A long time ago, when I was 11 or so, I killed a robin redbreast in our backyard. I am not proud of it now and I was not proud of it back then either.
What happened was this. I was learning to become a catcher when I was playing in a Babe Ruth baseball league. I had learned to throw from behind the ear. A catcher has to learn how to throw or release the ball quickly if he wants to throw out the guy trying to steal 2nd base. So I practiced throwing from behind the ear. I was in my parent’s backyard and I had a pile of green apples that had fallen from our tree.
Suddenly, a robin flew down from the apple tree in front of me about 60 feet away and landed on the ground. I quickly picked up an apple, fired from behind my ear and nailed that bird. What I remember and can see even now in my mind is the bird flying up about two feet and then fell lifeless to the ground. It did not bounce up two feet, it actually flew on its own after being beaned – probably instinct – but that was it. When it fell, it was dead.
I felt terrible. I went in and told my mom. I told her I didn’t mean to kill the bird but I told her I would take out the shovel from the garage and give it a proper burial. I dug a hole, placed the bird in its grave, and covered it up.
I did learn a lesson from all this – I never again tried to kill any animal. I wanted to respect their lives, their habitat, their futures. It shook me that I had so easily taken a life and it was all an impulse, not a premeditated hunt or attack. I resolved to do better.
Yesterday, my wife and I noticed that a robin had built a nest on top of a lamp that illuminates our deck. I cannot tell you how protective I have become to that robin who sits on her eggs. We slowly went out on our deck and of course, the robin flew away like a dart abandoning her nest. It took some time but as the day progressed, she would see us come out and not fly away unless we got too close. So we kept a 20 foot distance – we moved our chairs and table closer to the sunroom to give her some space.
Cut to this morning and I’m finishing my coffee inside the house; we hadn’t ventured outside yet. And then I heard a cacophony of birds shrieking and I knew it was blue jays. I looked out the window and there were eight or so perched on a few branches across from the robin and they were yelling, taunting or just creating quite a stir. But they were all facing off against the robin and her eggs. Well, I remember my dad once told me when I was a boy that blue jays are nasty and aggressive and will steal eggs from another bird’s nest for food.
So, I came out from the sunroom and faced the screaming blue jays and raised one of our deck chairs over my head and began waving to startle them. Well, of course, I also startled Mrs. Robin, but this was chivalry. I was going to protect her from this marauding crowd. The blue jays flew off, continued squawking, then eventually flew off.
Mrs. Robin eventually came back and the blue jays stayed away. I do not know if we have reached an understanding. I just want her to know I will try to protect her and her eggs. Of course, when I leave for the gym or go for a bike ride or something else, anything might happen. But on my watch, I am going to atone for that life I took back in 1964.
It is now a few days later and the chicks have hatched. As I sit here on our deck and I am typing in these words, I look up and watch the robin feeding her chicks. There is not a blue jay in sight.
Chris Ebel
6/30/23
Photo credit: @oxnardo