I don't know if I'd mess with the nest at all. The biggest problem might be with people coming to the front door a lot to see the house, and that upsetting the bird. When we bought our house, the people left behind a really twee-looking "rustic birdhouse on chair" thing by the front door. At the closing, they told us they'd left it because a wren was nesting in it. That wren was pretty pissed when we moved in, what with all the going back-and-forth commotion. It would fly to the beech tree in front and just scold, scold, scold.

Could you maybe inch the sculpture over, slowly, so that it wasn't so prominent?

It would charm my socks off if I came to your house and saw a robin's nest on your statue's head, right there on the front porch. Your house could probably be falling down while I was in it and I'd be frantically pawing for a contract.

Just be incredibly vigilant about cleaning up the poop and it'll work beautifully. Don't touch the nest or the eggs/chicks, though, if you can avoid it.

One other idea - at a sale at the Conservatory here on Saturday, I saw someone selling 2" pieces of different brightly colored yarns, packed into those cage feeders you put suet bricks in. You hang it up and the birds use it for their nests. But they're just now building nests here in 5b... do robins continue to work on their nests after they move into them?

I think you should do a quaint little hand-painted sign of some sort that says "Pardon our construction, baby robins in progress" or something kitchy like that. I agree w/ tropicanarama...it would charm me too!

By the way, robins are probably the most resilient birds in regard to being in close proximity to people. If you ever really watch, you'll notice you can get MUCH closer to them than other birds. I have a feisty little male who literally follows me around the garden and waits for me to throw him worms when I'm gardening. He started last year and it just cracked me up. The first time it happened, I was watering a tree and looked right next to me (I was squatting down) only to see him looking at me...6 inches away. He waited until a worm popped up from the saturated ground and nabbed it. We played that game all summer! :)

Thank you for all of your responses regarding the Robin's nest. I mentioned the situation to someone whose wife is an entomologist (the branch of zoology that deals with the study of insects). She indicated that once that egg hatches the mother will become extremely protective, fly and swoop near anyone who comes close to the nest. She suggested removal of the nest.

If anyone out there knows something different about Robins and their behavior around their babies, please let me know. Otherwise, I will be forced to move it.

Marlene

Oh Marlene,I hope you dont remove that nest! We coexist very peacefuly with a robin that nests every year in a hanging basket on our front porch.We've never had the momma fly at us. She will make chuck-cluck type noise when the stray cats come around-that is my 11 yo sons cue to defend the porch with a badmiton racquet:0 Lora

I've never had problems with it either. I've had cardinals, robins, house sparrows - you name it - nesting by our door and they seem to be ok.

Oh Lora, that is so great!! The thought of your son defending the nest is adorable. He's going to grow up to be a great poppa!

Well, this is my second year with a robin's nest in an arch in my garden and let me tell you, I can't walk anywhere near that area without having the parents divebomb me. Even when I'm not really near their nest, they don't like it, squawking at me and swooping down right near me. I wear a hat and long sleeves and still feel the wind hitting me as they fly past me.

I didn't do anything last year other than wait them out and don't think I can do anything else this year either. So, I guess my story is that personally, I'd stay clear of the nest. Good luck.

We had a robin nest in our plum tree once. The tree sat right next to several flower beds and the veggie garden, but though we'd be there working on them the mother didn't care. She just watched us as she sat on her eggs.

When the babies hatched, then it got fun. They didn't attack us, but if we were near the tree (the nest wasn't that high up), we'd see them sitting on a fence or power line with a big worm in their beaks, waiting until we got the hint and moved away from the tree. Then they'd come feed the babies and fly off again.

This went on until the babies were old enough to leave the nest -- go work on the garden, hear a robin chirp, look up, see mama or papa waiting with a worm, walk away from tree, watch them feed, go back to work on the garden. I guess we respected each other enough!

I do hope you don't have to remove the nest. Maybe you could edge it over towards the other side of the porch and, I don't know, place a few pots of plants where it used to be to shield the view? She might be less huffy then, if she is inclined to be.

Our respect for our plum tree robins paid off though... we got to stand there and watch the babies leave the nest. We felt like proud parents ourselves!