Help... robin worries.

gumbo-67

gumbo-67

Messages
4,970
Name
Terri
Edit My Images
Yes
i am just about to start having my garden landscaped and the conifer cut back (not down) and just noticed that a Robin seems to be making a lot of visits in side. can i cut it back or should i leave it? is it nesting time? don't want to harm them.

thank you in advance
 
thank you so much i will have a look in the morning. again thanks
 
its unlikely its nesting there as they normal find little holes, ie watering cans, sheds and bankings, they dont make nests in trees, that I know of, what its probably doing is bug hunting finding food, if you look and theres no nest which is most likely you can cut/prune them back
 
Last edited:
thank you, i wanted the check he is a sweet little thing too.
 
I don't want to go against all the bird experts here, but we definitely had robins nesting in the conifers in our old house.
We had a pair coming back year after year. When they had chicks you'd see them disappearing into the foliage with bits of food, then that part of the tree would start shaking and you'd hear the chicks chirping as they realised they were about to be fed :LOL:

Perhaps the denser foliage of conifers is appealing because they can almost burrow a hole into it rather than it being like more "leafy trees" :shrug:

Unfortunately it's been a long time since we lived there and I can't remember exactly what time of year was nesting season or how long it lasted.
 
would it be possible to hold cutting it back until nesting season is over, wont be too much longer and then you can cut it back all you want without worrying that you'll disturb any chicks
 
ohh bugger, i can hold it back yes that is not a problem as such.. will keep an eye out and see if i can see what is going on. but i will not upset them if they are there.
 
panther_87k said:
would it be possible to hold cutting it back until nesting season is over, wont be too much longer and then you can cut it back all you want without worrying that you'll disturb any chicks
Click to expand...

:plus1:

from the rspb site on this very question:

"t's best to avoid the cutting of trees or hedges between the first of March and the end of August. This is the main breeding period for most garden birds that make their nests in trees and hedges. Conifers can provide nesting sites for a variety of species at this time including blackbirds, robins, greenfinch, goldcrest and even larger birds such as sparrowhawks and crows, so care needs to be taken during any cutting."
 
Thank you i have spoken to the gardener and asked him to hold fire on it.

P.S. i am not loaded or own estate i just can't do allot in the garden so i get someone in to do it.
 
I've just had 3 robin nests in my garage. One in a plastic box on a rack holding nuts and bolts. A second in a cylindrical vent fan blade. A third in a rolled up length of vinyl type flooring. There have been 8 or 9 babies grow up in there and the last of them exited the garage last week. I was careful in my movement around the garage and their presence has severely hampered my DIY life for the past 4 months or so.

The parents - all 6 of them - were totally fearless and were quite happy to stand 2 or 3 feet away from me. The babies naturally got a bit excited once they'd started learning to fly and it was nice to watch them fluttering and crashing around in their scruffy feathers. But the mess.......oh, the mess. Everywhere. Everything. I'll be clearing it up for months.
 
Robins will nest just about anywhere Terri, with a dense Tree such as a Conifer being no exeption. Not sure how old or big yours is but they tend to get a buildup of the dead leaves in amongst the forks etc of the branches, even in wet weather these little places are usually bone dry due to the protection of the Tree itself.
 
Michael how did they get in to the garage in the first place and have you had to leave it open for them? et it was nice to see the chicks growing but don't care for your job now cleaning up.
Rich it is not too big bug a tad over grown, not seen them for a couple of days now but that may well be the weather, i have no idea as i know nothing about birds.

just going to leave the bushes and all that alone now.
 
The side door frame on the hinged side has rotted at the bottom due to water over the years. Consequently it has dropped [it's a pre-fab garage and the frame is held in with clamps that don't seem to have held the frame tightly]. Now there's an inch and a half gap at the top opening corner that they used to gain entry. Once I'd discovered this and started watching them, there would be one of the adults in or out every minute or two.

As much as it was nice to have provided a home to raise 3 families - and I'm not even a birdlover or watcher - the mess is beyond words. I've told them to get their own place next year and I'll be fixing the door once I'm sure that they have all left, which I think is the case now.
 
Very surprising to have 3 pairs in such proximity. Male robins are extremely territorial and will not put up with rival males. Most odd!
 
There were 2 nests about 6 ft apart at one end of the garage and a third at the other end about 30 ft away. Of the two that were close together, I suspect that one of them had raised the young earlier, with little overlap of inhabitation. Watching the babies inside, they did seem to stick to their own ends of the garage for much of the time.

I did at one point spend some time in my garden watching the adult activities outside and counted six of them at once all within a few feet of each other on the tree and bushes close to the garage door, taking their turn to go in and out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top