Robins good

About a year ago, I wrote about a thrush nest hidden away on our community farm. As it is a wildlife-friendly enterprise, it wasn't too surprising when we found another nest recently - this time a robin (Erithacus rubecula) tucked away in our plant-pot storage area. Obviously, disturbance is a sensitive issue (I covered this in my previous post) and although the birds had chosen to nest in a location with a lot of human activity, we wanted them to experience as little stress as possible. So, a few photos were taken quickly, then a sign erected to ensure no-one tried to take pots from that part of the store. This was the outcome.

Robin nestlings, one gaping to elicit feeding.

An adult robin incubating the hatched brood.

After fledging, one infertile/addled egg remains unhatched.

Although there was concern that the nest had been abandoned, this seems unlikely. There was no evidence of dead young, nor of the nest having been disturbed by a predator. Also, a couple of young robins have been noted nearby, so the evidence is strong that this was a successful nest, hopefully helped by a little care from the surrounding humans!