Robin's (bird) Nest in a Bicycle Helmet

Wednesday, 2 July 2014

Mike hasn't been cycling since 30 April, due to physical reasons.  He was thinking of cycling again and that was when he noticed his helmet had a nest and 4 eggs in it.  I haven't cycled since 12 June!    That showed how much attention we have been of our surroundings.  They were parked close to where we go in and out of the house!

Surprise - bird nest with eggs in helmet (1)

Surprise - bird nest with eggs in helmet (2)

Surprise - bird nest with eggs in helmet (3)

Tuesday, 15 July 2014

Since the day we saw the nest of eggs, I can't help looking into the nest whenever I go in and out of the house.   Initially the mother bird would fly off when she heard us opening out door to go out.   This day we saw the eggs had hatched and there were 4 hungry baby birds.   Whenever we approached the nest, their mouths were opened.

Baby robins are hungry

Wednesday, 16 July 2014

We think the mother bird knows I am a woman and a mother too.   There were times when she didn't fly away when I came out of the door.   But when Mike came out, she flew away!   This day, the baby birds were sleeping.

Growing!

Monday, 21 July 2014

The baby birds have grown and they were sleeping.   I even touched them with my fingers.  Their feathers felt soft and smooth.

Thursday, 24 July 2014

In the morning, I noticed that the baby birds have not been active since I touched them on Monday and I haven't seen the mother bird as well.   I was worried if my touch had left a scent causing the mother bird to abandon her babies.   A neighbor suggested I could try feeding the babies with sunflower seeds so that they woudn't die of starvation.

In the afternoon, they were still motionless.   I had also reached into the nest and touched them.   Shined a torch into the nest, their eyes were not moving.   Shaked the helmet, no sign of life.   So I told Mike that I thought they were dead.   Maybe they have died of starvation.    I suggested to throw the nest out that evening because I don't want to throw them out tomorrow (my birthday).    When Mike unlatched the helmet from the bicycle and reach his fingers inside to feel the babies, we were shocked when one baby flew onto the ground.   They were alive!  Mike picked the baby up, placed it back into the nest and hanged back the helmet.

Friday, 25 July 2014

We were so happy.   The nest was empty.   No sign of feathers on the ground, which means they were not eaten by any predators, which means the babies had flown away!    What a great birthday present for me!      The past 3 days I had not seen the mother bird at the nest, but I had seen a robin standing on the porch and making noises.   I have read that mother birds calling her babies to fly!    So maybe that was it.   We will wait for a few days before we dump the empty nest, and see what happens.   I am grateful for this experience.

Robins are gone!