Empty nest

[elizilla]

That's what we found yesterday when we checked. Tuesday they had reached the age of raising their open beaks when the parent arrived with the worm, and Wednesday the nest was empty. No sign of nestlings or parents. The parents are probably fine but once they're ten feet from the nest there's no telling them from any other robin. The nestlings are gone, though, so the parents don't hang out here anymore.

I don't think it was the wandering cat I see regularly. I think the parents would be more than a match for it. Plus that cat is well fed, it wouldn't have eaten all four of the nestlings up skin feathers and all, with no evidence of disturbance. I'm guessing a raccoon got them.

I expect they'll lay new eggs; it's early season yet. Hopefully somewhere safer. We should take down the empty nest to encourage that.

Comments

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I hope hope hope that our local robin, sitting on her 4 pretty eggs, manages to raise them to fledge. We peek at them underneath the blinds at the dining room window.

K.