Robin Attempts to Make a Nest

In addition to the geese and red-wing blackbirds, spring also means the return of the robin. Soon after robins return, it’s nest making time. Last spring I watched a pair of mute swans make a nest, and they seemed to have it pretty easy, just mounding up a bunch of cattails and muck. But a few days later, I watched a robin start making a nest. It started off easy enough: the robin hopped up on a stalk of dead vegetation and started pulling at the loose strands.

AP3_6200 - Copy — Robin starting to gather nest materials.

As I watched, she gathered more and more into her beak.

AP3_6201 - Copy — Robin with a bit more in her beak.

She walked further up the plant . . .

AP3_6202 - Copy — Robin reaching for more.

. . . grabbed a twig, and stepped back down.

She took a step up the plant again, and then stopped suddenly. It was if it occurred to her that the strand she was pulling on was still attached to the plant.

AP3_6209 - Copy — Robin contemplating her next move.

Having left her pocket knife at home, the robin had no other choice but to pull . . .

And pull.

In the process of going after more fuzzy material, she dropped her twig. But she broke off the strand.

She went to the ground and gathered up more of the soft, fuzzy material.

AP3_6224 - Copy — Robin gathering up nesting material.

With a beak full of the necessary materials in hand, it was just a matter of flying up to the nearby pine tree and beginning construction.

Or so she thought.

AP3_6185 cr — Robin finds another robin in the pine tree.

Having discovered the pine tree was already occupied, the robin I was watching flew off to another branch on the tree.

After resting briefly, she took her nesting materials and flew away.

No robin nested in my yard last spring. Maybe this spring will be better.