Eye to eye

A juvenile robin (thanks, Pica, for helping me to identify him!) in the grapevine outside my kitchen window this evening, eating the ripe grapes. I got a good look at him with my binoculars, and as I watched, he plucked a grape, held it briefly in his bill, then—gulp!—down it went. It was so wonderful to see him so clearly without disturbing him in the slightest. I don't have a camera with a telephoto lens, so I wasn't able to take a picture, but I did find this one on the Web; it's close, but doesn't show the beautiful markings on the back of "my" fine young fellow . . .


I'm off to Oregon early tomorrow morning to do a week-long bicycle trip. Hope the robin is still around when I get back. There ertainly are plenty of grapes for him to eat.