When do robins nest

Most nests are located on or near the ground in hollows, nooks and crannies, climbing plants, hedgebanks, tree roots, piles of logs and any other situations which provide a fully concealed cavity.

If a nestbox is provided to attract robins, it needs to be open-fronted, and placed in a hidden location in a climber or other such vegetation. Robins are famous for nesting in all kinds of unlikely locations, including sheds, kettles, boots, hanging baskets, coat pockets, under car bonnets, in farm machinery, even on boats in daily use. The cup nest, built by the female alone, is made of dead leaves and moss, lined with hair.

Courtship feeding is a very prominent activity, and the male can supply more than a third of his mate's food intake during nest building and egg laying.

This extra food is important and can make a difference to the clutch size, particularly since a complete clutch represents about 90 per cent of the females total body weight. Normal clutch size is , with one egg laid each day, usually early in the morning. The birds are very sensitive to any disturbance during the nest building and egg laying, and will easily desert the nest if they think that the nest has been discovered. Unless the birds are used to people, it is best to stay clear of the immediate vicinity of the nest until the incubation starts.

Once the clutch is complete, incubation is by the female alone for 13 days. The shells of the hatched eggs are removed immediately from the nest by the female, who sometimes eats part of them for extra calcium.

The chicks hatch naked, and are totally dependent on their parents for food and warmth. Both parents look after the nestlings. Feather growth will become evident with the appearance of quills at three days of age.

By five days the eyes start to open and they are completely open by eight days. By this time, rows of feathers will start to appear on backs and flanks.

The body is more or less feathered by 10 days. Flight feathers are the last to grow, and as the chicks fledge at 14 days, they will not be able to fly for another couple of days. The young are tended by their parents for up to three weeks after fledging. Frequently the care of the fledged young is left to the male, while the female prepares herself for the next nesting effort. Robins hatch in an altricial state which means they have no feathers and cannot move, their eyes are closed and they must be fed by their parents to survive.

This is another time when robin nests can be very easy to locate. Look for parent birds bringing food to the young. At times, this feeding will go on all day long in a highly rhythmic fashion that can be timed almost like clockwork:. As exciting as it is to see baby birds, this is a very vulnerable time for robins. Watch from a distance.

I once watched a pair of robins feeding their nestlings while a barn owl roosted in a nearby cedar tree. They alarmed at that owl all day long, all while flying back and forth collecting food for the nestlings. After two weeks in the nest, the young robins are finally ready to fly out, however they are still dependent on their parents for food at this time. In general, the male handles care and feeding of the fledglings while the female makes a new nest.

Robins will continue laying eggs throughout the entire spring, and even sometimes into summer, typically raising two broods sets of eggs and sometimes three. Bear in mind that after the leaves are out on deciduous trees, robin have a lot more options for finding secret little spots to place their nests and can be harder to observe.

Male robins will even continue sleeping communally all throughout the nesting season while defending their territories from each other during the day. If you ever hear robins making a loud raucous at dusk, this is very likely the roosting calls of males as they travel to their roost. Just remember — the real purpose of bird nests is for raising young. To sum it all up, there are 5 key moments in the robin life cycle when their nests are easiest to locate:.

The most important thing is to realize that you have to open your awareness and really tune in with your surroundings in order to see the signs that robins are nesting. Birds like the american robin are incredibly sneaky forest ninjas whose entire survival depends on keeping their nests hidden from nosy animals even squirrels will steal from nests!

I would love to help you go deep into the world of Bird Language! You can also register for some introductory videos I created about using bird alarms to find wild animals outside — Start your Bird Language Adventure here!

Or try the complete Bird Language Blueprint … This course will teach you 5 essential steps to discover the secrets lives of wild animals by following bird alarms. Great article on a friendly and observable bird. There are several ways you can help these fiery little birds during the breeding season.

When the time to build a nest comes around, you can:. Find out more about our declining woodland bird populations, and how protecting woodland habitats is more important than ever. Where and when do robins nest? Where do robins nest? When do robins nest? What are the signs that a robin is getting ready to nest? What you can do to help There are several ways you can help these fiery little birds during the breeding season.

When the time to build a nest comes around, you can: Leave natural fibres out in your garden in an easy-to-reach area such as a bush or hanging basket to lend robins a helping hand with nest-building Put a nesting box in your garden to encourage robins to nest there — just ensure it has an open front and is placed somewhere discreet, among vegetation such as creepers and shrubs Place bird feeders in your garden so robins will have a consistent food supply at a time of the year when food can be scarce.