Bird in the Bush

It is said that a bird in the hand is preferred to one in the bush.  I'm not so sure of that.  That is because the big, overgrown, tangle of a rose bush growing on the south side of the garage is typically home to some bird that constructs a nest in it every spring.  The last few years it has been American Robins.  This year is this....

A cup nest carefully constructed of twigs that I first noticed on Saturday.  And in the nest was already a single egg.  If you click on the image for a closer look you will note that it is a pale blue egg with brown markings.






I paid close attention to the nest Saturday afternoon to observe who would return. At one point I startled the occupant who with a flash of dull red darted to the apple tree alongside the driveway.  After it returned I observed a bird that was slightly larger than a Robin, that sported a long tail, a long bill, a rusty red back with a white breast and belly with black streaks.

It is a Brown Thrasher - Toxostoma rufum.

And on Sunday there were two eggs... 

click on images for a closer look

 

We're going to be grandparents....