[rosa]

Dear All,

My partner and I have been watching a pair of Robins that have made a nest in my garden - in some sort of ivy type plant. They've made a beautiful nest and worked very hard but, last weekend, I noticed that they weren't nipping in and out of it. They would visit the garden but didn't really go into the nest. We've waited and waited and finally, my partner couldn't contain his curiosity any longer so tonight he had a look into the nest and found four eggs in there. He touched them and reported that they are cold - the last time we saw the robins was last Sunday. My belief is that they have been disturbed and that they have abandoned this nest. Maybe they've found somewhere else to nest and I would like to know whether it is likely they will breed again this year.

Anyway, my dilemma is ....... Do we remove the eggs? Do we leave the eggs? Do we remove the nest? What advice can anyone give?

Please help.

Thanks.

Rosa

[Touty]

Leave the eggs. They're adding one a day. I don't say they HAVEN'T deserted but maybe they'l come back. Last weekend they were building.... one egg Monday, one Tuesday, one Wesdnesday, one Thursday..... what do you want? I blame Margaret Thatcher. It's quite hard to make a bird desert. Maybe Friday or Saturday morning you'll find the bird incubating. When I did BTO nest record cardsi t was amazing how ofte the eggs were uncovered with no sign of the parents. Keep us informed. We feel your pain.

[rosa]

Thanks Touty - We'll certainly keep my eye on the garden and nest this weekend.

I am not a knowledgeable birder but would have expected the eggs to have been warm - can the eggs hatch even if they have been left for a long spell?

[crickieheather]

Originally Posted by rosa

Thanks Touty - We'll certainly keep my eye on the garden and nest this weekend.

I am not a knowledgeable birder but would have expected the eggs to have been warm - can the eggs hatch even if they have been left for a long spell?

If eggs are icubated (warmed), they begin to develop. Mommy Robim incubates only after finishing laying, otherwise all the eggs would hatch on different days. She needs them all to hatch on the same day, so she doesn't incubate until she's done laying.

[rosa]

Originally Posted by crickieheather

If eggs are icubated (warmed), they begin to develop. Mommy Robim incubates only after finishing laying, otherwise all the eggs would hatch on different days. She needs them all to hatch on the same day, so she doesn't incubate until she's done laying.

Thanks Heather. I'll keep my eyes open for mommy robin.

We think we saw her go in today.

[rosa]

Robins are back Hooray

Saw who I think is daddy robin with food in his mouth sat on the washing line and then he flew into the nest. Hopefully mummy robin is sat on her eggs now and daddy is feeding her?

Another daft question for you - how many eggs do Robins lay?

My bird book is more of an identification book and tells me nothing about the breeding process so this is all very new to me and ..... very exciting!

Thank you

Rosa

[A CHAPLIN]

Hi Rosa,

Am thrilled your Robins are back. It is an exciting time of year isn't it? I don't have any nests in my garden so I love reading about other peoples.

Have just checked my book and it says Robins lay 5/7 eggs and may have 2/3 broods in a year. Whether they will use the same nest, I haven't a clue, someone more knowledgeable than me will be able to tell you that. Happen they will if they feel it is safe.

Well done.

Ann

[rosa]

Originally Posted by A CHAPLIN

Hi Rosa,

Am thrilled your Robins are back. It is an exciting time of year isn't it? I don't have any nests in my garden so I love reading about other peoples.

Have just checked my book and it says Robins lay 5/7 eggs and may have 2/3 broods in a year. Whether they will use the same nest, I haven't a clue, someone more knowledgeable than me will be able to tell you that. Happen they will if they feel it is safe.

Well done.

Ann

Thanks for your help Ann, its much appreciated.

I'm sorry you haven't got any nests in your garden but maybe some little birdie will be a late developer and choose you soon

We are quite lucky - There is a blackbird's nest in the garden behind ours - the neighbours conifers are against our back fence and the blackbirds seem very happy, apart from chasing the magpie off now again (very successfully I might add!). We've also got a property next door whose eaves are in a sorry state of disrepair and starlings are nesting at both ends. The starlings have nested here for a couple of years now and we saw a flegeling in our garden last weekend :-)

Robins are new to us - I've lived here 20 years and only seen them now and again in winter. We feel very privaleged that they have chosen our garden to nest.

We put up a tit box this year (probably too late for anyone to take advantage of it) and there has not been one iota of interest in it. Never mind, maybe next year.

I should tell you that I live in the middle of a housing estate and I'm amazed that anything would want to nest here.

Anyway, I'll keep you posted re robins as and when things occur.

Rosa

[rosa]

Many thanks for all your good advice. As promised, here's an update for you........

I am pleased to report that Mr & Mrs Robin have successfully hatched their brood

The eggs hatched last Thursday or Friday (26th/27th May) - we've take a few pics when Mr & Mrs are out collecting food. We think that there are 5 little chicks but its difficult to tell.

The first pic is when they were a day or two old and the second picture was taken today (31/5/05).

I love their cute 'hair' (sorry 'down').

[rosa]

Well, I'm so proud of Mr & Mrs Robin. All five chicks have successfully left the nest today. The last one fledged at about 5pm this evening. Since they've left I've heard and seen Mr. & Mrs but not the fledglings - they hide very well and something I found strange is that they never chirpped once whilst they were were being fed in the nest (not like the starlings next door who make a racket every time food arrives!).

I presume little ones will hide in the shrubs and trees round about, being fed and shown how to feed by Mr. & Mrs, and eventually leave for pastures new.

Yet another daft question. Now that the nest is empty and hardly looks like a nest anymore (I think that the parents have destroyed the sides encouraging the little ones to fledge or the fledglings have done the damage themselves) do I:-

a) leave the nest alone and hope that either this pair of robins comes back next year or another pair of robins will come to re-build the existing nest

or

b) remove the nest completely?

Any ideas? Thank you.

[david2004]

Hi Rosa

That's great news! Good to know they all made it. I'm not too sure about the answers to your questions, but you cannot do anything to the nest at the moment (I think). They can only be removed/disposed of well after the breeding season. Someone else will probably come and correct me but that's what I think.

[dbradnum]

Agree with David, you should definitely leave the nest well alone. That way there's a chance it will be reused for a second brood - it's still early in the season.

With this sort of thing, "if in doubt, do nowt" - unless you know what you're doing is definitely helpful, don't interfere with a natural process. (Hope this doesn't sound too harsh!)

[rosa]

Thanks for your replies. I shall 'do nowt'.

Strange thing though - although chicks fledged yesterday (Friday) and Mr & Mrs are still searching for food and taking it to well secreted chicks (not seen them since they've fledged), they had a good look at the ivy tonight but a bit further along - NOT where the old nest site is. I originally thought they were looking for bugs for their youngsters but they hovered a bit before actually going in.

Could Mr & Mrs be looking to make a nest for another brood?

Thank you.

Rosa