Webster's Wobbins

May 30, 2008 - Fledglings out on their own!

2008-05-31T11:43:00.006-04:00

I saw Ricky in our neighbors yard; he was on the ground chirping and looking up into a tree. Sure enough, I looked up and saw two fledglings hopping around on a branch in the tree. One of them got spooked and hopped up to the top of the tree, branch by branch. The other stayed completely still right where it was.

It was so cool to see the babies out and about. It was good to know they made it through their first night away from the nest. I was hoping to catch one fly but they were too afraid. From what I can tell, they just sit on a branch all day and the parents feed them. From time to time, I will see Ricky try to coax them out of a tree, they only have two weeks to learn how to fly, forage, find water and protect themselves.

Calling Ricky for more food

I thought that feeding nestlings was hard. The parents are now working double-time trying to feed the babies. Two of them seem to be sticking together so Ricky is feeding both of them. Lucy and the littlest fledgling are no where to be seen. Hopefully they are together somewhere.

VIDEO: Ricky feeding a fledgling in a tree

May 29, 2008 - Empty nests

2008-05-30T17:24:00.012-04:00

I knew there would be some Fledglings leaving the nest today but I didn't know all of them would! I really wanted to see at least one of the babies leave the nest and learn to fly. Oh well! The babies spent the morning preening and getting ready to leave the nest. I was gone for part of the day and when I came back, just the littlest bird was there:

I watched the baby frantically trying to pull all her baby feathers out; she wanted to go too! She is so little I thought for sure she would wait a day or two before leaving the nest. Plus, I had seen Lucy feed her many times through the day; with all the food for herself, you'd think she would want to stay as long as possible! I thought I had one more chance to see a baby leave the nest. Unfortunately when I came back from dinner, she was gone too. Some birthday present for me. :(

I have to say, Lucy's nest really stood up to the job. Better than Mama's at least. I guess we will never know what happened to that fourth hatchling. There is no evidence of it in the nest.

It's sad to see all of the babies and parents go. Jonnie and I had so much fun the past month checking on "our Robin's" through out the day. It's rough out there and we live in an area with lots of predators and dangers, I just hope all of these Robin's can make it! I will keep my eye out for the babies and hopefully I will be able to spot them in our neighborhood somewhere.

May 28, 2008 - These Robins are ready to fly!

2008-05-30T17:24:00.008-04:00

Two of the birds (the older and bigger two) have learned to perch today and they have been doing a lot of it. The biggest nestling keeps looking over the side of the nest to see what is down there. He also keeps pecking at the leaves around him, trying to figure out what they are. There seems to be some peer pressure going on in the nest now. As soon as one preens and flaps and stands up, another one will give it a try. They are always checking out what the other ones are doing.

Do it! Do it!

Thinking about it...

Nah, you go first.

Today I found a Robin in the road in front of our house. I know it's not Lucy, Ricky or Robbie or Roxy, but I can't be sure that it isn't Mama or Daddy. Those two (especially Mama) were always flying across the street and have had many close calls with cars. I am going to pretend that it isn't one of them. Unfortunately, the damage is too great to see if it is either one of "my" Robin's. It's too sad to think about knowing that Mama has new eggs in a nest somewhere... Plus, I got a little attached to these birds after watching them, they each have their own personalities. Either way, it's sad because if it isn't one of mine, it is some other baby Robin's parent, poor things.

May 27, 2008 - Adorable, amazing and gross

2008-05-28T10:45:00.006-04:00

Here is a video of the birds preening, learning to stand and stretch/flap their wings. It's amazing how fast they grow and how strong they are at less than two weeks old! Luckily, while they were exercizing and cleaning themselves, Lucy showed up for a feeding. Not so lucky, I got a visual of what happens after they digest the food.

(This video is a little longer than the rest, you have to let it load and buffer for a minute before it plays)

May 26, 2008 - Close-ups

2008-05-28T10:33:00.004-04:00

Oldest

Middle child

Baby

May 25, 2008 - It ain't easy being teeny

2008-05-28T10:18:00.004-04:00

Just like with Mama's nest, the little one always gets ignored. Although, Lucy's littlest seems to hold his own much better than Roxy did. He does get squished a lot and has always had to sleep on the top (and coldest) part of the nest, but he still does alright. He sits and sleeps with his mouth open so he is ready to get food the second Mom or Dad show up, pretty savvy! For every one feeding his siblings get two but it seems to be enough for him.

Getting squished and hoping for lunch

Trying to hide from me and still hoping for lunch

(those wispy white feathers are the ones they pull out when they preen)

May 24, 2008 - Three Robins in a row

2008-05-27T10:32:00.005-04:00

The babies are starting to flap their wings, stand up and preen. The bird on the right is the baby, the other two were born on the same day. Sometimes the older ones will be laying on top of the baby and the poor thing gets squished. They are really starting to run out of room and now that they are spreading their wings they are always crashing into and stepping on each other.

May 23, 2008 - 2 babies that didn't make it

2008-05-24T20:40:00.003-04:00

I can pretty much confirm now that Lucy's fourth hatchling didn't make it. I don't know what happened to it, but I do know that I haven't seen it since the day it was born. There is hardly any room left in the nest for the three of them, I can't imagine what it would have been like with four. It is business as usual with Lucy and Ricky; constantly foraging and feeding. The babies literally grow overnight, it is amazing.

I haven't seen much of Big Mama and Big Daddy. I did see them both foraging together for a brief time but that was it; no sign of Robbie and Roxy. I'm always looking for them though, I hope I get to see them at some point. Big Daddy still guards the nest, he ran another Robin out of his territory just like he used to when the babies were nesting. It's hard to believe that Mama is most likely laying eggs in another nest by now. I checked the empty nest today and the unhatched egg is still there. Looks like it got pushed into the very bottom of the nest.

May 22, 2008 - Bye, Bye Birdies!!

2008-05-22T14:21:00.007-04:00

This morning I saw Robbie sitting on the edge of the nest, I had a feeling he would be ready to fly today. I left to drop Jonnie off at school and by the time I got home, both were gone! There has been no sign of them since. Someone didn't let Daddy in on it though; at least I think it is Big Daddy. The parents look so much alike, it's hard to tell them apart by looks alone. I usually would tell them apart by their behavior. Now that the babies are gone, I can't tell who is who. This morning after the babies left, I heard Big Daddy screeching and searching for his family. It was pretty heartbreaking to see. Usually, when Robin fledglings leave the nest, they spend two weeks with their Dad as he shows them the ropes. It doesn't appear to be the case here. Big Daddy has spent all day gathering food for babies that aren't there. This morning he had a mouthful of worms and was squawking for his kids. :( I haven't seen Mama at all today so I am assuming the babies are with her. I just hope Daddy figures out where they are!

VIDEO: Poor Big Daddy looking for his family.

This afternoon he has been patrolling his territory. (this is why I think it is Daddy and not Mama since she doesn't usually patrol) Earlier, Daddy got into a big scuffle with a male Baltimore Oriole! At one point, the Oriole even went INTO the empty nest! Daddy of course would have none of that so he went after him. Daddy, being not as aggressive as Mama, didn't do a great job and seemed intimidated. Eventually the Oriole got the point and left.

I am hoping that the babies will come back to the nest at night. I put a bird bath near their nest because I know one important lesson is to teach the kids to get water. Hopefully this will bring them back at least long enough so I can see them one more time and make sure they can fly. Daddy's main territory has always been in my neighbors yard so I am sure that if they are around, they are over there. I just wish I could see them in action!

GOOD LUCK ROBBIE AND ROXY!!

May 21, 2008 - Getting ready to fly

2008-05-22T10:03:00.004-04:00

Robbie and Roxy are ready to go. They spend most of their time looking out of the nest, looking to the ground, etc. It is like they are trying to figure out how to get down and out of there! They don't shy away as much when they see me. They are getting bigger and bolder every day.

Roxy (L) Robbie (R)

14 days old

Roxy (L) Robbie (R)

There was a huge thunder and lightning storm late afternoon. Lucy and Ricky were off foraging and must have gotten stuck in a tree somewhere. The babies were left alone for most of it. The holly branches did offer some protection from the rain, but big droplets would fall on them from time to time. Eventually Lucy made her way back to the nest and covered up the little ones. Big Mama was right there when the storm started. I don't think Mama and Daddy go very far from their nest; they always seem available whenever the babies need them. Robbie and Roxy are so big now Mama had to sit on the edge of the nest to shield them from the storm.

I have only seen 3 of Lucy's babies the past few days. I am thinking something may have happened to one of them. They all sleep with their heads up so when Lucy or Ricky come to feed, all they have to do is open their mouths.

Their eyes are starting to open!

May 20, 2008 - Feedings and fights

2008-05-20T21:51:00.008-04:00

It's been pretty quiet for Lucy's clan today. I still can't get over the amount of time she spends away from her nest. Even when it rains or the wind is gusting, she is nowhere to be found; Ricky isn't either. I have seen him on the nest guarding from time to time but not much. These two are much less hands on parents than Big Mama and Big Daddy are. On the other hand, they do have two more mouths to feed than Mama and Daddy do.

VIDEO!

Today Mama and Daddy had enough of the Blue Jay's. They got into a huge fight with one early this morning. It was so intense that it woke me up! I know that Mama will put up a good fight but until this morning, I had yet to see Big Daddy get his claws dirty. Today, both parents were full on brawling with this Blue Jay. They were fighting on the ground and in the air, all three of them were screaming and squawking at each other. Eventually, the pair chased the Jay into a neighbors yard. They must have been trying to hold their territory because neither of them came back for a good fifteen minutes. I was glad to see them both again, I always worry that something is going to happen to one of the parents. It seems like other birds have noticed Mama's nest. They fly by quite low, like they are checking things out. This happens several times a day now. I assume the Blue Jay got caught doing this and the fight ensued. Hopefully the Blue Jay learned his lesson!

Daddy guarding his nest from a near by branch

May 19, 2008 - Spreading their wings

2008-05-20T20:58:00.002-04:00

Robbie and Roxy are learning to stretch and spread out their wings. They are much more active now. They will sit up and look around while waiting for their next meal. They don't make as much noise as I thought they would; I almost never hear them chirp. They are fully aware of what is going on around them now. They will look at me through the window and duck when they sense danger.

Figuring out their wings

Robbie

12 days old

The four babies seem to be doing well. The amount of work it takes to feed four babies is amazing. The parents pretty much spend their time feeding the kids from dawn to dusk. The babies don't get nearly as much incubating time as Mama's kid's did. It has been rainy and cold too; I would have thought they would need their Mom to incubate them more than food but thats not what Lucy has been doing. The babies also seem to take turns with who gets to go on the bottom of the pile, which, I imagine is the prime spot in this cold weather. I always feel bad when the little one gets stuck on top and is shivering.

May 18, 2008 - All four eggs have hatched!

2008-05-19T10:02:00.004-04:00

Unlike Mama, all of Lucy's eggs hatched successfully. The newest baby is the one on the top, right.

Happy Birthday!

Robbie and Roxy are near impossible to photograph. They blend in so well with the nest that my camera just can't seem to focus on them clearly. They also duck down very low when they sense that I am near, which makes it even harder. Their eyes are fully open now, they have looked at me a few times. They have tons of feathers now! It's hard to believe that they will probably be on their own by Memorial day.

The best picture I have gotten in days:

11 days old

May 17, 2008 - Lucy feeding the babies

2008-05-19T09:56:00.003-04:00

May 16, 2008 - Now a Mom of three

2008-05-16T19:58:00.003-04:00

Another new addition to Lucy's family!

Happy Birthday!

Lucy's a busy Mom feeding three babies. I did see Ricky this morning trying to help but Lucy still does the bulk of the work. I've been able to see her feed them quite a few times now but it hasn't been light enough for pictures. I still haven't figured out how they decide who gets fed first. It seems like both mothers definitely have their favorites.

I haven't been able to take any decent pictures of Robbie or Roxy the past few days. They have lots of feathers now and the colors of the feathers blend in perfectly with the nest. This camouflage is good because they spend 75% of their time alone in the nest now. Mama did spend more time with her kids today because it was rainy and she had to cover them up. Besides today, she has pretty much been MIA. She spends the bulk of her time across the street in our neighbor's yard. She does come back to feed her babe's but basically, she is gone. I'm guessing she is already working on her new nest. Robin's don't typically reuse nests which is a real bummer for me. I would love to see them through the summer but I doubt that will happen. However, I will leave their nests there in case they change their minds!

I do worry about little Roxy. I check every morning to make sure she is still o.k. She is quite a bit smaller than her brother and the parents absolutely favor Robbie over Roxy; he gets the food the majority of the time. Today I didn't see her lift her head for food, which is a first. But I was also gone most of the day so hopefully she is just full.

I noticed a new job that Big Daddy is responsible for: cleaning out the nest. I would see him pecking around the bottom of the nest sometimes. At times he would actually peck his kids! I had no idea what he was doing until I saw him eating whatever was at the bottom of the nest. Then I read that baby Robin's poo immediately after they eat; so I put two and two together. Not a job I would want! :)

May 15, 2008 - Lucy's a Mom!!!!

2008-05-15T09:25:00.005-04:00

TWO babies were born this morning. Again, I missed the hatching which is a bummer, I hope to catch at least one being born. Lucy is much less wary of me so she fed her babies while I was watching! Didn't get a clear picture of it but it was cool to see. These two are really cute! They are constantly moving around and lifting their mouths up for food. They both seem about the same size but one is much stronger than the other. Many times the stronger bird will sit on the other ones head! The poor thing struggles to get out for what seems like forever. Eventually, he/she finds it's way up to get some air!

Happy Birthday!!

Lucy feeding her new babies.

The closest thing I may get to see in the hatching process is this hole in one of the eggs. It looks like that baby is trying to stick her wing in the egg!

AWWWWWWWW!!

May 14, 2008 - From Hatchling to Nestling

2008-05-14T18:10:00.009-04:00

Apparently, the babies are big enough that they no longer need incubating during the day. Which means they aren't considered Hatchlings anymore! Mama spends most of her time looking for food to feed her babies and herself, she hasn't needed to sit on the babies all day. I do know that the mothers will continue to incubate during the nighttime though. Since Mama is spending most of the day away from the nest, Big Daddy has had to step it up; he guards the nest and feeds the babies all day long. Today I tried to take pictures of the nest from the outside. It was wonderful to see the babies so close-up. Daddy was near-by just watching. But within a minute or two, Mama came screeching from a few yards over. It sounded more like she was yelling at him to watch the kids better than at me!

The babies are able to open their eyes now! I saw one trying to look at me but it wasn't able to open it's eyes all the way. They are so ugly that they are cute! They are always huddled up next to each other trying to keep warm. They are probably about double the size they were on the day they were born.

Keeping each other warm.

Robbie (left) - Roxy (right)

Big Daddy guarding the nest.

The Blue Jay's are becoming more and more of a problem for this Robin family. They fly all over Daddy's territory and you can tell they are looking for trouble. I don't know if Big Daddy could take the Jay's but I know Mama could. Now that she isn't tied to the nest like she was, I am always seeing her in other Robin's territories looking for food and getting into scuffles.

Looking for trouble.

video problems

2008-05-13T21:55:00.002-04:00

I've had some issues with posting videos but I worked it out. Be sure to check out the video of the babies on the first day they hatched. Too cute!!
CLICK HERE

May 13, 2008 - The dangerous life of a Robin

2008-05-13T19:36:00.006-04:00

Robbie and Roxy (the babies have names!) are getting BIG and STRONG; noticeably so even from yesterday! When they reach their mouths up for food they are now taller than the sides of the nest. They are also much, much stronger and move around more, they are starting to make noise now too. I even saw Robbie (the bigger one) flapping his featherless wings around. They have lost those big, blue, bulgy eyes and look much more bird-like now. It is obvious that Roxy is the smaller, weaker one. Because of that, she often goes without getting food. Robbie can lift his head higher and for a longer period of time and the parents stuff food in the first mouth they see.

VIDEO: Big Daddy feeding Roxy

NOTE: The sounds in the background are not the birds, it's the sound of Jonnie playing with his cars. :)

How cute is this little face?!

Big Daddy has been around and contributing MUCH more than he has in the past. He feeds them very frequently now and stands guard over the nest rather than from a nearby tree. Mama has to go farther out of her territory to get food. This makes life a lot harder for the both of them. Daddy has to keep a close eye on the nest and Mama has to fight off other defensive Mama's. She also looks for food in a yard that belongs to this:

A Robin family also lives in the yard with the cat and the Robin chased Mama off and she nearly got hit by a car! The Blue Jay's are getting much more aggressive which is freaking the new parents out. Mama got caught in a sticky situation with two Blue Jay's and had to stand completely still on a branch so they wouldn't notice her. She is much more wary of entering the nest. She knows that predators will follow her. Big Daddy on the other hand seems a bit oblivious to this. Yet, when he sees my face or camera nearby he flies away. The bigger the babies get, the more fiercely the parents defend them. Today, I saw Big Mama dive bomb a Squirrel; she got him right on the head which was pretty funny.

One scared Mama!

This is when the Blue Jay's were being aggressive

May 12, 2008 - What a difference a day makes!

2008-05-12T11:51:00.007-04:00

It's COLD and WINDY out today; so different from the sunny warm day we had yesterday. Lucy is not having fun today. She hasn't been able to take off and find food like she is used to. I haven't seen her leave the nest at all today. She is all puffed up trying to keep her eggs and herself warm. I even caught her sleeping this morning:

I caught a quick glimpse of the babies today. Mama was screeching for Big Daddy so I made it really quick; I wasn't able to confirm that there is a third baby. The babies look SO different now! I am thinking that the black coloring is either bone or cartilage under the skin. It looks like the line on their eyelids has opened a bit more, I bet they will open their eyes soon! I could also see the beginnings of their wing feathers. Their down looks longer and fluffier but they are still quite naked.

4 DAYS OLD

ETA: Just saw the third egg in the nest. I have a feeling it's just not going to hatch. It just keeps moving around the nest. At this point, it would probably be best if it didn't hatch.

May 11, 2008 - Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-12T08:38:00.004-04:00

I think the third egg hatched today. Big Mama has been super protective and I haven't been able to get a good look inside of the nest to be sure. The two bigger birds - keep sending in name suggestions! :) - are much stronger now! They have a light covering of white feathers all over their bodies. They can also hold their heads up for minutes at a time. It also seems like they are not wasting their energy on lifting their heads until they know that Mama is nearby. They rest until she is a foot or two away from the holly tree; then they opening wide. Still no noise from them yet.

Protective Mama not letting me peek at her kids.

When Mama senses danger, all of the feathers on her head stick up.

Yesterday was warm, so Lucy was able to spend a lot of time away from her nest. I hope she took advantage of this warm weather since tomorrow is going to be 25 degrees cooler!

This is the tree that Lucy chose to build a nest.

This is the amazing view we get from inside the house.

May 10, 2008 - A milestone already!

2008-05-10T17:27:00.008-04:00

These hatching's are growing fast! They have a little bit more fluff, their skin is less red and they seem to be moving a bit more. Today, they graduated from regurgitated food to small worms and grubs. I'm sure Mama is relieved about that! She has been working hard at keeping the babies fed and the regurgitation did not look comfortable. I have only seen Big Daddy feed them once, so he hasn't been much help in that area. The third egg still hasn't hatched. Tomorrow is it's "due date" so hopefully it will hatch on time. If not, I'm afraid it might be too small and young to compete with it's siblings who have already moved up to solid foods.

Big Mama with a mouth full of food for her babies.

I have yet to clearly see her feed the babies, never mind photograph it. I caught her a few times in the middle of feeding but wasn't able to see through the holly leaves. Mama is very leery of me and my camera now that the babies have hatched. If she is gathering food, she just doesn't want to come back to her nest when my big head and camera are in the window watching her. I eventually have to leave so her poor kids don't go hungry.

I hope I can photograph the feeding more when Lucy's kids arrive. Although, she spends a ton of time away from her nest so I don't know how successful this clutch is going to be. Luckily the rain stopped and it warmed up a bit. Hopefully this kept her eggs warm while she was gone.

Quite a few people have told me I should name the babies. Any suggestions? Leave a comment with your ideas here.

May 9, 2008 - Rain, rain go away!

2008-05-09T20:41:00.006-04:00

It was cold and rainy all day. It was a school day for me so I didn't get to see the Mom's much. When it rains, they open up their wings to cover the entire nest to protect their young/eggs.

Lucy

I did get to sneak a peek at the two little ones tonight. The third egg hasn't hatched yet. I was happy to see two little mouths wide open and ready to eat. With the cold and rain, I did worry that Mama might lose a baby or two. The statistics for a successful clutch is only 40%. I am hoping that I won't have to witness the harsher side of nature while watching these Robin families.

More rain and cold expected tomorrow, I hope those two babies are strong enough to take it.

May 8, 2008 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

2008-05-08T19:42:00.011-04:00

Big Mama got not one but TWO surprises today!!

I was watching her this afternoon and I noticed that she was digging around in her nest a lot more than usual. I had a feeling one of the eggs might be ready to hatch. The Starling's came back into Big Daddy's territory and Mama looked fierce! She was ready to take them on if they messed with her. She never left her nest to defend it though. This was different behavior than usual since she normally chases the intruders out herself. I checked back a few hours later to find Mama gone and two little baby Robin's opening their mouths waiting for food!

They are pretty amazing to watch. They will both stretch up their necks and open their mouths as wide as they can for a few seconds. Then they both collapse and get their strength back up. They aren't able to lift their heads again for at least 5 minutes. Right now they make absolutely no sound; not even when they open their mouths to be fed. One is smaller than the other. This is probably the one that hatched 2 days too early. You can already see their animal instincts kick in. As soon as one lifts it's head and opens wide for food, the other one does soon afterwards. Darwin's theory comes into play and they aren't even a day old!

Snuggling up to their unborn sibling.

Opening wide...

Then collapsing for a rest.

VIDEO!!!!

May 7, 2008 - Warm eggs

2008-05-07T17:31:00.003-04:00

Haven't been around much today so I didn't get to watch the ladies at all. But, I did see Big Mama sitting on the edge of her nest this afternoon. She was cleaning herself and just looking around. I know the eggs have to maintain a pretty steady temp and the Mom's will hop to the edge of the nest to cool the eggs off a bit. I this is the first time I am seeing this. Usually they only hop on the edge to turn the eggs and then they are right back on. I am assuming she is letting them cool because the little hatchlings inside are getting big and starting to give off their own heat!!

This is the holly tree where Mama is.

Her nest is right near our bedroom window!

May 6, 2008 - A quiet day

2008-05-06T18:55:00.005-04:00

Things have been quiet for the two Mom's today. They spent most of their time in their nests. So, all in all it has been a pretty mellow day. I hope they take advantage of this down time. When those eggs hatch they will be running day and night to feed them!

Big Mama looking pretty

This is Big Daddy in protector mode.

When he senses a threat or intruder, he puts his wings down to appear larger.

This stance was directed at me this time.

I guess he thought I was too close to his nest or his woman.

May 5, 2008 - The results are in... You ARE the father!

2008-05-05T15:49:00.003-04:00

I was beginning to think that Big Mama had a deadbeat partner. But I finally spotted him guarding her and the nest the other night. He's a handsome guy!!

Big Daddy

He keeps out of sight usually. I think he spends most of his time in the back yard, but always within earshot of Mama. I see a Robin at my feeder a lot, I am not 100% sure if this is him but I think it is.

Looks like Lucy is in the incubation stage now, I just saw the four eggs this afternoon. Usually she lays an egg between 11 AM and Noon. If you watch them enough, you can really tell their schedules. Today it seems like she has spent most of her time at the nest rather than eating. When she laid eggs she took a lot of breaks and ate a lot. She isn't doing this much at all now.

Lucy incubating

Big Mama incubating

May 4, 2008 - Quaduplets and Hawks

2008-05-04T13:43:00.008-04:00

Lucy laid another egg today!!

She seemed really tired and kept leaving the nest to refuel so I figured she wasn't done yet! I wonder if this will be it for her. I kind of hope so, I can't imagine how hard it will be to take care of four babies!

There was lots of drama in the front yard today. A pair of Grackle's came into the yard and neither bird seemed worried. But the fathers were; I could hear them both warning the mothers but I wasn't sure why. The Grackles quickly took off. Sure enough, about a minute later I see three Red Tailed Hawk's circling! Both Mom's appeared pretty nervous and got really low in their nest's. The Dad's were hiding in their tree's squawking away. After about 10 minutes, it seemed that the coast was clear and things quieted down.

Grackle intruders

Red Tailed Hawk

Both of the Mom's decided to forage in the yard. Lucy and Big Mama had a little scuffle but nothing major. Lucy seems to hold her own against Big Mama now. Big Mama conceded and went to her side of the yard. (I wonder if things will remain this civil when they are competing for food to feed their babies) Within a few minutes the Dad's sounded their alarms again and the birds scattered. Lucy went into a tree and Big Mama hid under some pines. I saw a lone Hawk circling the tree above Lucy. She was anxious to get back to her nest but had to stay their for her own safety. After a few minutes she quickly flew into the nest and Big Mama made her way back to hers. Hopefully the afternoon will be a lot quieter for these hard working Mom's!

A showdown between the Mom's

(Lucy on Left, Mama on Right)

Lucy waiting for the Hawk to pass

Lucy quickly flying back to her nest

May 2, 2008 - More eggs, more fights.

2008-05-03T15:45:00.009-04:00

Lucy laid another egg today:

She also had to defend her eggs pretty aggressively today. Lucy and Ricky were out foraging for worms when a Starling came into their territory. Lucy was on the lawn and Ricky was watching her from a tree branch. This Starling was looking for food VERY close to the holly tree. Starlings are very aggressive birds and will even kick a bird out of their own nests and take over. They are such menaces that they are listed on the USDA list of Invasive Species.

Lucy went right after the Starling. Ricky jumped down from the tree to be by her side but did not participate in the fight. The Starling charged Lucy but she fought back. They were fighting in the air with their feet. It was pretty exciting to watch!! It all happened very fast and I wasn't able to get a good picture of it. Luckily, Lucy won and the Starling left, no thanks to Ricky! At one point he turned his back on the fight. I guess he wanted to make sure no other predators were around.

Going after the Starling

It's on now!

After the fight a Mourning Dove came into the territory. Mourning Doves are pretty docile and Lucy didn't seem all that threatened but thought it best to go back to her nest, just in case. Before she jumped in the nest she looked right up at me through the window. I don't think she was posing for the camera but the picture sure did come out great!

Here she is turning her eggs before sitting on them.

May 3, 2008 - Another Day, another egg!

2008-05-02T17:04:00.008-04:00

The young Mom (I'm naming her Lucy - since she seems kind of goofy and I love Lucille Ball. The Dad will be Ricky, natch) laid another egg today.

She pretty much left her first egg alone all day yesterday. She covered it up with some twigs and left. She did come back at dusk and spent her first night in the nest. I have read that the Mother can let the first eggs cool a lot more than subsequent eggs. If she didn't, they would all hatch at different times. They lay one egg a day but she won't start the incubation process until her last egg is laid. That way one egg will hatch per day, in the order that they were laid.

Last night I was lucky enough to see her in her nest for the first time. She didn't seem to know what to do. She was jumping around on the edge of the nest looking at the egg inside. She seemed pretty confused and just took off. Comparing the two birds definitely tells me that Lucy is young and has never done this before. I hope that she does ok with her first brood.

Tonight, I scared her off when I pulled into the driveway and she hasn't been back since. But it is 5 PM and both nests are empty. From what I can tell from watching Big Mama - thinking of renaming her Ethel ;) - 5 PM is usually dinner time.

May 1, 2008 - More eggs!

2008-05-01T14:15:00.005-04:00

This morning I checked the nests and Big Mama was pretty much status quo. Sitting on her eggs, rotating every hour or so, counterclockwise. When I went out to pick up Jonnie from school there was a male robin in the tree in front of me. He started giving out a warning chirp which I thought was strange. I walked to the car and noticed that the little Robin was in her nest. She wasn't building or rearranging the grasses, she was just sitting there. It looked to me that she was laying an egg. When I came back, she wasn't in her nest and I found this:

I read that Robin's usually lay 3-4 eggs in a clutch. I wonder how many she will have?!

This is her looking much more plump than the first time I ever saw her. This is yesterday, the day before she laid her first egg:

Here is Big Mama caring for her eggs: She knows I am there looking at her and she is definitely keeping an eye on me but she doesn't seem too afraid of me now. Her eggs should be hatching in a week and a half or so, can't wait!!

April 30, 2008 - The nest is complete!

2008-05-01T13:51:00.006-04:00

The second nest is complete! She must have worked during the early morning hours since a lot of work was done since I checked it last night. It's quite a bit larger than Big Mama's nest. It is also easier for us to view, you can see right inside the nest easily! It is closer to the window though, so she gets spooked more often. Jonnie checks the nest every morning and usually she is in there. He will yell to me, "Mom! Our Wobbin is in hur nest!"

I went outside to check her masterpiece and sure enough, the father was in a tree looking at me. He seems to guard her much better than Big Mama's partner does. The Dad started to chirp loudly and he sounded stressed so I backed away immediately.

I went over to check on the other nest, which I rarely do from outside. Big Mama wasn't there so I tried to take a peek at her three eggs. Before I could get within 5 feet I hear screaming! It is Big Mama not too far away, yelling at me! She didn't seem nervous, just angry! She was chirping VERY loud, almost like she was screaming at me. Her mouth was open really wide and she was all puffed up. Obviously I left the area. I should have known she wouldn't leave her babies unattended.

The finished product

A close up

Here you can see the layer of mud

April 29, 2008 - Turf wars

2008-05-01T13:43:00.005-04:00

Seems like the birds are trying to figure out if our front yard is big enough for the both of them. I have seen quite a few fights between Big Mama and the other female Robin (still trying to name her, any suggestions??). Big Mama always wins. Whenever the other Robin gets to close to Mama's turf, she gets attacked. She tries to put up a bit of a fight but Mama is too big and is more aggressive since she has a nest full of eggs to protect. In the end they seem to work it out. The smaller, younger Robin moves to a distance acceptable to Mama or flies into a tree.

Big Mama seems to be used to me peeking through the window at her. Before she would look startled but now she just kind of stares at me. She is definitely on guard but not willing to fly the nest every time she seems me. It is hard not to watch her throughout the day, but I do try to keep my distance as best as possible. I always approach the window slowly so the sudden movement doesn't scare her away. She does seem a bit more relaxed in her nest than she was the first few days. She used to perk up at every sound and animal that passed by and appeared alarmed. She is still completely aware of what is going on but more relaxed about it now.

April 28, 2008 - Bad day for one, good day for the other

2008-04-30T17:54:00.006-04:00

Today is RAINY and very cold. I feel bad for the Mom trying to keep her eggs warm. I caught her rolling the eggs over with her beak and then settling down for another marathon incubation period. Since it was raining, she opened up her wings to cover the entire nest so the eggs wouldn't get wet. She didn't look too happy. From what I have seen so far, this warming eggs gig is no fun at all! The Mother does all the work and she will chirp to the Father when she needs a break to eat. He doesn't come sit on the eggs but he does guard it near-by.

I have done a little reading on Robin's since finding the nests. I guess the Mom will call the Dad when she wants to leave the nest. He will come and guard it for about 15 minutes to give her time to stretch her wings and eat. When she comes back he goes back to roost at the boys club. All of the men roost in the trees as a group while all of their baby-mama's are doing all the hard work! I have yet to see the father from this family but I do hear him singing to the mother every morning. Although, this serenade isn't for her benefit. He does it to let other males know that is his territory. He also does it to announce to the ladies that he is a stud and has mated with another female! His song is pretty but loud! He usually wakes us up around 5-ish and we have to close the windows. I can only imagine how loud it is going to be with three hungry babies screeching every morning!!

From what I have observed, this Mom seems to be experienced. She quickly built a simple but seemly sturdy nest. She is much larger than the other Robin, more colorful and mature looking. I sometimes confuse her for a male. I don't think this is her first nesting season.

Here's Big Mama:

The rain didn't make for a good day for Big Mama but the other Robin loved it! It helped loosen up the thatch and it was much easier for her to pull up. Plus, she was able to add more mud to the second layer. Because of this, she made a lot of progress on her nest today.

April 27, 2008 - Under construction and laying eggs

2008-04-30T17:44:00.009-04:00

Now that I am aware of the two nests in the front yard, I'm trying to figure out who is shacking up in our holly trees. I was able to find and watch the pair that were still in the nest building phase. She looks very young; I figure she was probably born around this time last year, so this is probably her first time building a nest. The coloring on her breast is very pale and splotchy and she is kind of scrawny; hard to believe there are eggs in her little body somewhere! The male is a typical male Robin Red-Breast. He seems to guard her very well, always standing at attention nearby. He chirps at her at any sign of danger as she picks away at the grass to build her nest.

So far it looks like she has the straw base and the layer of mud down. From the little I know about nests, I believe she has to do a fine grass layer next and the nest will be complete. She is very busy pulling up thatch to build the middle layer, her nest seems to be a lot more complex compared to the other Robin's nest. I think the Dad has the best job of all, keeping one eye on the Mom as she searches high and low for decent thatch; while keeping his other eye on the fat earth worm coming out of the ground!

Here she is with thatch for her nest!

Here's the Dad guarding his mate.

I checked on the other nest on and off during the day. I try to do this mostly from my bedroom window since I don't want to disturb the Mom and risk her getting spooked and leaving her nest. It seems like she leaves the nest at very infrequent, small increments. When I caught her out trying to refuel, I saw that she had laid another egg! This makes three total.

April 26, 2008 - There's another one!!

2008-04-30T17:14:00.002-04:00

After we finished landscaping one side of the yard, we went over to the other side and found ANOTHER nest in the other holly tree!! This nest looked much sturdier, pretty much finished, so I looked inside. There was one beautiful blue egg!! I knew we had to get out of there quickly so the Mom could come back and keep the eggs warm so we did our work quickly and got out of there.

A few hours later, I wanted to show Claire the nest and when we looked in, there was another egg! Pretty exciting for a bird lover to see. This holly tree is directly under our bedroom window. You can't see directly inside since it is a little higher up in the tree and she camouflaged it a little better. But good enough for me! You can still see the eggs pretty well from inside of our house.

Before bed I wanted to check to see if there was a parent tending to the eggs since I hadn't seen any birds near the active nest. So I quickly put a flashlight beam on the nest and sure enough, there was the Mom, sitting on the nest! I was so glad because I know how easily birds can abandon nest's if they feel threatened.

April 26, 2008 - We found a Robin's nest!!

2008-04-30T16:56:00.008-04:00

We were re-landscaping our front yard when Jon spotted the startings of a bird nest in the Holly bush in our front yard. We looked around a bit and sure enough, there was a female Robin with grass in her beak waiting for us to get out of her way! About 5 feet away from her was a angry looking male Robin definitely guarding his mate. Unfortunately for them we had to get our yardwork done, fortunately for us, they didn't abandon the site after their construction was put on hold for a few hours.

The nest is directly under our living room window! You can look directly inside of it, so it will be perfect for viewing the babies. We are all really excited about watching a new Robin family grow this Spring!