Why Should I Write About Robins?

 “I think you ought to write about robins,” Mike said randomly one day. Robins! Why in the world would he think robins!  Robins are just--there.  They are one of the most common birds around Anderson and across the entire country - just look at a range map in a field guide or on the internet.  Everywhere. 

 

While thinking about robins, I contacted a bird photographer acquaintance to see if he had a robin photo.  He doesn’t have one, because “I guess I took them too much for granted.”  Exactly.  Why should I write about robins, when other people are unimpressed, and many other species are so much more unusual and interesting?

 

Maybe I’ve never been too excited about robins because their appearance is somewhat nondescript--just dark grey and dull orange.  However, at least one robin color could simply be personal prejudice.  At the risk of alienating some readers -- Mike and I are not too crazy about the color orange, if you get my drift.  

 

I remember as a child of four or five looking out our front window at a robin on our lawn, and my mother explaining to me that they were one of the first birds of spring in our Illinois yard.  Even though in more northern states they’re considered to be harbingers of warmer weather, here in South Carolina we see them year round.  January robins don’t exactly impress us that spring is about to arrive.

 

Robins do have a pretty song, which like most birds is most often heard in the spring.  Their song is similar to a bluebird’s, because both are thrushes, a bird family known for melodic singing.  They are familiar sights in urban yards, running short distances and then stopping to look and listen for worms.  We all have a mental picture from childhood storybooks of a robin pulling up a worm from the ground--even if it’s not something that we actually observe very often.  

 

Which leads me back to the question:  “Why should I write about robins?”  I asked Mike.

 

“Well, look at them,” he said as he glanced over our rain-soaked yard.  Robins were everywhere, spread out over the lawn.  Each was intently working its area, watching and listening for dinner.  “They’re perfect to write about now.  They’re great examples.”

 

I looked at him through unconvinced eyes, wondering again what kind of crazy idea was going through his mind.  “And in what possible way are robins good examples?!” I asked.

 

“They’re smarter than you think.  They’re great at social distancing.”

 

And sure enough, they were perfectly spaced out, at least six feet apart, as if they were following the rules.  Socially correct birds - a perfect topic for these COVID days.  I think I’ll write about robins.