Our spring cleaning and repairs were temporarily interrupted when we discovered two robins making a nest outside our back door. They found our light fixture to be the perfect place. They got all sorts of material to make the base of the nest, including some shredded pieces of tarp that my son missed when cleaning up.
I had been aware of one of the robins all winter long. He would sit on the mirrors or top of our car or truck, leaving white or berry colored stains down the sides of the door. We called him Poopy and tried to shoo him away but weren't too concerned as we figured he would fly away come spring. Nope, Poopy found a mate and decided our yard was just the right place to start a family.
Robins construct their nest together over the course of a couple of weeks. Then the mama will lay eggs and sit on them most of the time while the papa keeps watch. This takes another two weeks. Some robins will dive bomb any intruders to the nest. Ours would just fly away, although one time Poopy puffed up his chest feathers to scare us away. We started using the back door only when necessary. If we needed something from the back yard, we would just walk around. Over time, the birds got used to us and woudn't take off unless we got very close.
One day, we noticed that Mama was sitting differently. We found a blue robin's eggshell in a far corner of the yard and knew that someone was hatched. A little later, my husband was able to get this picture inside the nest. Both parents were out catching worms so we took it very quickly and didn't touch anything. They are very deep in there but you can see the little balls of feathers.
It's been a few days since they were hatched and we can occasionally see little beaks poking out the top. They will be in the nest for about two weeks after hatching. Then, the babies will fledge and within a couple of days, they will fly away.
Robins will reuse nests if it is a good location, often laying another set of eggs as soon as the first babies are fledged. I haven't decided if we are going to lose the use of our back patio for that long. Probably. :)
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This nest was built in our mulberry tree by our front walkway. We took pictures from beginning to end. What an experience for my 9 year old!
These hungry little baby robins are awaiting their meal. The 2nd photo is of the newborns napping. They were taken atop our weeping cherry tree by the porch.
We put up a little birdhouse and a local robin deemed it to be the ideal spot for building her nest.
I saw a squirrel and robin fighting. I found it very odd and looked around the area where I saw it happening. Inside the bush was a mother robin sitting on a nest.
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I am so excited. I have just seen a robin building a nest on my porch ceiling. She does a little dance after she puts the twigs and grass in.
