Baby robins resting in their suburban condo
This spring my sister and her husband decided to visit their son in Baltimore and since I normally water the plants when she is out of town, I was warned me that two robins were building a nest near the front door. Already 3 eggs were in the nest and the birds were not happy when anyone used that door. I was warned to be careful not to disturb the birds, but since my entrance key was for the front door, what choice did I have? Also, I must confess that I was curious about how upset they would actually get.
On my first trip to their house, I saw the nest and 3 blue eggs. Now, I know Robins are accustomed to living in the suburbs and even some areas of the city, but I was very surprised to see the nest built into a wreath right by the front door. I know the wreath looks real, but it is actually constructed out of man-made materials and the robins had chosen it to build their suburban home.
As I approached, The robins were scolding me, but kept their distance. On the second trip, the eggs had hatched and the babies were bald and kind of ugly. Their parents were once again upset about my using the front door and they made a terrible racket.
A couple of days later, I decided to take some photos of the baby birds and returned with my camera. To my surprise those babies were already clothed in a fluffy down and looked a lot bigger. As I approached the nest a bit closer to take my pictures, the birds became very agitated and began to dive bomb my head to scare me off, all the while scolding loudly. Needless to say, I took my pictures in a big hurry and backed away from the nest, hoping the robins to calm down when I left.
I kept thinking that if the robins wanted to live in a suburban condo, they would have to expect nosy neighbors, and I guess I just wanted to be that neighbor.
Front door with wreath where robins built their nest
We had a mama robin build a nest right outside our back door. With a 12 year old and a dog constantly using the door – in, out, in, out – she successfully raised three babies and they have now flown the nest. She was so sweet and patient. We often watched her feed her babies from only a few feet away. We would hold ever so still while she circled the patio and landed in the nest with the worms. It was a lot of fun to watch her nest but was stressful for all concerned. Next year I hope to build a special place for her nest which is NOT on our bell.
Aren’t the babies beautiful! I just love to watch them grow up.