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March into Spring
March into Spring
American Robin
by Wilhelm J. Goebel
17" by 24"
Framed Size 27" by 34"
| A/P
Limited Edition of 56 $85.00 |
Framed in Walnut Frame with Gold Lip Shown Above $273.00 |
| Framed in Oak Frame Click Here To See Frames $273.00 |
Framed in Classic Walnut Click Here To See Larger $273.00 |
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each individual print and is not always the color shown here.
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print is framed using Conservation Acid Free & Lignin Free,
Alkaline pH buffered mat board & backing.
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In conservation framing, We use
only Museum Quality materials and procedures
that will have no adverse
effects on a piece of artwork and will protect the artwork from
external damage.
March is a time of change. Winter days begin to fade, and throughout the countryside the earth begins to awaken from its long winter dormancy. I have always been inspired by this time of year, as it gives me fresh images for new paintings.
Here in the northeast, collecting maple sap is an annual ritual-one that usually begins around the first week of March, depending, of course, on such factors as the weather. The sap is later boiled down into the sweet liquid gold we all know as maple syrup.
I had this image in mind for over three years. It
took an early spring trip to central New York State during the
height of the sap run to finally excite me enough to paint it.
The scene reflects March as I see it with damp, misty air, the
run of melting snow, crows winging from one field to the next,
and among it all, a robin perched atop a sap bucket forecasting
the new season ahead.
Found in southern Canada from Newfoundland to British Columbia,
throughout most of the United States and extending southward
through Mexico to Guatemala. The Robin is migratory, with the
entire population shifting south in the autumn.
Robins are large thrushes, 9-11" in length. They are brown
above, reddish on the breast, and white on the lower belly and
under tail feathers. Their throats are white, streaked with black.
Females are slightly duller and paler in color than males. Young
juveniles have dark spots on their breasts and are also paler in
color than the adult males.
American Robins feed on a mixture of both wild and cultivated
fruits, berries, earthworms, and insects such as beetle grubs,
caterpillars, and grasshoppers. The Robin is flexible and will
turn to whichever food is most readily accessible, although the
diet generally consists of approximately 40% invertebrates, 60%
fruits and berries.
Breeds in the spring shortly after returning from the migration
to their more northerly habitat. Breeding season is from April
through July. The Robin is one of the first birds to begin laying
eggs and normally has two or three broods. The cup-shaped nest is
built by the female, who builds the outer foundation with long
coarse grass, twigs, paper and feathers woven together. She lines
the inner bowl with mud, smearing it with her breast and later
adding fine grass or other soft material to cushion her eggs. The
nest is located on the ground or high up in trees, but most
commonly 5 to 15 feet above ground in a dense bush, in the crotch
of trees, on on window ledges or other human structures. All that
is needed for the nest is a firm support and overhead protection
from rain. In northern areas, the first brood is generally raised
in a coniferous evergreen tree or shrub, and the later one or two
broods in a deciduous tree. Usually three to five blue-green eggs
are laid and incubated by the female for a period of about 14
days. She continues brooding the chicks while they are very
young, then later doing so only during bad weather and at night.
The male assists only by collecting material for the nest and
sometimes feeding the chicks.
The Robin is migratory, and during migration robins assemble in
large flocks established at night roosts, often in a secluded
swamp. These roosts can become quite enormous in the southern
part of the robin's range, breaking up to feed in small flocks on
fruits and berries. There is much rivalry between the males,
especially during the breeding season. The robin uses its voice
as its main form of communication. It produces a variety of
sounds, some loud and piercing that signify alarm, others
high-pitched hissing sounds associated with scolding, call notes
and a melodic song.
Woodlands, gardens, orchards, lawns to fields. The robin needs
some open ground to forage for food, and some woodland or a few
scattered trees and shrubs for nesting and roosting.
The Robin is an effective aid in controlling unwanted insects
such as beetles from overpopulating and becoming invasive pests
in the areas in which we live and work.
Part of the bird's diet may include berries, which can affect the
amount of berries harvested every year by cultivators. It has
also been reported that male Robins have pecked at and damaged
window panes, windshields, hubcaps, and other polished surfaces,
apparently reacting to their own reflections.
The Robin is quite a successful bird, having been able to adapt
to human alteration of the landscape. At one time, it was a game
bird in some southern States, and its meat was considered a
delicacy. It is now protected throughout its entire range.
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