Our Robin Family
Author: Tammy
In late April, we noticed a nest being built under the deck of our house. We thought this would be a great opportunity to watch the Robin Family and take pictures. Taking these pictures proved to be quite a challenge, since the nest was under the deck, you really couldn’t get a good look into the nest. Scott would have to climb up on a ladder and try to angle the camera into the nest to get some of the egg and baby pictures.
April 30th – Mom is sitting on the nest.
May 2nd – We find 4 blue eggs in the nest. Hard to see the 4th egg, but it’s there. Because of the deck right above the nest, it was very hard to get pictures inside the nest.
May 16th – We had seen Mom leave the nest, and bringing worms back, so we thought the babies hatched. However, Mom didn’t stay away very long, so it took us a couple of days to get this cute picture of the newborn babies!
May 16th – Mom is constantly flying back and forth gathering worms for the little ones.
May 18th – The babies are getting feathers on their wings. Make sure to click on the thumbnail picture to see the bigger picture and see all the detail in the wings and feathers.
May 18th – Caught! Mamma Bird caught Scott taking pictures in the nest. She is squawking at us to get away so she can feed her babies.
May 18th – Usually Mom would fly in with food, and leave, then Dad would fly in with food and leave. Here we were able to catch both parents at the nest at the same time. Dad is on the left feeding, and Mom is on the right. Rare picture indeed.
May 18th – Their bodies are small, but when it comes to feeding time, their mouths are large!!
May 19th – Mamma Bird must be at the Robin Social today, as Dad took over sitting on the nest. Dad is quite a bit bigger than Mom, so there wasn’t as much room in the nest, so the babies starting hanging out over the sides, to avoid Dad sitting on them!
May 19th – Here’s the other side of the nest, and here’s another baby that didn’t appreciate Dad sitting in the nest!
May 20th – Cut of Mom’s head a little here, but you can see all 4 babies are hungry and ready to eat. Mom’s constantly flying in and out of the nest all day long, just trying to keep these little ones fed. As soon as she comes in, all the babies stick their heads up like this!! When she flies away, they all fade back into their nest, and you don’t see them again until mom comes back.
May 20th – While Mom’s away gathering food, Scott climbs the ladder and gets this great picture of the babies!
May 24th – Caught Mom as she was coming in for a feeding, and the babies practically leap out of the nest to get that worm! The babies are getting big fast, and we’re almost taking daily pictures to keep up with them.
May 24th – Apparently, this baby was just a little more hungry than the other 3!! I love this amazing shot!
May 24th – Waiting for Mom to come back with more food. A Mom’s work is never done! Where is Dad anyways?
May 26th – Nest is getting crowded, and you can see them easily now over the nest.
May 28th – I didn’t know when I took this picture that it was “Leaving the Nest Day.” This little guy made up his mind that he was going to be the first to leave the nest today.
May 28th – “Alright I made it down, but I’m kinda stuck here. My wings don’t work so good, and I’m not quite sure where I’m supposed to go!”
May 28th – “I’m the last one in the nest. I’m not quite ready to go yet, so I’m just gonna sit here and think about it some more!” All the other babies were long gone, and this one just sat there. Scott even tried to scare it gently into jumping, by prodding him with a pvc pipe. The baby thought it was food, and tried to peck it! Still didn’t make him jump though.
May 28th – Yeah! The last one finally made it down out of the nest, but he wasn’t sure what to do either. As I sat outside and just watched him, Mom kept coming by and chirping at him, but he just wouldn’t go. Why is it the last kid just never wants to leave home??!!
May 28th – Finally Mom convinced the last baby to come along with her. This picture was taken through the window, that’s why it is a bit fuzzy. It’s definitely been an interesting month watching these babies grow up!!
To see the pictures bigger, just click on the link:Â Robin Picture Album, and click on any picture to make it bigger.