How To Photograph a Robin's Nest

Several people have commented asking how I am able to take pictures of the baby robins that I've posted a few times. I'll attempt to provide some step-by-step instructions here.

First, plant a crabapple tree like this one.

This is Malus 'Guinevere', one of the first ornamental trees I planted 10 years ago.

Let the tree grow for a few years until it has this nice, natural "nest platform" formed where the main branches were grafted on to a standard. This platform is about four and half feet from the ground.

Then wait for a robin to find this perfect nesting platform and build a nest. Wait, wait, wait.

Once there's a nest, to get the picture, you crouch down to get under the tree branches, then carefully raise yourself up between the branches. This part is kind of tricky because if you mis-judge where a branch is above you, you can hit your head on it

Then, with camera in hand, raise your arms up above the nest and snap some pictures.

This is how the babies look tonight, catching a few rays of the early evening sun.
You need to be kind of quick about the process because the whole time you are taking the pictures, Mama Robin is perched nearby squawking and flapping her wings to try to scare you away.

I don't think it will be too much longer before these birdies leave this nest and fly off to start their own families next spring.

That's why I went ahead and picked these strawberries this evening. They are a little undersized because of the lack of rain, and I might have left them another day to ripen just a bit more. But then I might have lost them to the birds and bunnies.

This way, they were mine, all mine! And good, too! Just a little tart, yet a little sweet, and perfect because they came from my own garden.