Newest Baby Robins: The Second Clutch Fledges

While we were on vacation during the beginning of July, our son called to tell us that the mother robin had been flying in and out of the nest. Curious, he checked and found three new bright blue eggs.

We returned home on July 7th and by the time I got out to check on the eggs, dusk was falling and the mother robin was perched on the patio chair, waiting to go to the nest, so I opted to wait until the morning to get a photograph.

The next morning, to my surprise, the babies had only just hatched, three tiny little bald babies snuggled together in the next.

The tiny pink babies, shortly after hatching.

We photographed them nearly every day, capturing the subtle changes as they rapidly grew in size and quickly developed a fullcomplement of feathers.

Within two days the ir pink skin has developed color where they well soon sprout feathers, and more feathers are sprouting on their heads and tails.

 By this time, the mother robin was so used to us, she would fly from the nest and perch close by on the trellis or a chair, but she seemed much more comfortable with us than she had, earlier in the spring.

Mother Robin flying toward the trellis that is about 10 feet from the nest. I was amazed at the detail I was able to capture.

We had some lawn signs on a table next to the screen where the nest is. I was photographing not just her babies but all of the flowers in the yard and she flew over and sat quietly on one of the wooden sign stakes, not three feet from me.

Gradually, they got larger and larger, sprouted more and more feathers, and they frequently sat with their heads up and out of the nest, waiting for their mother to bring food.

At less than a week of age, they have developed a fair number of feathers and more than quadrupled in size.

Waiting for mother to bring more food.

Their color is fully developed and feathers are gradually covering them. I love the wispy tufts on his head.

The mother was very attentive. We never saw the father robin this time around.

Feeding her babies. Because we knew she was alone with no father to help with food gathering, we left sunflower seeds for her in the bird feeder, which she seemed to enjoy.

I was so hopeful that this time, I would get to see the babies take flight for the first time, kind of like a baby taking his first steps. I had missed the first clutch by hours, but with my friend Blaine visiting from Texas AND two pairs of eyes keeping watch, we waited anxiously for their big day.

With a full complement of feathers and barely able to fit in the nest, I knew they would be gone before long.

 Our patience and persistence paid off. We were able to witness all three babies leave the nest. How exciting!

The first fledgling readies to leave. He is perched on a clump of twigs and straw next to the nest on the screen.

The first fledgling, moments before he flew off. To his left, extending in front of him, you can see the wing of one of the other fledglings.

Here, a second fledgling has left the main nest and is next to the her brother.

When the first robin flew off, I was so startled, I didn't have time to really focus the camera. He headed straight off to the side and struck the sliders, fortunately gently, and then gradually coasted to the patio.

Although he seemed to be stunned initially, we presume from his collision with the glass, he eventually flew off into the trees behind the pond, where the mother robin was flitting from branch to branch.

Two robins left, the female (left) who was the second to fledge, and one other, the runt, who left the next morning.

The little girl flew off and landed on the patio near the pool. Then she flew in short bursts around the pool to the rose garden, where her mother met her. They flew together onto the rose trellis, and then off across the garden to the pines behind our shed. It was amazing to watch them flying.

The last baby spent one more night in the nest and his mother came back to check on him several times. The next morning, Steve saw it fly down to the patio and then head off to join the rest of his family.

The first robin family stayed close to the yard, flitting in the trees in our tree grove. We heard their busy chatter and watched them flying together for weeks. This second family flew around the yard for a couple of days but within a week, the three babies had flown off. The mother still comes into the yard and perches on her favorite resting places. I don't know if she will lay any other eggs, but we are leaving the nest alone, just in case.