Sunday, August 3. All three baby robins fledged yesterday. The nest is empty!
Here is a photo of the east end of our back yard:
You can see the nest – about 4/5 the way out on the lower limbs of the nearest honey locust tree.
We don’t know where the first robin found refuge, but the second robin hopped into the peony bush next to the bird bath along the left end of the fence and the third bird hopped into the lilies of the valley on the right end (the area behind the hanging pot).
Here’s a bottom view of the nest. You see the knot next to the nest? That’s where the last baby bird got caught before she fell.
Anyway, maybe feeling a bit of the empty-nest blues after all the excitement of the past week. But I am determined to keep these three baby robins safe! Our back yard is surrounded by three cement block fences so I’m pretty sure the babies are still back there.
First order of the day on Sunday, August 3, is to post a sign on the back door to remind all of us – to watch Rudy with the birds!
Yeah, well, Little Lord Fauntleroy has a history. I’ll never forget the summer a few years ago when I let him out in the morning to do his business but then he didn’t come back. I called him and finally went out to see what was holding him up. Well, it was a fledgling – in Rudy’s mouth! He was using it as a flip toy, grabbing it in his mouth and then flipping it around. Well, of course the fledging died.
But that’s not going to happen to our little bird family this time!
I hear Rudy barking outside – oh-oh. I run to the back door – oh good! Megan is out there policing him.
Sunday – the day after the birds have fledged- is hot – 90 degrees again. We see no sign of the babies but we do see busy adults – crisscrossing the trees, sitting on the back fence, hopping in the gardens.
Then on Monday, it started raining. A weather pattern of heavy thunderstorms settled over southeast Idaho. By Tuesday noon there were flash flood warnings. Cruel weather for baby birds who can’t fly! Well, the third bird, the little one, the runt, didn’t survive. It was Megan who discovered his tiny little body – sprawled out dead on the sprinkler cover next to the lily of the valley’s – just feet away from where he had initially found refuge. I wonder if he ever did get a worm from his parents after he fletched or had they already abandoned him even when he was a nestling?
It rained for four days. The young birds had to be strong enough to hop up onto tree limbs to escape the saturation on the ground.
The sun came out again on Friday. We’ve been watching for the babies. Megan and I are pretty sure we saw one with dad yesterday (the fathers take over training the young birds to fly, forage for food, recognize dangers and roost in trees with other robins). Back along the lilac hedge a speckled young one was hopping about two feet behind the dad, imitating his every move, foraging for bugs.
It’s been 8 days since the baby robins fledged. I believe the remaining two have joined the flock now – roosting together in the trees at night and feeding together by day. They will grow stronger over the next few weeks – fill up on fruits and berries to build up their body fat as fuel for migration.
Check out this link from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to learn more about robins.
Also, in my online search about robins I came upon this incredible robin blog – put together by a bird lover in Kentucky who planted cameras by several robins nests, captured fantastic photos and videos and kept a running day-by-day account of events starting with mom building the nest up to the time the birds fletch. Really cool!
Sunday, August 10 – 9AM – present time. I just now had the back door open and heard chirping. I saw two little robins frolicking along the lilac hedge at the back fence. I stepped outside and captured this video.
Methinks the babies are doing fine!
But did you know that up to 80 per cent of young robins die each year? Only the strongest, and the luckiest, survive and go on to raise young themselves.
So, I’m keeping the sign posted on the back door to remind us to watch Rudy, you know, in case he tries to turn one of the precious babies into his latest chew toy.
Rudy and David have resumed their Frisbee fetch game…
It’s just a matter of time before that Frisbee slices the empty nest out of the tree.
Tags: robin fledglings, robin nest
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