I’m excited to share this one with you. It just came together kind of magically. I don’t often get good shots of birds to work from but, as you can see, this robin mother was a captive subject. After some time passed, it was so much fun to see the young emerge and learn how to use their wings. They hopped/flew about the garden, loudly demanding worms.
I’m reminded of a story my ecology professor told us about a robin he observed. She’d made her nest near a pond, and had to fly over the pond to get worms to bring back to the nest. As he watched, he saw a fish come to the surface and open its mouth as they sometimes do. The robin, flying over with a full beak, must have been triggered by the gaping mouth so she swooped down and stuffed the worm into the fish’s mouth! Can you imagine what the fish thought? “Wow! All I have to do is hang around with my mouth open and food appears?!”
Robin’s Redoubt
Original painting of a robin on her nest. 10x10" wide gallery-wrap canvas with orange painted edges. Free shipping anywhere in the US.
$250.00
That’s a great story about the robin and the fish, and a good example to show that instinct rather than reason drives many behaviors in animals.
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Yes which begs the question, what drives the behaviors of humans? Not reason, surely.
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Do I detect cynicism? While people do many things that are hard to understand, we also often use reason in a way that no other animal can. That’s especially so for abstract reasoning, like forming complicated sentences and solving mathematical equations.
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You might indeed detect cynicism. People who are capable of forming complex sentences or solving mathematical equations are thin on the ground around here but it is good to be reminded that they do exist.
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Even the brainpower required to understand and solve a simple implied equation like “What do you have to add to 3 to make 8?” sets us apart from other animals. As for sentences, “complex” doesn’t have to mean “elegant” or “literary.” We all use complex sentences. For example: “The car you sold me last year got its rear bumper dented yesterday.”
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Ok, point taken.
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hahaha! The Early fish got the worm from the bird!! That’s a great story. The painting is lovely.
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Hahah, yeah, smart fish! Thanks, Deborah.
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Right!
Your posts aren’t coming to my email anymore I have to check in on the reader to find you. I don’t know what changed. ?
I hope you don’t think I have forsaken you, because I have not! Your Swallowtail Painting is right in front of me everyday which reminds me of you everyday!
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I haven’t forsaken you, either! It’s funny, I was just thinking about that painting, and how it winged its way to you. I was really touched by that. Likewise, your posts don’t come to me either anymore and I confess I don’t remember to check my reader. WordPress stopped delivering most of the sites I used to read. I need to go through and refollow.
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I just tried to subscribe and it told my I failed. It doesn’t like my email address, which hasn’t changed. Odd.
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I like the tangle of branches and the robin’s steady gaze – both rendered beautifully in your painting.
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Thank you, Tom.
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I have photos similar to this scene, but I could never paint it. It’s full of tenderness and beauty, Melissa. That poor Mama Robin must have afterward wondered why her babies were still so hungry!
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Thank you Tanja. I had this photo for a couple of years before I was ready to try to paint it. It worked to do it in a looser manner than I used to use. Oh I know, that poor robin was probably pretty ragged before she realized she’d been feeding a fish!
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I love this painting, the robin looks neat, calm, and at home, surrounded by the labyrinth of branches. And that’s a great story. I have relatives like that bird, who think anyone under the age of 30 is probably starving, and immediately start hauling out snacks & coldcuts, or warming something up to “tide you over”
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LOL my son had to rein me in when he had friends over. Suddenly the Italian mother in me came out 😀
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Is it my imagination, or has mama robin been decorating her nest? Is that a little flower I see peeking over the edge?
I do love robins, and always have. This is a lovely portrayal of a winsome bird and a magical process.
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I KNEW you’d notice! I thought of you when I was painting this, remembering you mentioning robins wistfully.
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I log on for the first time in 12 months and what a treat. A superb bird painting and a great story to go with it. I may log on again! Hope all is well with you.
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Andrew! I’ve missed you so much I’ve been tempted to reactivate my facebook page. Thank you~I’m so pleased you like my little painting and story.. Things are just fine with me. My little westie continues his work terrier-izing the neighborhood. I hope all is well with you. I’ve been anxious about the reports we see here about unrest in Hong Kong.
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