Thursday, May 2, 2024

Baby robins

Robins have always been one of my favorite birds.

There's just something about their cheery appearance and perky personality that I like.

So when a pair of robins decided to build a nest in the rafters of our barn, who was I to object?

The barn door is almost always open, so there's no issue with the parent birds coming and going.

In many ways, this is an ideal spot for the robins to nest. There's far less chance the nest will be raided by magpies, one of the top predators of baby robins in this area. Plus, there's utter protection from rain and snow. What's not to love?


I climbed into the barn loft to get a better view of the babies, which also meant I had a fine view of one of the parent birds coming in with a beakful of food. What's on the menu?

Whatever it was, the babies gobbled it down.


Within a few days, or at most a week or two, we're going to have fledglings everywhere. Spring!

5 comments:

  1. I like watching them play the game of red light green light that kids play. Last year we ended up with 2 nests in a lean to we use for storing building supplies in. I was surprised as to ho low the nest were.(about 5')

    ReplyDelete
  2. A friend of mine has swifts in his barn. Perhaps inevitably, he calls the parents Taylor and Travis.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Last year, there was a wren who made her nest in a large potted plant on a shelf on my deck beneath a pine. After it warmed up this spring, I put that pot back in the same place not thinking about her. This morning I was watering the plants on that shelf, and out she flew! From the same plant! Guess that plant needs to be named the Wren House!
    The funny thing is, there are birdhouses around, but clearly she prefers to build and re-use her own! Last year her husband was around a lot also. Wonder if it's the same fella and if he's going to show again too!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very interesting! You have nesting Robins already, and we, here in the Great WET PNW of SW Washington are just now seeing Robins show up. Maybe it's the toxic politics in Olympia keeping them to the East of us?

    ReplyDelete