On 3/27/2011 9:36 PM, Puddin' Man wrote:

It's weird. Last spring the robin drug a bunch of stuff like excelsior
to build a nest on top of the exterior light by my front door. Then she
changed her mind (always a woman's prerogative), picked it all up,
and built a nest across the street in a neighbors window sill. Did OK
there, as far as I know.

This year she's back, and she's built it, and she's nesting in it. She
doesn't even have enough room to turn around unless she cocks her
tail straight up vertically.

I'm not gonna bother her, and I doubt the mailman will interfere, but
there have to be other possibilities. I live in a densely populated
big city in the midwest US.

Any suggestions? Should I leave her be? Try to protect her (how?)?
Etc, etc.

Thx,
P

"Law Without Equity Is No Law At All. It Is A Form Of Jungle Rule."


The North American Robin is what is known as a 'shelf nester' and, as
you've seen they really seem to love porch lights. Although the location
seems clumsy to you the parents will probably do just fine if they aren't
bothered too much. The location is probably completely immune to external
attacks there.

When I was a child the same pair of robins built nests on our back door
porchlight and successfully raised several broods except for one year when
one hatchling fell from the nest and onto the porch. My mother and I hand
raised it and the next spring the nestling showed up perched on the porch
railing and deigned to be hand fed again. The next year an older robin
showed up the same way and would let us get within a couple of feet but not
close enough for feeding. I'd say, let the birds be and if they made a good
choice they will do fine and you might just get some entertainment and a
friend in the bargain.