A silly place to build a nest

There is a robin family in the garden aiming for the Darwin Award. In the
garden I have a large pile of hedge trimmings next to the compost heap. The
trimmings are due to be put through a shredder and composted. Not for a
while though. Nathan located a nest in the pile of hedge trimmings. When he
spotted it, it was empty apart from three small eggs. I've gone out there
this afternoon and greeting me was a pair of bright black eyes, a beak and
the unmistakeable colour of a robin - sat on the nest, incubating the eggs.
This nest is in plain sight - and is only waist height off the ground. I
have three cats. My neighbours have cats. The garden is visited by magpies,
jays, jackdaws and squirrels. Plus the cats have caught the odd rat (well we
do live out in the countryside). So it's not looking good for the nesting
robin family. I keep my cats in of a night time, but I can't stop other cats
and I can't stop the visiting avian predators nor the squirrels, all of whom
find eggs and baby birds a tasty high protein snack. It's the decision of
the sentimental humans in Chateau Unfit Family, that we'll be giving the
robin family a chance. My cats in from dusk to dawn and there'll be some
good robin food put out - mealworms and the like at the bird feeding
stations. But I don't fancy the chances of Mr & Mrs Robin and their
developing brood.

Cheers, helen s

--

~~
you may need to remove dependence
on fame & fortune from organisation
to get correct email address
~Noodliness is Good~

"wafflycat" wrote

There is a robin family in the garden aiming for the Darwin Award. In the
garden I have a large pile of hedge trimmings next to the compost heap.
The trimmings are due to be put through a shredder and composted. Not for
a while though. Nathan located a nest in the pile of hedge trimmings. When
he spotted it, it was empty apart from three small eggs. I've gone out
there this afternoon and greeting me was a pair of bright black eyes, a
beak and the unmistakeable colour of a robin - sat on the nest, incubating
the eggs. This nest is in plain sight - and is only waist height off the
ground. I have three cats. My neighbours have cats. The garden is visited
by magpies, jays, jackdaws and squirrels. Plus the cats have caught the
odd rat (well we do live out in the countryside). So it's not looking good
for the nesting robin family. I keep my cats in of a night time, but I
can't stop other cats and I can't stop the visiting avian predators nor
the squirrels, all of whom find eggs and baby birds a tasty high protein
snack. It's the decision of the sentimental humans in Chateau Unfit
Family, that we'll be giving the robin family a chance. My cats in from
dusk to dawn and there'll be some good robin food put out - mealworms and
the like at the bird feeding stations. But I don't fancy the chances of Mr
& Mrs Robin and their developing brood.

Are the eggs blue? I wonder because I see a nest high up in the neighbors'
elm and have found two bloken small blue eggs in the grass under it. Then
the other day I found a small chick on the ground in the same area. It was
so strange, it had this yellow fungus growing on part of its head and on one
shoulder. Flies were getting into it. The poor thing was keeping its eyes
closed and would not eat when I offered it food. And it was shivering. And
there was another chick, dead, in the grass a few feet away. These chicks
did look like baby robins. So here's another unsuccessful nest - at least
four deaths so far.

"Pat" wrote in message
.. .


Are the eggs blue? I wonder because I see a nest high up in the neighbors'
elm and have found two bloken small blue eggs in the grass under it. Then
the other day I found a small chick on the ground in the same area. It was
so strange, it had this yellow fungus growing on part of its head and on
one shoulder. Flies were getting into it. The poor thing was keeping its
eyes closed and would not eat when I offered it food. And it was
shivering. And there was another chick, dead, in the grass a few feet
away. These chicks did look like baby robins. So here's another
unsuccessful nest - at least four deaths so far.



Yes, the robin eggs are tiny pale blue things. But robins over here are a
different species to the robins on the other side of the pond.

Cheers, helen s

wafflycat wrote:
"Pat" wrote in message
.. .


Are the eggs blue? I wonder because I see a nest high up in the
neighbors' elm and have found two broken small blue eggs in the
grass under it. Then the other day I found a small chick on the
ground in the same area. It was so strange, it had this yellow
fungus growing on part of its head and on one shoulder. Flies were
getting into it. The poor thing was keeping its eyes closed and
would not eat when I offered it food. And it was shivering. And
there was another chick, dead, in the grass a few feet away. These
chicks did look like baby robins. So here's another unsuccessful
nest - at least four deaths so far.


Yes, the robin eggs are tiny pale blue things. But robins over here
are a different species to the robins on the other side of the pond.

Cheers, helen s

I was just getting ready to remind Pat that very same thing

European Robin:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfact...iles/253.shtml

American Robin
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAbou...can_Robin.html

wafflycat wrote:
There is a robin family in the garden aiming for the Darwin Award. In
the garden I have a large pile of hedge trimmings next to the compost
heap. The trimmings are due to be put through a shredder and
composted. Not for a while though. Nathan located a nest in the pile
of hedge trimmings. When he spotted it, it was empty apart from three
small eggs. I've gone out there this afternoon and greeting me was a
pair of bright black eyes, a beak and the unmistakeable colour of a
robin - sat on the nest, incubating the eggs. This nest is in plain
sight - and is only waist height off the ground. I have three cats.
My neighbours have cats. The garden is visited by magpies, jays,
jackdaws and squirrels. Plus the cats have caught the odd rat (well
we do live out in the countryside). So it's not looking good for the
nesting robin family. I keep my cats in of a night time, but I can't
stop other cats and I can't stop the visiting avian predators nor the
squirrels, all of whom find eggs and baby birds a tasty high protein
snack. It's the decision of the sentimental humans in Chateau Unfit
Family, that we'll be giving the robin family a chance. My cats in
from dusk to dawn and there'll be some good robin food put out -
mealworms and the like at the bird feeding stations. But I don't
fancy the chances of Mr & Mrs Robin and their developing brood.

Cheers, helen s

It doesn't sound to hopeful, but I'll be sending lots of purrs for the
robin. I imagine it's the first time its built a nest, I hope it finds a
better place next time.
--
Adrian (Owned by Snoopy and Bagheera)
Cats leave pawprints on your heart.
http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk

"Adrian A" wrote in message
...


It doesn't sound to hopeful, but I'll be sending lots of purrs for the
robin. I imagine it's the first time its built a nest, I hope it finds a
better place next time.

And what with the young lizard I found this afternoon... the garden of
Chateau Unfit Family is a veritable wildlife haven ;-)

Cheers, helen s

"Magic Mood Jeep©" wrote in news:4f2vpsF1gr0teU1
@individual.net:

I was just getting ready to remind Pat that very same thing

European Robin:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfact...iles/253.shtml


Oh! Yours are prettier than ours.

Chak

--
Uncoerced, unbribed and unbought, humanity will move toward the light.
--Alice Hubbard