and the Voice of the Robin ...

... can be quite loud. It's finally spring in Ottawa, there is no turning back.

Walking along the recently filled Rideau Canal, we can hear the (loud) song of a male American Robin (Turdus migratorious L.) coming from the direction of the Tiffany Apartments (1954) at 150 Queen Elizabeth Driveway.

Our vocalist's territory has been well-chosen. He sings from a tall Burr Oak (red arrows) but he and his eventual mate will likely nest in the adjacent Blue Spruce (blue arrows), the dense needles of which offer protection from predators. Neighbourhood lawns will provide many succulent worms for growing chicks — and all the while, the angled front walls of the Tiffany form a sort of parabolic reflector to ensure that his song is heard by EVERYONE.

Watercolour by J.J. Audubon, early 19th century