Our new housemates

Like a lot of homes in this town, we have a walkout basement, which means that the back deck off of our kitchen is about 6 feet high. This weekend we discovered this tucked into the framing under the deck:



There has been an abandoned nest down there since last spring, and I never got around to removing it, so I never really noticed that a new tenant had moved in and was remodeling. In fact, we didn't realize there was a viable nest there until we caught our black lab (Bailey) furiously sniffing and pawing at the deck floorboards yesterday. I can only imagine how terrifying it was for the poor family of birds to have 80 pounds of canine just a few inches over their heads. They should be pretty safe where they are, though...unless my dog develops the sudden ability to chew through treated 2x6's.

The other problem with this nesting site is that Littlemagette's sandbox is also under the deck, and while we pose no threat to the birds (Littlemagette can't reach the nest, and Missesmagette and myself have no plans to disturb it), momma robin still isn't too comfortable sharing space with us. While we were out there she spent a lot of time circling the yard with a small grub, waiting for a "safe" chance to feed her brood:



I guess I should say that I assume this is the mother bird. After awhile, a second robin appeared and began nervously circling my back yard and watching us. Like most people, I kind of take this species for granted and so I don't know a whole lot about their mating or nesting habits...so I did some quick research:

In feeding the young, both the male and female robins assume responsibility. They feed their nestlings with earthworms, insects and berries. Both parents are very protective of their young and feed them until they know how to fly by themselves. In protecting their offspring, adult robins emit alarm sounds and dive on predators like domestic cats, dogs and humans that may go near their nest.

Evidently the mother bird is the only one that sits on the nest, which is why I'm comfortable in identifying the bird in the photos as the mother, since it seems to be the same one that I've seen on the nest. The second bird to show up, then, is probably the father, who hangs around to help feed and protect the young. (The dive-bombing thing has me a little uneasy, though...)

When I took the nest pictures this afternoon, it was remarkably quiet in the back yard. Typically, anytime we're close to the nest, the parents' alarm calls are easily heard and difficult to ignore. Today I assumed that both mom and dad were out gathering food. After about 15 minutes, however, the mother returned to the nest...I heard her long before I saw her, which gave me a chance to get the camera ready.*

The chicks' eyes will remain closed until they're about 5 days old, and they'll be ready to leave the nest in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, of those birds that survive to leave the nest, only about 25% will make it through their first year.** Robins can produce up to 3 broods each year, but will build a different nest for each. Only about 40% of nests are successful.

*I don't own anything close to a fancy camera...just a little Canon PowerShot. If you're wondering what to get that special biology teacher in your life (besides this, of course) he would really like a Canon EOS Rebel XSi (or, if you really want to show him how much you love him, a 40D) with a 55-200 mm telephoto lens.

**If you're in my biology class hopefully you'll recognize this as an "r" strategy species. If not, please go reread section 4.1 in your textbook...