Family surprised by robins nesting in front door wreath, but it's not 'uncommon': expert
A pair of robins decided to build their nest on the wreath hanging on the front door of Yolanda Kercher’s house, which surprised her family, but experts say it’s not an uncommon sight.
Kercher’s daughter discovered the nest while coming home from school on May 20.
“I was about to go inside when I asked my sister, ‘Was there a nest before?’ She didn’t think so and when I looked inside there were two robin eggs,” said Joslyn Korpatniski. “I thought it was pretty cool.”
“I was amazed, I went to the front door, took some pictures and videos and ever since then that door has (been) off limits,” added Kercher.
At first, Kercher wasn’t sure if she should move the nest or the wreath, but decided against it after some research online.
According to one of the owners of Wild Birds Unlimited, moving a nest that robins have already laid eggs in will likely result in them abandoning the eggs.
“Just give them more space… if you have another door, use that one instead,” said Jordan Dykstra, one of the owners of Wild Birds Unlimited.
“The nesting season is pretty quick, so that might be one month of the year that they will do that.”
The news that these robins had decided to nest in a wreath didn’t surprise Dykstra.
“They know, obviously, that’s a high-traffic location and I think they get a little bit of protection from knowing that people are going to be coming and going,” said Dykstra.
“It’s a pain in the neck for the people because they’re all worried about then disturbing the nest, bur the robins are quite happy with it.”
Robins are somewhat unique in that they don’t make nests in bird houses, they ted to prefer platforms or other open areas, added Dykstra. Robins also don’t tend to eat from bird feeders, though they will occasionally eat from bird trays or if food is on the ground.
At first Kercher thought the birds might not be happy with her presence, they would chirp at her while she was doing yard work, but seem to have gotten used to her and no longer object when she passes by the door.
“We try not to disturb it, when the bird isn’t there we look through the window (at the nest),” said Kercher. “I feel like I’m responsible and I want to keep them safe, it’s not often you see a nest right on your front door.”
She put up a sign to make sure others didn’t come up to the door and disturb the nest.
Robins will leave on their own once the babies are capable of flying, though they are vulnerable while they are fledging.
“Outdoor cats are a major problem for the bird… especially when the nestlings fly out of their nest,” said Dykstra. “We recommend that cats be kept on a leash or be kept inside.”
Robins do sometimes come back to nest in the same spot in subsequent years, added Dykstra.
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Joe Scarpelli and Alison MacKinnon
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