MORE ROBINS IN THE NEST

Mama Robin incubating four eggs

We left the robins' nest (see last post) on the porch light over the winter - partially laziness and partially curiosity.  On April 18th (2018), we noticed that the robins were refurbishing the nest!  Cool!  They didn't rebuild, they just brought in some new grass for the nest cup (as you will see, this turned out to be a problem...)

I am not keeping as much detail as last year, but there are definitely some interesting happenings in year two with the same Mama bird.
Below is the journal I've been keeping on my phone.  (Closeup pictures are fuzzy because they are taken with iPhone in rather low light - don't want to use flash in their eyes).

ROBINS' NEST - APRIL 2018

April 18

Robins renovating the old nest on the porch.

April 21

We didn’t see an egg in the morning, but mama Robin was on the nest most of the day. The next morning we did see an egg, so we are assuming it was laid on the 21st. 

April 22

Two eggs today, but not early this morning. We are thinking she is laying more mid morning. It has been cold for the last several days and low 40s at night.

April 23

Only two eggs in the morning, but when I looked at two this afternoon, there were three beautiful eggs. I haven’t seen mamma on the nest much today though, but she is there now, 7:29PM

Ap 24

We now have four eggs in the nest, as of afternoon of the 24th (above). We are waiting with bated breath to see if a fifth will be laid this afternoon, or if there will be just four. The nest was awfully full with four last year, but she could lay up to seven.
Ap 25
The nest keeps sliding around and almost falling off the light.  I put a piece of rubber drawer liner under it, but the mud they put there last year to anchor the nest to the light has dried up and is acting like little ball bearings under the nest and rubber piece.  The nest was really hanging off precariously yesterday.  Today I took a wet paper towel, lifted the nest and wiped off most of the loose dirt.  Leaving it wet (hoping it would make a sticky mud again), I put the nest back.  We'll see.

Ap 27

No more eggs have been laid, so four is it. Mama sits on the nest and is mostly not bothered by us. If startled, she flies off, but mostly she’s content to stay there even when we are on the porch. It must be the same bird as last year or it would be more shy of us. The first egg could hatch as early as Thursday next week, May 3. According to the book, it takes 12 to 14 days.

May 3:

No hatching yet; this is the first day that the eggs could have started hatching. Mama is very attentive and doesn’t mind us being around.

May 4

No hatching as of 7:15 in the morning. 

Still four eggs, no hatching yet. 6:45 PM.  But good news - the nest isn't sliding!

May 5

This morning (day 14 after the first egg was laid), 7:20 AM, two eggs have hatched, one looks like it is just hatched! Papa Robin came and delivered worm to mama which she then fed to the hatchling. 

NOTICE in the picture - the top nestling has some downy feathers (hatched a few hours before).
The bottom one has just hatched! It is still between the egg shells and the parent bird usually
removes the egg shells immediately.  Also, the just hatched bird still has pieces of egg shell on its rear.

May 6

Three eggs have hatched this morning. It’s a dark drizzly morning, so difficult to get a clear picture.
May7

As of last night, all four eggs had hatched. One nestling was cheeping and gaping.

May 8

Mama is dutifully keeping the nestlings warm on this cold morning (41.5°). Papa brought some food, and mama flew off; I saw two beaks peeking up over the edge of the nest as papa was feeding them.

They are starting to look like little birds. Look at those little wings!  Eyes are still closed (the big black things above the beaks are their eyes.

 

May 9

Parents back and forth with food!

 

 

May 10

This morning there is a little beak sticking up over the edge of the nest, chin resting on the nest. Amazing that these little blobs with a tiny bit of down will be flying in a bit over a week.

May 12 

Yikes!  there are feathers on these birds!  Starting to look like robins, well... if you have a good imagination. Eyes are open now, too.

 ===

So, some time in about a week, we should have a fledging!  Hmmm... seems like last year fledge day was also on a Saturday when we were at yoga class!  Harumph!  Maybe they will hold off one day.
Also, good news - the nest no longer slides at all!  It has been stable even with both parents landing on it and pushing off from it!  Yay!  It is always a tough call as to whether or not to mess with nature.  Mostly I err on the side of not doing anything, but am glad I did this time!