Exciting Robin - watching this year!

by Stephanie
(Hammonton, NJ)

Robins nest perched atop a fake wreath

Watchful papa robin is keeping an eye on the fledglings -and me!

An angry mama robin is watching me!

babies waiting with mouths wide open

Our 4 year old was the first to notice the perfectly shaped birds nest atop a fake wreath that we had left hanging on the shed door this year.

Sure enough, it sat directly atop the wreath, out of our and especially her eyeshot. "I want to see inside!" "Please!!"-- over and over, until finally one day I pulled the heavy metal chair over and stood on it to have a look.

Sure enough, there were several beautiful blue eggs in there; and thus began our spring adventure.

We started noticing mama flying back and forth repeatedly, but mostly sitting in the nest. One day my husband saw one bird on top of the other- in the nest!

This was all new to me; I thought we had some unusual freaks of nature setting up housekeeping on our property!

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My research of robin nesting behavior revealed quite the opposite- this is what robins do!
It seemed such an extended time that this went on and we were afraid the eggs hadn't survived.

The nest was protected by a roof overhead, but still, the BBQ grill was just a few feet away! Had we 'smoked' the eggs ??

One day very recently we noticed something new-tiny little pointed beaks, wide open and waiting for food, poked out of the nest!

The baby birds had arrived! Each of us sneakily took peaks in the nest to see the babies, including my daughter, whom I had to lift and hold above the nest to see it.

Amazing things going on in there, we couldn't even tell how many were squeezed into that little nest.

The one thing we knew now was that the mother and father both were caring for those fledglings- and they did not care for us humans hanging around.

They squawked and squeaked wildly anytime we came near the nest. My hubby even got dive-bombed once. He decided to move his grill after that...

Now, each day we see the babies growing bigger and taller, mouths still open wide (unless sleeping, which they appear to do all together!) Sure they will be venturing out soon!

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Knew to Baby Robins
by: Gene

What a great opportunity for your children to see. You are so special to share this with your children.

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Did you see them leave?
by: Anonymous

I'd be interested to know if it hasn't happened yet but when it does if you actually see them leave the nest. I've seen two nest in the past three or four years and never saw the birds leave but they were big enough.

I've seen movies of fledging's and parents coming to help them but that's never been the case here. I suppose it's possible that other animals got them but I tend to think not.

This year the babies were pretty big but the next morning they were gone and the nest was empty. I decided we should take the nest down hoping that another set of robins would build a new one. So far Not happened.

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Watching birds leave the nest
by: Gene

Absolutely! We have videoed Robins leaving the nest. Also Cardinals and Purple Martins. It can happen quick or take hours.

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Follow up to Exciting Robin- watching this year!
by: StephanieP

I was able to watch the fledglings climb up on the edge of the nest late one afternoon. They were wobbling and the parents were not as close by, as if they knew the babies had to make it on their own.

The very next morning, All had gone! I looked all over the area close by the nest, but found nothing! Since then the parents seem to be just hanging around; one even perched right outside my kitchen window and peered in at me from the railing out there.

The other one flies up atop our roof and zooms down every so often. I guess they are the parents? They look full grown so I doubt it's the babies already. It happened just 3 days ago!

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Mother left the nest
by: Anonymous

This year after laying 4 eggs and two were hatched the mother disappeared. Don't know if she was killed by a cat or what.

After that the male just sat on the edge of the nest, he never kept them warm or fed them. We watched and he never sat on the nest again or fed them.

After two days we knew the babies were not able to survive and the other two were never hatched.

The mother never came back, is it normal for the male to not look after the babies alone? This was very upsetting to see.

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