By now you have probably heard of “failure to launch,” applied to adult children who have finished college and are now living in the basement of their parents’ houses, content to be housed, clothed and fed by their parents. For the last 36 hours we had the chance to observe the same phenomenon in the last of the three robin babies. The other two had flown away without our notice. However, this last one sat forlornly at the edge of the nest, hoping against hope that food would come her way. It had always worked before, so why wasn’t it working now? Meanwhile the adult robins were nowhere to be seen, though their persistent encouraging tweets came in a constant stream from across the yard. They were in a stand off, the adults refusing to came over, the baby refusing to leave the nest. Some time between 10 and 11 this morning the baby finally conceded and flew off.
The time one of our dogs had puppies, the process seemed a little more gradual. The mother did stop nursing, but she spent time jumping down off the couch onto the unsuspecting pups. Since she was a terrier, I figured she was teaching the babies how to pounce on prey. Eventually they caught on and pounced on her and each other. Satisfied that they were ready to leave home, she didn’t fuss when each was adopted.
Theodore Roethke has a line of poetry, “I learn by going where I have to go.” I guess that is the way for robins. They have to learn to fly by flying. No flight lessons for them. They have to launch themselves or go hungry. Flying looks much less daunting on an empty stomach!
Saved By Words 
Well done to the recaltricant robin; she made the leap in the end. We’ve been watching a family of great tits – post due out soon.
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I was half afraid I would find her flat on the deck below.
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I was half afraid I would find her flat on the deck below.
I had never heard of great tits and looked them up on line. Fortunately I have a filter to prevent porn showing up!
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Glad to hear there were no casualties. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Happy to know you are once again an empty nester. 😊
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I hope they nest there again next year.
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My chicks were all keen to leave first time around, but they’ve all come back at some time or another. That’s in spite of me downsizing, remarrying, changing my name and moving away. They still find me when they need housing and feeding.
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Too funny!
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I was walking down the road once when something to the left caught my eye. It was a young robin who must have been on his first flight headed straight for my head. I didn’t know birds could look panicked, but we started eye to eye until he was able to raise himself. First flights can be scary for a variety of reasons!
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What a sight. I was sorry I didn’t get to see that last bird take wing.
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A lovely post, Elizabeth. I think you are right about being hungry. We over protect our children and make to many concessions for them [not all of us, I am generalising]. Why leave home, when you have everything you need at home?
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A lot of that is going on in the U.S. Young adults even post when they do something they call “adulting” like paying a bill.
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“failure to launch” and “leaving the nest” phenomena….Your opening anecdote made me realize that I have never had the privilege to witness this in nature!
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It is amazing how many expressions have their origin in actual events in nature.
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