Two days later, I was pruning the grape branches in my garden trellis. But every time I pruned near the nest, I left the branches alone to grow, allowing the leaves to grow thick around the nest. I was thinking that the leaves and branches would block the scorching sun and keep the nest hidden from potential predators. This was a snug, lovely place on my grape trellis and I was proud that the robins seemed right at home.
Every day I quietly observed the bird's nest on the grape rack in my backyard. I was regularly seeing both the Mother and Father birds. They were busy flying back and forth and communicated by tweeting and chirping. I observed that both birds took turns sitting on the eggs. I always took a detour to my vegetable garden to give them some room.
The following three weeks were three of the hottest weeks in the history of Toronto. There was no rain and every day the temperature was between 30 to 35 degrees. The birds looked as though the heat made it difficult to breathe. As I stepped outside in this hot summer it seemed like I was entering a stove.
Although the bright sunshine made it hard to see, one day I noticed that the male bird was no longer sitting in the nest, but was standing on the edge of the nest, and busily working on something in the nest with his beak. I was surprised to see this and told my neighbour. The two of us stood side by side, across our fence, looking up at the bird's nest under the vine. There we were, talking loudly about the bird's behavior, guessing that the male bird was helping a baby bird out of the egg-shell. We were right under the nest, but the father bird just continued with his busy work. The robins had become used to the presence of my neighbour and myself and did not appear concerned about us at all.
Two days later, we could now definitely tell that the eggs had hatched. The baby birds could be heard cheeping, and I saw that the adult birds were very busy. The parents worked very well together– one bird in the nest would suddenly take off just at the moment that the other was returning. The birds always returned with a mouthful of insects or worms, quickly flying to the nest to feed the baby birds who were waiting with their heads up and their mouths open in expectation of a meal.
It was at this time that my curiosity again got the better of me! I wanted to take a look and see those baby birds more clearly. I waited for a time when both adult birds were away from the nest, and quickly fetched my step ladder.
Just as I was standing up on the ladder, the two big birds flew back and were angrily chirping. They flew very low swooping by my head! I was so frightened that I almost fell off the ladder. I screamed, and disturbed the neighbour’s dog! The dog began barking and the birds shrieked more loudly and the whole backyard became lively, so that my neighbours on both sides rushed out to ask what had happened.
Now, three neighbors and I stood in the backyard watching the birds. The two robins were flying back and forth and constantly chirping, as if they were scolding me, and comforting their babies, don’t be afraid, Mom and Dad are back!” The three of us were relieved to see the male fly back to the nest, and I went back inside my home, but my hands and feet were trembling because I had this new, thrilling experience. But at the same time, I felt rather guilty for intruding on the bird’s home!
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Su Yurong graduated from the Yunnan Academy of Arts, and went on to an illustrious career of over 20 years in the theatre. She acted in a great number of dramatic roles which brought her to audiences in theatres across China.
Yurong has also broadcast dozens of radio dramas and dozens of literary works on the Yunnan Radio Station. Su Yurong has won national awards for her work in Yunnan.
She now resides in Toronto, Canada.
Dave Page, Teacher, Writer, Community Literacy Educator
Dave Page has been working as a teacher and community leader for over thirty years. He has a passion for community based literacy work, has written many resources on teaching, and is an award winning story-teller.
Currently, Dave works with families in Toronto where he has worked in Early Literacy programs with Yu Rong Su. Dave first read Yu Rong’s story “A Nest In the Garden” in the summer of 2020, shortly after her back garden robin family had flown away.
“I was so moved by Yu Rong’s story because it is not only her record of the five weeks in which the robin family moved into her garden, but is also a story of the bond that occurred between neighbours who watched this particular family of robins. Yu Rong’s observations, her love of nature, and her wonderful sense of humour make this a story that will be enjoyed by readers all over the world.”
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