Experience the Robin Nest Cycle: From Incubation to the Flight of the Fledgings

We captured the complete Robin Nesing Cycle from when the female was in mid-incubation stage to when the baby Robins left the nest.

During the month of June and into early July we placed a camera on a Robins nest and Live Streamed the nesting cycle to the Internet.

Four eggs were laid and all 4 hatched, but the youngest did not survive and was removed by one of the adults.

Heat indexes of 110 were recorded. During these extreme temperatures, mealworms, earthworms, grapes and blueberries were provided on a platform feeder as a supplemental feeding.

All were accepted by the adult Robins and fed to the nestlings.

The complete cycle from mid incubation to fledging was Live Streamed to the internet and watched by several thousand people on the wild-bird-watching.com website.

Three weeks of Robin watching helped all of us to get a better understanding of and more respect for this so called common bird, the American Robin.

Here's to next season and thanks to all who visited and spent time in the chats. You each made it a very special event. Hope to see you next time. Enjoy the Videos

I would have thought she was out getting more food but often I would see them take breaks.

I suppose she knows that the male will be along soon enough with more food.

This is 25 seconds of an adult Robin using a single note to call the nestlings from the nest.

A single note to let them know she/he is near and may have food but isn't bringing it to the nest.

Withholding food is a tactic that birds use to get their young out of the nest. I should have thought of that when my kids were home while in college, but I digress.

Soon enough the oldest left the nest to be fed. Later the next day the remaining 2 left the nest, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

I purchased and set out mealworms, earthworms, grapes, and blueberries for the adults to eat and feed their young.

The adult Robins ate all that I fed them and I believe that helped them through the heat.

This 40 second video is the youngest of the three nestlings becoming a fledgling. After three attempts at leaving the nest, this is the actual fledging.

This is just some video of where it finally ended up after leaving the nest for good.

I hope you enjoyed this short recap of the Robin nest cycle as much as I had bringing it to the internet for anyone who was interested.

It's such a joy to watch a successful nesting of any bird and while Robins may be common, this was an uncommon experience.

Give Your Robins a Place to Nest

Robin Nesting Shelf - Learn More

Gene Planker is the creator of Wild-Bird-Watching.com, where he shares over 50 years of backyard birding experience. His guides help readers understand the nesting, feeding, and behavior of backyard birds.

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