Should I 'protect' a Robin's nest on the ground?

[ramagel]

I was doing some heavy-duty weeding and garden maintenance, and I was attacking one of the borders when I disturbed what turned out to be a Robin’s nest on the gound. There must be four eggs or so in there. I could hear some frantic chirping from the trees, but until I noticed the nest I had no idea what it was about. What I had done was to brush or tear away all of the vegetation sheltering the nest (nettles, dried hawthorn / holly hedge clippings and the like) and I did actually jostle the nest.

I guess the nest belonged to the pair I'd been chatting to all week as I worked around the garden.

That was on Friday, and I was worried they might abandon it. I put back some vegetation and twigs around it and hoped for the best. I checked mid morning Saturday and the nest was empty apart from the eggs. It still looked exposed and easy to see from 6’ or more away so I put a few more long hedge cuttings around. I peeked at it discreetly again yesterday – I can now only just make out the nest from 4’ or so away - and there was this shiny black eye in the middle of a pile of brown and red feathers – so they hadn’t abandoned the nest at all! Phew!


I have NO idea how they keep the eggs safe from cats (lots of which prowl the garden) or foxes - one of which crept up to within 18" of the patio door at 5 AM last week and now delights in digging out the chicken manure pellets we're trying to fertilize the veg with, but that's another story) and I have NO idea how they’ll keep the presumably noisy chirruping chicks safe, but – apart from the shock of finding it and the thought I might have caused them to abandon it – it was an absolute fantastic glimpse of nature.

I imagine it was actually quite well protected by the carpet of sharp holly leaves and hawthorn twigs that I've now cleared away ... should I do anything to try to protect the nest? Put a circle of chicken wire around it in a 2' radius (4' diameter) or somesuch ? Or just leave it alone ....

[Beekeeper]

Hi ramagel,

The nest will need protecting when the chicks hatch as their chirping will attract cats and it will surely end badly for the pair of Robins.

If you are near the countryside, i would suggest you cut some stems from gorse bushes and place in a circle around the nest making sure there are no gaps a cat could creep through.

Cats do not like gorse at all and just one foot on some of their thorns will stop them from going further, dont make the circle to big, as a cat may be able to jump over it, just big enough to protect the nest.


BTW welcome to our forum.


Ian

[ramagel]

Thanks for the tip

Now I just have to find some gorse .... plenty near enough the countryside in a general sense ... I just have to stalk my gorse .....


Lewis