Tuesday, June 12, 2012

The Nest

Every year the Robins show up to claim Far Guys step ladder that is under the eave of his garage.  The nest is high and dry and most likely warm from the steel siding.  The Mama Robin has a view to the east and trees nearby.
She and he make a pretty big mess building their perfect nest. ( She does most of the nest building work)  This is their second nest full this summer.  The Mama Robin does most of the incubating of the eggs while the Papa Robin watches from a nearby tree.  They both work to feed the young once they have hatched.
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The first babies fledged and in a few days ..these were found in the nest.
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Four more eggs! Pretty little things!  Last year they raised three broods of young. You would think since we provide a great space for a nest the least they could do is show up in my yard first before going over to “she who sees robins first.”

Did you know that Robins can eat 14 FEET of worms in a day?  I am sure this little bit of information will come in handy someday. ( My Grand’s sometimes read my blog..I would like for them to learn something new everyday..so whoever reads this first and calls me and hollers “Grandma! Robins can eat fourteen feet of worms in a day” that Grand will win five bucks.) Update ***Adam called me at work and won the $5. 


I finally found a pattern for nesting boxes for Robins and Phoebes.  Far Guy is going to give it a whirl and try a couple on the east side of his garage.  Maybe they will use them and he will be able to use his step ladder during the summer again:)
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19 comments:

rkbsnana said...

She must have known she was expecting a large family...her house is big.

Gail said...

Grandma! Robins can eat fourteen feet of worms in a day.

Oh, shoot, you said, CALL!

Muffy's Marks said...

I doubt if the robin family will move, they appear to have found the perfect place to build a nest. The photos are wonderful!!

Country Gal said...

Thats awesome ! Nice photos ! They have found a home and aint moving lol. I would love to know where you got the patterns for the nesting boxes . Papa would love to build some and pot them up for our Robins . Have a wonderful day !

DJan said...

They are the prettiest blue! I guess that's what is known as robin's egg blue? :-)

linda m said...

I learned something new today. I had no idea that robins nested more than once a year. Great pictures.

Far Side of Fifty said...

Here is the link to the nesting boxes pattern
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/robin/NestBox.html

Beth said...

I love robins. They always give me cause for hope eternal. I didn't know that they have more than one family a year though.

I bet you hear from all of the grands today! ;-)

GramMary said...

Beautiful photo. Don't those eggs look like Easter eggs...so blue and perfect. thanks for the day brightener.

Anonymous said...

You will have to let us know, which Grand kid wins. :) Those eggs are such a beautiful color. Thanks for sharing the website.

You have such a wonderful blog and I look forward to reading it everyday! I have learned so much from you and also really have enjoyed this month's wedding photo's on Old Forgotten Photos. Ty! LD

Rita said...

That ladder has such a nice wide platform for them to build a sturdy, large nest. No wonder they love it! FarGuy might need to buy another ladder--LOL! They may not want to go for the box when they have such a great spot. ;)

Let us know who wins!

Just Stuff From a Boomer said...

I didn't realize robin had more than one brood a season either. That is a beautiful picture of the eggs. they look so vivid. They did pick a precarious place to build though.

Terry and Linda said...

A ladder is a cool place...they feel safe and you can see what's happening!


Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com

Jacqi Stevens said...

Okay...when Grandma throws down the gauntlet so publicly, we want Grandma to follow up with a public announcement of who gets to win that fiver! ;)

Far Side of Fifty said...

Adam called me at work today and won the $5. He is the youngest soon to be eleven year old:)

Lynda said...

Yuck - - 14 feet of worms. I am glad I am not a robin. That is a lot of searching for food each day!
We will miss the pic of the nest on the stepladder if Far Guy builds houses. You will have to pull it out of the archive though and post it each year with the houses. Those blue eggs - - - too gorgeous. God loves to overwhelm us with color!
Pretty clever idea on educating the kids. We know where your paycheck is going.

Red said...

Three broods in a summer ! Amazing.
14 feet of worms ! Amazing!
There you got two amazings in the same post.

Jan Blawat said...

My son and I worked for Wildlife Care for a few years, raising baby birds. Most babies will eat until they're full, then sit back in the nest and close their mouths. Robin babies just keep taking food. We didn't know this so we just kept feeding them. When it was time for them to fledge they were so fat they couldn't get off the ground. We had to keep them in a flight cage for a while longer and cut back on the food so they could learn to fly. They really are bottomless pits.

Sam I Am...... said...

Whoa Nellie! $5 a day? There goes your summer spending money! LOL! I like to learn something every day too and I sure could use the $5! LOL!