 17.  It was magnificent with Eastern 
Towhees calling from the tree tops in one stand and Summer Tanagers 
calling from another, flocks of Wild Turkeys slowly grazing, Eastern 
Bluebirds and Eastern Kingbirds sharing a fence line for insects flying 
by, Yellow-billed Cuckoos feasting on tent caterpillars, a mating of 
Blue Grosbeaks cautiously hanging near a blueberry patch, Tufted Titmice 
as common as House Sparrow in Minneapolis, Carolina Chickadees with the 
sun letting me see deep midnight blue instead of black on their heads, a 
Pileated Woodpecker teasing my viewing around a huge oak tree, a 
solitary Indigo Bunting calling from a dead snag, the evenings filled 
with Chuck-Will's-Widow calls from all around, Turkey Vultures flying 
some 20 feet over our heads after snacking on a recent fox road kill and 
a dispatched copperhead snake, Belted Kingfishers calling their 
territory while we seined the Pacolet River, a Red-Tailed Hawk roosting 
on a bare pine limb to read the menu at a frog pond with at least 15 
different species of frogs from thumb size to a-good-foot-long greens, 
tentative Cardinals, Eastern Wood Peewees, small flocks of Blue-Gray 
Gnatcatchers playing tag in the briars, and many more.

When I got back though, after refilling the feeders, cleaning the baths, 
and watering, watering, watering, it came to me that there were no 
robins in my yard - none.  When I left they were lined up at the baths 
and eating suet and fruit and challenging me for my fishing worms I 
flood from the soil, and now none.  I think I saw one, only one fly by 
near a neighbor's house but none in my yard.  Heck, they are even here 
in winter as of late.  Anyone have any idea where they went or if you 
have noticed their absence also?  Maybe they just can't stand to have me 
not watch them and decided to follow me east.  Let's see, at around 
1,100 miles at robin flying speed, say 12 miles per hour, add in 
hundreds of breaks to eat and rest and drink, account for heat and 
weather, then the return flight.  Hmmmm.  Maybe I will see them in 
September.

Did I mention the South Carolina peaches were in season?  Yum and 
dripping with juice.  Suck in while eating or wear the juice - my 
favorite fruit in July.

Thomas Maiello
Spring Lake Park