I reported earlier on the robin couple who decided to use the stored pruning ladder as a nesting platform.
The last couple of days it seems like the incubation period might be over, she wasn’t so assiduous about sitting on the nest, etc. Yesterday I was hanging up the hose on the hose rack so Jim could mow (again), and lo and behold, a little fuzzy head peered over the edge of the nest to see what was going on.
So today I got the other ladder out and climbed up it so I could get a shot into the nest.
I count four beaks amongst those numerous pin feathers, so I would say this particular nest was a success.
Papa Robin was not unaware of my activities, and while I was up there came to see just exactly what I was doing. Actually, he was flying around my head threatening to flog me and peck my eyes out. Then he landed on the nest platform and I was able to pop off this shot. Sorry I cut off his head, but he wasn’t amenable to posing and with the camera over my head pointed down I was not able to make a great aim. Take my word for it, his expression was not a happy one.
I decamped shortly thereafter and removed the second ladder from the area.
I do muse sometimes on the irony of providing habitat and being happy that the birds are raising chicks successfully while at the same time deploring the habit the birds have of depositing seeds all over my gardens.
I guess you have to take the bad with the good, and this is pretty much all good.
Its an engineering marvel, that nest. Just look how perfectly round it is. I bet most of us couldn’t even freehand draw a circle that round…
It is interesting to watch them build it. They stand in the middle and work up around themselves. Not only is it very circular, each nest is custom fitted to the robin that made it.
Awwww…
Almost as cute as a kitten.
I was also struck by the geometric perfection and neatness of that wee nest.
We currently have at least three families of house-sparrows nesting in various parts of our roof and a pair of magpies in the elder tree. I have mixed feelings about that one. They deserve their place in the ecosystem as much as any other living creature – but their presence affects smaller birds.
Their nest is one of the most chaotic I’ve seen. The general building principle seemed to be that of piling as many twigs as possible into a tree and hoping some of them stayed put. Underneath the tree there’s a pile of twigs that didn’t make it – enough for at least one other nest.
Magpies must be the blue jays of England. . . The English House Sparrow is an invasive exotic here. Maybe we need more magpies to keep them in line. I rather like them, as long as they aren’t squeezing out my other sparrows.
how exciting!
Especially for Papa robin while I was taking the picture.
wow thanks for going up a ladder and taking this photo, I’ve never seen a nest built like this one and young robins as well, this is fantastic – thank you.