Nest, Sweet Nest!

Within the last week of June, a robin couple built a nest under our roof, and laid 4 eggs there.  I believe that they brought us with something good before we were about to complete the turbulent first half of 2020.

We eagerly waited for two weeks, and finally saw the eggs hatched to 4 robin chicks.  Since then I have been photographing them growing day by day until they left their nest after another two weeks.

Day 1, they were pink new born covered with small amount of hair.  They didn’t move at all, for sometime we were worried they might lost their lives during hatching.

Day 3, they first opened their mouths but not their eyes.

Day 4, with their eyes still closed, they started sensed their parents bringing foods to them.  They could open their mouths to show their hunger

Day 5, they could reach taller to take worms from parents.  Look at those skinny necks!

Day 6, they had grown a lot more hair and some of them started to open their eyes.

Day 7, nest became crowded, and their parents had to stand taller to reach their mouth from the top.

Day 8, more hair and more crowded nest, they learned how to fight with siblings to get foods directly from parent’s mouth.

Day 9, they turned to be smarter because they knew foods were coming even before their parents reached to the edge of their nest.  They started making sound as “feed me please!”

Day 10, their eyes completely opened, they even stand up tall to explore around.  What was their mother doing in the third photo?  She was actually removing “diaper” for one of her kids.  Here is what I read about “disposable diapers” for birds – just about every time the nestlings gulp down some food, they poop.  This bag is mad of thick, strong mucus that a parent robin can pick up in its sharp beak and carry without puncturing.  It is called a fecal sac, or “disposable diapers”.

Day 11, they are almost as big as their parents, but still waiting for their parents to bring foods.  Most significant change is that they can flapping their wings.  It is getting really close for them to fly into the sky.

Day 12, their nest appears too small for them since one of them already flew away.  Remaining three baby robins sometime have to stand on the top of each other.  However they are still depending on their parents to feed them.  Look how desperate they became when they noticed their mother was nearby with worms.

Day 13, I was amazed how much they have grown, they can stand on the edge of the nest, their appearance are more and more like their parents.  Even though they still need to be fed by parents they are ready to soar to the sky.

I was right, they flew away two hours after the last photo was taken.

Robin’s lifespan is only two years, I wish those young birds truly enjoy every minute on the earth!

Growing