my bird-brained neighbors

18 years ago

Not joking either ... they really are bird-brained. Had a couple of robins make a nest on my balcony.

Had to snap this pic of mom at night. She wouldn't stick around for me to take her pic otherwise.

4 eggs in nest

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if you look close at the top most egg, you can see the hole where the babe has begun the arduous process of breaking out of its egg

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Photo date: 5/30/05

3 have hatched

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Photo date: 6/1/05

Wondered if the last egg would turn out to be 'stillborn' but it did hatch a day later.

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Photo date: 6/6/05

They do grow fast...not even a week later {{gwi:866535}}

Photo date: 6/12/05

Already fledging out.

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As of today, 6/13/05, only 2 babies in the nest. 2 have already "flown the coop"

Comments (6)

Juliana63
18 years ago
Nice pics -- we had blue jays nesting above a light fixture on our deck 3 years ago. They successfully raised 5 babies and didn't seem to mind us sitting a few feet away. Sadly, I haven't seen many jays since with West Nile virus taking its toll.
blondboy47
18 years ago
Now that's just adorable!!! ):)p
rose_is_a_rose
18 years ago
How cool is that!
jroot
18 years ago
Neat progression of shots. Thanks for sharing. I love the last one.
goodhors
18 years ago
Our robins raised their first clutch of eggs on the row of shed tools hanging on the wall. Mama flew out of the shed every time we came in. Once they hatched it was very quick as they fledged(grew feathers) and flew. My young daughter dug some worms every day and fed them. I couldn't believe the growth between morning and evening! They flew around the shed one day and were gone the next, very interesting to watch. HOWEVER, I now keep the shed door closed, since Mama is trying to get a second nest going. I have removed the shreddy things and mud she put up there as nest starters three times. I believe she has given up on that location now, been a couple days since any new stuff. Shed is too hot with summer sun, babies would be roasted! We have another robin nest going in the tree outside the bedroom window, about halfway thru before the babies fly off.
RiverLiver
18 years ago
What incredible pictures! In our old house (we moved a year ago)I always put a hanging basket of impatiens on our porch next to the front steps at the end of May. Within a few days we would have a sparrow starting a small nest tucked into the flowers. The process you showed would then commence. This went on for about 7 years, like clockwork. But I had a hard time seeing things. I would check every year to find out if the nest was there and where it was, so I could dribble water in from the other side of the pot, and occasionally I would pull aside some leaves to investigate, but mostly I tried to let them alone. I almost got bombarded from Mom a couple of times as I stood there.

It was so much fun every year. It ended when my sister brought me a fuchsia, and I felt I had to hang it front and center to show my appreciation. We never saw the family again. Thanks for letting us see this transformation.