Playing with a Robin

I'm not sure if this little girl is watching a robin or if it's a bluebird or maybe some other kind of bird, but the one I interacted with tonight was indeed a robin.

I was watering the plants outside with the hose and trying to revive our burned out lawn. I was swishing the hose back and forth on the grass when a plump, male robin landed and began pecking at the grass. I figured the water had called an earthworm to the top of the soil and Mr. Robin was trying to make a feast of it.

I very gently moved the hose so the water would land near the robin. When I did instead of him moving away, he moved right into the spray. I kept the hose still and let him have a bath. It was a hot day today and I figured he needed to cool off.

We played a game for a while. I would move the hose and he would hop into the spray. I would move it back and he would follow. He looked right at me and knew that I was there. Dakota was also outside lying beneath the stairs that goes to the upstairs apartment. The robin didn't seem to mind that either of us were close by.

For about ten minutes we played the game and then I guess Mr. Robin had cooled off because he spread his wings and flew onto the railing of the neighbor's porch. What an awesome experience it was getting so close and knowing that the bird was enjoying our time of interaction.