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

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 14, 2008 - From Hatchling to Nestling

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.

May 13, 2008 - The dangerous life of a Robin

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 4, 2008 - Quaduplets and Hawks

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.

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.