
I posted on Facebook this week that our backyard had become a robin maternity ward. And my little beagle dog was no longer allowed in her own backyard. That was her yard (and her bathroom) and she wasn’t allowed to go there anymore. The robins said so.
I don’t know how long it takes to make a nest, lay eggs, hatch them, feed the hungry little critters, and teach them to fly but I think we’ve been dealing with the robin nest for about a month. There are two flood lights on the back porch by the dining room window and we didn’t pay close attention to the robin who built the nest there. We will next time. Soon we saw the mother sitting on the nest and then later we watched her feed them.
A few days ago I heard a ruckus and ran to the door to see my husband dragging the dog inside. There was a baby robin in the grass outback. Evidently the dog did no damage and the little guy hopped and cheeped all over the backyard finally landing in the mostly dead bush by the fence.
Today my husband announced he HAD to mow the grass. He put on a hat expecting to be bombarded by adult robins. I took the dog for her second walk of the day. She can’t do everything she needs to do in the front yard with the neighbors watching. That is reserved for the backyard or a neighbor’s yard as we walk. She is certain someone will clean up after her no matter where it lands.
The mowing went smoothly. The robin parents seem unconcerned now. And in just a short time there are no longer four little heads poking out of the nest, but only two! My kids didn’t leave home that quickly. The robin parents may be somewhere resting. The last babies are on their own, not fed as often. I don’t know if it will fly soon, but my dog wishes it would. We’re hoping this fiasco is over this week and my little dog can have her backyard to herself.
We will be cleaning out a nest shortly and keeping a closer eye on other potential nests in the future.