Discovery

All of you who read my blog or know me personally know about my strange fascination for nature & animals. In the past I have shared with you all a few posts about this passion here or here or here. Imagine my surprise when I made another awesome discovery this morning right underneath our deck :) We have a small electric box under the deck that powers all our outdoor lighting. On top of it was a nest & right before I opened the door to get under the deck a robin had flown away. The nest is about 6 feet off the ground so I can't see up in it so I got my camera to take a picture of what was inside the nest:
Three robin eggs :) I have no idea how old the eggs are so I am going to have to check it everyday to see when the baby birds start hatching! I am SO excited to watch this unfold. For some reason Shane doesn't share in my enthusiasm :(

I of course ended up doing a little research on this process (are you surprised?) & found these little tidbits of information about robins:

Mating: Robins generally remain together for the breeding season, but often mate with other individuals the following year.

Nesting: It takes from two to six days to make the nest, with an average of 180 trips per day to find materials. Males sometimes help gather nesting materials but the female chooses the site and builds the nest. An American Robin can produce three successful broods in one year. On average, though, only 40 percent of nests successfully produce young

Brooding: The female robin incubates her eggs for about 12 to 16 days. She sits on the eggs for 40-minute periods. Then she stands up, turns the eggs and flies off to feed or for a break. The male stands guard and sometimes sits on the eggs.

Society: In summer, females sleep on the nests and males congregate in roosts. As young robins become independent, they join the males in the roost. Female adults go to the roosts only after they have finished nesting.

Life-time: About half of the robins alive in any year will make it to the next. Despite the fact that a lucky robin can live to be 14 years old, the entire population turns over on average every six years.

Song: The robin is one of the first birds to sing in the morning and is one of the last to be heard at night. The male is most vocal, usually singing from high points in the morning and during courtship. The robin is one of the few birds to sing throughout the winter.

Chicks: The chicks are fed by both parents. They eat about 35 to 40 meals a day. The parents keep the nests clean by carrying away or eating the chicks' fecal sacs. When they are about 13 days old, the chicks leave the nest. They stay in their parents' territory for a few weeks but leave after about a month.

Now you know all you ever wanted to know about robins & their chicks! Sorry if I am boring you. I know not everyone shares in my excitement! I will be sure to post pics when the baby birds hatch - that should be more exciting :)