Nesting Robins, Coal Tits and Hedge Sparrows

[Dandy]

Hi, my first visit to this site and love it. Sat in my conservatory watching Robins who are nesting in a box right by the window. They have been really busy bringing food for the babies for a couple of weeks so must soon be time for the babies to leave (so I've read on the internet!). Also have Coal Tits nesting in a box in the eaves of the childrens playhouse, they are so fast we almost miss them coming to and fro. They have to navigate the childrens trampoline and sometimes the children themselves but they don't seem overly concerned. In another corner of the garden we have Hedge Sparrows and they are also difficult to spot, very secretive birds I think.
This is the busiest our garden has ever been and we sit watching them all rushing about (no housework getting done!). Don't know how many babies there are in any of the nests, don't like to get too close in case we disturb them. I know the Coal Tits are very noisy!

[posie]

,,Hello Dandy, and welcome to WAB....Your garden wildlife sounds good, but as you say, it's time consuming.....my excuse is 'the housework will still be there tomorrow, but the birds may not'....Hope to see you around the threads....Posie..

[rossy]

welcome dandy and it must be great with so much activity in your garden, and i got a shock today as a pair of hedgesparrows or dunnocks have got young in one of my conifers, as to being shy this pair are not, they dont bother one bit if im putting the washing out, or in the garden, they are so busy collecting insects for the young they are a matter of feet away. im pleased as i had blackbirds and blue tits both fail. rossy

[Dandy]

In mourning today....Robins left the nest this morning, lots of noise outside from the parents and bits of moss hanging out of the box entrance. Found one dead baby on the lawn after work this afternoon but no sign of the other two or the parents. Hope they got away ok. Not sure if a cat got the one on the lawn, no visible marks. How far can baby robins fly on day one? Have a six foot fence around the garden and no sign of anything, could they have got over it? Coal tits still feeding their babies but the box seemed to have been tipped slightly, again not sure if a cat attempting to get them.

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by Dandy

In mourning today....Robins left the nest this morning, lots of noise outside from the parents and bits of moss hanging out of the box entrance. Found one dead baby on the lawn after work this afternoon but no sign of the other two or the parents. Hope they got away ok. Not sure if a cat got the one on the lawn, no visible marks. How far can baby robins fly on day one? Have a six foot fence around the garden and no sign of anything, could they have got over it? Coal tits still feeding their babies but the box seemed to have been tipped slightly, again not sure if a cat attempting to get them.

I think you can be quite confident that it is the work of cats!

I chased a cat out of a tree in our garden that was going for a bluetit box a week ago. I've since come back from a few days away and the box is disturbed and skewed round, but fortunately both adults are still feeding the young. As far as I'm concerned, a cat that comes into our garden is fair game for whatever I have to hand! If the local cat owners don't like it, they can keep their cats under control.

Jim