Look how much the chicks have grown in just four days! Now they're more alert - their eyes are open and they turn their heads to look when I photograph them. Their previously fluff covered bodies are now filling in with pin feathers. They'll be ready to go in a couple of weeks, maybe less.
The trilling was unmistakable at 5 am this morning. My first thought was "Could the baby robins already be out of their nest?" Four robins hopped about the front lawn. Two were parents hard at work looking for food to fill their insatiable babies' bellies. The other two - one hovering near the adult male and the other with the female - were almost as big as the parents, but their throats and chests were marked with the spots of babyhood. When spooked, the young birds flew into the bushes or the low branches of a nearby tree.
Could these be the same babies I saw crammed together in their nest just last night? I ran down to the back deck and checked the nest. Empty!
What an amazing treat to have witnessed the growth of these two robin chicks. My first photo taken on May 2 showed a completely constructed empty nest. Next, two eggs were evident by May 7 and the first chick hatched around the 21st. The sibling debuted two days later on the 23rd. By the 29th, the two chicks were already feathered. I expected more of an awkward fledgling stage, but by today, June 3, they were out and about and doing quite well with their first flights. So much progress in the span of one month. Watch the progression on this slide show.
American Robins can produce 2-3 sets of chicks per breeding season, so these parents won't be resting for quite some time. Usually, they will construct a new nest in a new location. This first set of chicks will continue to beg for food from the parents and will remain within this area for the remainder of the summer.
Here are a couple of photos of the speckled chested chicks begging for food.
Amazing changes have occurred in the robin nest in the past four days. I just got a chance to photograph the chicks after all the rain we've had recently. Compare this photo with the last one posted on May 28th (photo was actually taken on May 25). Not only has their body size increased quite a bit, but the chicks are now completely covered in pin feathers and their eyes are now open. Their mother always makes sure they're stuffed before she ventures out for her evening meal. One chick did slowly open his mouth for food when it saw me.
The chicks have gotten so large that they take up the whole nest. During the day, the mom comes and sits on the edge of the nest to keep watch. She only sits on the babies when it's stormy or overnight when the temperature drops.
Babies are doing fine and now have pin feathers developing on their tiny wings. It has been cold and rainy the last two days, so I haven't been able to get an update since this picture was taken over the Memorial Day weekend. I'll try again tomorrow when things clear up and mom goes in search of food.
There have been a couple of nice benefits to having the robins nest so close to the house. First of all, they want to stay nearby and so are feeding from the yard and best of all, from my vegetable garden. Hopefully they're keeping the garden free of beetles, grubs and other pests. Secondly, the parents chase away other unwanted visitors who venture near the deck. This morning we witnessed the male robin harrassing a chipmunk which had come onto the deck. He managed to chase it off the deck and out of the yard. Good job, dad!
The singleton robin has a nest mate! There appears to be only 2 chicks in this nest. Must have miscounted the eggs. Both are doing well. Every day more white fluff appears on their naked bodies.
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quite some time. Usually, they will construct a new nest in a new location. This first set of chicks will continue to beg for food from the parents and will remain within this area for the remainder of the summer.
