abandoned robin nest+eggs advice

[mrbright]

i have just gone outside to take my quarterly gas reading from my meter box, and was dismayed to find a robin had nested and laid 6 eggs in it, when is the best time to remove both eggs/nest, i know it shouldn't be till the autumn,but do i remove both or just the eggs? and how do i dispose of them?

ps: i think it had chosen a very poor site, three metres away from a back gate that holds behind it 5 of our feline friends and just 24 inches from the ground.

[solus]

First off, how do you know it's abandoned? It could well be that this is an active nest and the parent bird was just waiting for you to depart before returning. If the birds have chosen a bad site and the nest is predated then they may learn from that and be more careful next time. I assume the cats aren't yours? If they are, then perhaps you should consider keeping them indoors and away from any nesting birds. You don't really need to do anything about removing the nest anyway as it'll weather and rot away by itself over time, or it may even be re-cycled with some of the material being used for other nests elsewhere. In any case, do nothing until the autumn!

[mrbright]

i've been working in the front garden for the last couple of days, i would have almost certainly have seen or heard them, however i've left it as i found it, just in case.
the cats are most certainly not mine, i used the term 'friends' to be diplomatic.
thanks for the advice.

[Littlesparrow]

I have had something similar happen this year, magpies ate the blackbirds eggs and that scared off the robins from their nest. they left three eggs and went off to nest in another garden. Anyway you are not allowed to move the nest yet and it is illegal to keep the eggs so just leave it alone.
Next year i am going to try putting up some nest boxes to try and keep the magpies out of the nests.

[Jonners]

A few years back I had a Robin build a nest in the ivy covering a concrete post literally about a metre from the door of my office (in my garden). I didn't notice it building, and only became aware of it when the eggs were already there. Happily they successfully raised and fledged young from the nest, even with the experience of eyeballing me most days of the week, from their nest set at about four feet off the ground.

[mrbright]

again thanks for the replies, littlesparrow i think i'll follow your lead and get a
couple of nesting boxes up.
i only have tiny little gardens, have been here 9 years and when i arrived they were just very bad lawns, but i like my gardening, and now there are shrubs , flowers and small trees. up till this year we have never had any nesting birds , but after sucessful blue tits in one and failed robins in t'other,i will take this as a compliment for my bit for wildlife, it can surely get better for next year (fingers crossed)