That Awkward Adolescent Phase

I almost tripped over this little critter before it took wing and perched on a nearby branch:





I didn't use the zoom on my 2 megapixel phone camera- the boid just sat on it's perch within three feet of my meaty paw. I don't know if it was too young to fear me, or too much of an aeronautical n00b to get the hell away. The spots on the breast of this American robin (Turdus migratorius) indicate that it is a juvenile. The American robin, not to be confused with the European robin (a variety of non-related birds share the name "robin" in the Anglophone world), is a thrush, so if you encounter one cracking snail shells while rock-climbing, look for secret doors in the cliff face.