This spring we had a pair of American robins decide to build a nest above the light fixture on our garage. We can sit at our kitchen table and watch the Robin Family every night. My kids are very excited about this to say the least.
If you have never watched baby songbirds in a nest, the first thing you need to know is that they grow very quickly. It only takes 14 to 16 days for a robin to fledge and leave the nest. Early on, I put a ladder up for my kids to climb up and look at the nest. Once the little robins opened their eyes, we stopped doing that because we didn’t want to frighten them.
As the birds grew it was easier to see them from the side. They would stretch their funny looking little necks up begging mom to bring them food. Eventually, they got so big that they really couldn’t all fit in the nest comfortably. One of the four tended to sit on the backs of the other three. My children thought this was really funny.
Then one day they all left the nest. It was a sad day when we could no longer see our robin family. We know they are hoping around our yard. The young ones are still distinct, but watching their growth has become part of our family’s daily ritual. It honestly felt like they were with us for a long time, even if it was just over two weeks. We wish them the best of luck.
