Expert: Roger Lederer - 5/6/2007

Question
About two weeks ago i spotted a pair of robins in my back garden dipping in and out of a shrub on ground level with moss, twigs ect in their mouths. i discovered they were building a nest. i was immediately concerned as this particular spot im my garden is not at all suitable as it is used mainly as a football pitch for my little brother and his friends. i contemplated destroying the nest before any eggs appearered but could not bring myself to do so. the fat cat across the street added to my concerns. however, an egg did appear about a few days later shortly followed by 4 more, resulting in a total of five eggs. i continued to see the robins around the nest for a few more days and even saw the mother incubating the eggs as i peered in. however, thing took a turn fo the worse 2 days ago. my father had to mow the lawn in preparation for a family gathering, and despite his efforts to avoid disrupting the robins, the freaked and flew away. the next morning, when i checked on the nest there were only 2 eggs as oppose to 5 in the nest and one lying outside - 2 missing. that day during the gathering, the garden was packed full of children so its not suprising that the birds did not show up all day. ive been watching all day today and they havnt showed up, and to my horror i saw fat cat lingering around very close to the nest. i threw a stick at him and that was the end of that but i know he will be back. i fear that the eggs have been abandoned and i dont want to leave them around for too long with that cat around. What should i do? i would like to adopt them but im not sure that would be a good idea.

NB/ i am from ireland, so we are dealing with the British Robin.

Answer
If you are sure the parents have not been around for a full day, and you are sure the female was incubating before that, it is fairly certain that the eggs are addled (will not hatch). Once incubation begins, eggs are very sensitive to temperature change and the embryos will die if the temperature varies more than a few degrees for more than a few minutes. I fear there is nothing you can do at this point. But thank you for your concern. Roger Lederer at Ornithology.com