American Robin gobbling down a Crabapple – Nikon D500, f6.3, 1/4000, ISO 640, +1.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
You might wonder why I decided to use an American Robin photo on my Thanksgiving post today and I will explain how I picked this image.
Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful and I am grateful to American Robins because as a little girl it was nesting robins feeding their chicks that propelled me into a lifelong passion for birds. Bird photography came later in life after raising my own young. Without seeing those robins tending to their young I may not have become so passionate about birds. So even though I have hundreds (upon hundreds) of Wild Turkey images I could have shared here today I wanted to honor the robins that brought me the gift of the love of birds.
This photo also shows the American Robin gobbling down a ripe crabapple that in a way looks like a cranberry. Maybe that is a stretch, maybe it’s not.
American Robin with one white tail feather – Nikon D500, f6.3, 1/5000, ISO 640, +1.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
As the year 2020 winds down I feel like this Thanksgiving is unlike any other in the history of this country that we have ever faced. It has been a year of tremendous hardship, turmoil and sacrifice. We’ve had the pandemic, political and societal unrest, and at times it has felt as if our country was being attacked from within. Here in Utah March started out shaky because of a large earthquake that had us all ready to run for safety and on edge 24/7 while in other areas of the country the weather battered us and throughout the west fires scorched the earth. 2020 has been a year that volumes will be written about in history books and that will likely not be forgotten.
When I was looking for the first American Robin photo to share in this Thanksgiving message a photo caught my eye and I saw an anomaly in the tail of another American Robin I had photographed the same day as the first robin that I hadn’t noticed before. The robin in the second photo had been dive-bombed by a starling and lifted its tail in response to the attack. How I missed seeing that the robin had one white tail feather is beyond me because I am usually very observant.
I wanted to include the photo of the American Robin with one leucistic tail feather simply because it is an anomaly and I believe that the year 2020 is as well. We’ll get back on track.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my American Robin photos plus facts and information about this species.
Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving! I went birding today around the area but only saw one robin!
Thank you for your wonderful photos and informative stories. Happy Thanksgiving to you!
Love your photo – and your philosophy.
A very, very Happy Thanksgiving – to you and to all your readers. A Happy and a safe Thanksgiving.
How apt that your descriptive-of-2020 image is also a butt shot. 😂 Thank you for the beautiful American Robins to start my day.
Wishing everyone peace, love, and social distancing on this Thanksgiving day!
I’m sure we all like the idea of 2020 being an anomaly….and almost gone. Thank you for all the lovely photos and bird facts over the past year, it’s been nice to look forward to my “bird in the inbox” Happy Thanksgiving everyone
Happy Thanksgiving! We have American Robins that overwinter in the Niagara area. We see them eating berries during the winter. I was surprised to see them eating berries and cherries in late summer as well. Maybe their tastes are changing.
Love this, Mia! Thank you for all your beautiful photos and interesting facts. They often add a breath of fresh air to my day! Happy Thanksgiving!