Hi,
This is Stefania,
And we're back with some more bedtime bird stories.
Some of you have said that you like stories about birds,
So here we go.
This one is about robins.
The robins open a spring shop.
The robins,
Having left their warm winter home,
Had settled near a great big lovely park,
Said Daddy.
Now one of the robins happened to be a very practical old bird.
He suggested that they shouldn't spend all their time singing,
Especially now before the summer came.
Then he thought it was all right to play and sing all day.
But it would be nicer now,
He thought,
To do a little work.
The old robin's idea was that certain robins every morning should start out and dig for worms,
For then they could get more than they wanted and could help supply the flocks and flocks of newcomers.
Then other robins could go into the woods and get the new little berries that had just come up,
And the rest of the robins would keep a shop in the biggest tree of the park.
All the birds would do their shopping there in the most central place.
All the robins agreed that it would be an excellent plan and so much better than idling away all their time.
As soon as a new flock of birds would come to the park,
The other birds would tell them about the shop of the robins,
And off they would fly to it,
And such good things as the robins had in their shop.
It kept them pretty busy,
Hurrying around to get enough provisions to last for all their customers as well as themselves.
But they thoroughly enjoyed being so busy and decided that there was nothing in the world like work.
At night they would feel so much better than if they'd been idle,
Doing nothing all day,
And then they felt as if they had really been doing some good,
For it was a great,
Great help to all the other birds.
You can imagine how they wouldn't be able to find things so quickly and they wouldn't know right away where the softest earth was so as to dig for the worms.
Of course,
Some of the early bird families did arrive as early as the robins,
But the robins were the thoughtful and unselfish ones who thought of the other birds.
Did they charge anything for the things they sold?
Asked Jack.
No,
Said Daddy,
The old robin said that birds should never charge each other anything,
And besides,
They really felt that the work was doing them good,
And then that they'd enjoy the summer all the more.
And the other birds certainly did appreciate what the robins were doing for them.
The shop of the robins grew to be just like a daily party,
For all the birds would fly there every day just about the same time,
And after they had picked out the berries and the worms that struck their fancies that they liked,
They'd stay around and chirp and chat with the robins and each other.
And that's the story of the robin shop.
Pretty busy bunch of birds.
And now we've got another story.
The Successful Concert of the Chickadees.
Evelyn was very fond of little chickadees,
And she was so pleased when Daddy said that he was going to tell them a story about the chickadees that evening.
You know,
Commenced Daddy,
The chickadees had a concert the other evening for the other birds.
They sent out invitations on petals of flowers,
And on the petals they made little holes with their beaks.
They made six holes,
Meaning that the concert would begin at six o'clock.
Exactly at six they all arrived.
They were all invited to perch on the nearby apple tree and pear trees,
And the chickadees hopped about on the grass below.
Then the concert began.
First,
One little chickadee sang a very sweet little solo,
Which won a great deal of applause.
The choruses were enjoyed tremendously,
Too,
And the refrain of,
Chickadee dee,
Chickadee dee,
Was lovely,
The other birds thought.
But,
As you can imagine,
The chickadee knew that it was the fashion to have special features at concerts,
Or at least one special feature.
So,
As a surprise,
Just before the last number,
Which was a chorus of all the chickadees,
A special feature was announced by the leader of the concert.
We are to have,
Said the chickadee leader,
A different number from any other on the program.
At this,
All the birds looked at one another with astonishment.
We are to have,
The chickadee leader continued,
A ballet,
A ballet,
A dance.
Now,
The birds knew that in really real grand opera there is usually a ballet,
But to have one at their concert was wonderful.
But before they had time to talk about it,
Out came all the little chickadees,
Dancing and hopping and wearing little wreaths of flowers about their necks,
And each carried a little flower in his beak,
And every flower was of a different color.
For some time they danced in and out of a circle which they made.
They received constant applause.
It was something new and different to have a ballet dance at the concert.
The birds were very much impressed with the chickadees for being so up to date.
The chickadees were delighted that their concert had been such a success,
For as a matter of fact they had been rather nervous in getting up a concert when all the other birds had given such beautiful ones during the spring.
They knew that their voices were not at all lovely,
But the birds had wanted to hear them,
And now the chickadees were very,
Very happy.
And that's our little chickadee,
Chickadee,
Chickadee story,
And we've got one more.
Robin Red Breasts and Miss Robin's Wedding Little Miss Robin was preening her feathers and smoothing them down,
For it was the fourth of February,
And she had received a valentine.
Naturally she was very much excited,
And she looked at her reflection as she stood over the brook.
Yes,
She said to herself,
I am looking well today.
I do hope Mr.
Robin Red Breast will think so too.
My,
What a fine bird he is,
And oh how lucky I am to have received a valentine from him.
Now,
Mr.
Robin Red Breast for a long time had admired Miss Robin and thought she was the most beautiful bird he'd ever seen,
And so he began to get his valentine ready way back in the autumn when the trees had turned red.
He would fly from tree to tree and spend hours each day looking for the most beautiful and perfect leaf,
And he wanted it to be a real,
Crimson red color.
At last he found it and put it away in his nest,
Very carefully covering it over with moss and straw to keep it well protected and so it wouldn't fade or shrivel at the ends.
Then,
A few days before Valentine's Day,
He got a little stick which he struck through the red leaf which he had pecked off into the shape of a heart,
And this was the valentine he sent to Miss Robin.
Of course,
The stick was to mean that his heart had been pierced by love.
Mr.
Robin Red Breast sent his valentine by a messenger,
And then he waited what seemed hours to him before he went to Callon to visit Miss Robin,
And it seemed hours to Miss Robin,
Too,
Who had smoothed her feathers so many times.
At last Miss Robin heard him singing the most beautiful song with such high notes it seemed as if they almost reached the sky.
Oh,
How proud Miss Robin was to feel that such a beautiful singer was to be her mate!
In a few minutes,
Mr.
Robin Red Breast came in sight and stood before her by the brook.
Miss Robin was all of a flutter with joy and nervousness.
I've come,
Said Mr.
Robin Red Breast,
To ask you if you'll be my wife and come to my new nest in the apple tree.
And then he sang another little song.
I would love to,
I would love to,
Choked Miss Robin.
We'll be married today,
Then,
Said Mr.
Robin Red Breast,
For I've invited the guest already.
Then he gave a long call.
At that,
From far and near,
Countless Robins flew down and hovered around.
Mr.
Robin Red Breast and his bride flew to the branch of a nearby tree,
And all the others perched about them,
Singing such merry,
Happy songs.
And then they all went back to Mr.
Robin Red Breast's nest,
Where a banquet awaited them of fat,
Juicy worms.
And they all had the best time,
And it was the happiest day for everyone.
And that's the end of the bedtime bird stories for this time round.
See you next time.
Bye for now.
