About 3 weeks ago a couple of robins started building a nest outside of our bedroom window. We had no complaints seeing as we are dying to see some wildlife out here. About 2 days later the robins came back from wherever birds go to "get down". The lady bird-- which we call "Bright Eyes" came home to brood her eggs. Robins have 2 sets of kin each year. We assume this is the second batch being that they are so late into summer. We never thought a bird would enjoy 'people watching', but that's what they did until the babies hatched. They had 3 funny looking little babies. We watched them closely waiting to hear them chirp. I don't think we heard a single chirp till the 3rd day. The mom and dad took turns feeding them literally non-stop all day every day. On the 4th day I couldn't see the nest for whatever reason. I thought maybe I was just not seeing from the right angle. It was a little windy. I ran outside assuming if something happened I would hear them. I heard nothing. The next day was our Birthday trip to Crater Lake. Upon returning home-- We found out the nest was gone! Something had snatched up one of the babies, and knocked the other 2 out of the nest. Only 1 survived. She(we think it is a she) is now 7 days old, and is showing a LOT of progress. One of her eyes was damaged in the fall. Wayne has taken up the mother roll. They talk to each other. She always wants to be close to him when he is around. She jumped and flapped her wings onto his finger today. Yesterday she did no perching. Today that is all she has done. She has learned balance in 1 day. She is perching as I write this. Tomorrow I will wake up to her flying! According to the inter-web baby robins fly from their nest at only 13 days old. It takes them another 10-15 days to become strong fliers. Wayne built her a covered nest attached to the house. It keeps her away from predators, less wind, accessible for us to feed her, and she can hear the other robins in the yard. This is where she will learn to fly from, and will come back to be fed. Eventually from what I read they will stop coming "home" to be fed as they learn to find food on their own.
Wayne honored the fallen family by building a covered box and placed their nest back up in the tree that they fell from. Maybe someone will make use of it, or parts of the nest? Either way we liked them living here for the last few weeks, and it was one BEAUTIFUL nest.
I will update as things go on. We have done a lot of research on the topic, and have every intention to keep this little lady as wild as possible.
♥
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