Expert: Julia Booth - 4/16/2009

Question
Hi I live in wilkes barre PA and I have two robin birds that have build a nest right by my door entrance. It build it under my canopy on a small beam. It's where we go down the stair to the street. The nest is almost at eye level. At first I didn't know what it was because it was bringing the stuff to build the nest so I kept cleaning it out and then I saw it was a nest. I was scare at first and took down a small nest but it came right back and it build another one so I left it alone after I did some research. I felt so bad when I took down the first one. I do have a couple of questions that I hope you can answer for me. It's been a week already and my question is when will she lay her eggs? Will she lay her eggs being that there is traffic in and out of the entrance? Is there any danger for me and my family once she lays her eggs? This area is a valley but also a city will squirrels bother the eggs? Do they sit on the eggs at night? Is it good luck when a robin builds a nest by your home? I'm sorry for all these questions I am so interested in this robin because it's my first time ever to experience this. I thank you so much in advance.

Answer
I don't know about luck. I always tell people they've been chosen, when a bird nests in, on or around their home.

Any time a bird nests, there's a danger that some other animal will eat its eggs.

Will you disturb her process, by your proximity alone? No. She wouldn't have nested there, if she wasn't comfortable with the existing human traffic in the area. Robins are very human friendly, even compared to the average urban bird. If you don't bug her, she won't bug you. Even if you did want to take a closer look at her eggs or what have you, it probably wouldn't deter her, or prevent her from nesting. The whole thing about birds abandoning their babies, because of human scent is a myth.

Once she starts building the nest, it shouldn't be more than a week or two, before she lays the eggs. But they will usually lay one egg a day, and then begin incubating them, once they are all laid, so that they will hatch at the same time.

Typically they lay about 3-5 bright blue eggs. She will sit on them for two weeks. Once they hatch, both parents will participate in the feeding. The father may even feed the mother, while she sits on the eggs. After 14 days, they will fledge, or leave the nest. Robin babies, unlike many other birds, actually stay with their parents for a while, after they fledge. I have actually seen both parents continue to feed and care for juveniles, even when they'd already mastered flight.

Hope this helps you,

Julia


and here's a good link:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/