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Index of Subjects Patricia et al.: I refrained from sending my own observations on nest re-use by robins until I could learn more about it, and Patricia has scooped me! This spring we had a Blue Jay nest in our front-door yew in W. end Halifax, and it was destroyed by an unknown predator, as it had been last year as well. Then a few weeks ago what we thought was another jay tail poked over the nest, but closer inspection showed this one to be of a robin. She sat for about a full incubation period and then the nest was agan predated. This time we had seen a neighbour's cat leering hungrily at the yew - circumstantial evidence is good enough for me, and I wish that HRM council had voted them into the house. Although there are lots of published acounts of re-use by robins of their own and other robins' nests from current and past years, I haven't been able to find anything on their re-use of nests of other species. Neither Bent nor "Birds of North America" notes it. Doubtless there is some reference to it somewhere, but Patricia has posed an interesting observation and question. Cheers, Ian Ian McLaren Quoting "P.L. Chalmers" <plchalmers@ns.sympatico.ca>: > Hi there, > > Last year my Mom and Dad were intrigued when a pair of Blue Jays > built a nest in the vines outside their kitchen window in Bedford. > The nest was higher than eye level so we couldn't look right into it, > but we did watch the parents as they came and went. However, the > jays were very wary of observers inside the kitchen, and furtive in > their movements. They successfully brought off several fledglings. > > This spring a pair of American Robins discovered the nest and > refurbished it to suit themselves. I didn't think robins would do > this. Like the jays, they react when the light goes on in the > kitchen or when they realize we are looking at them. At first they > would sometimes get spooked and flit away. Often I have caught > sight of one on its way to the nest, its bill full of worms. It > would freeze, framed by wisteria blossoms, as it perched in the vines > below the nest, watching us as we watched it. The nestlings are > larger and very insistent now, so the parent birds are more inclined > to ignore us. I was over this evening for Sunday dinner, and the > racket the young birds made every time a parent arrived was audible > inside the house. There seem to be four young birds - it won't be > long before they fledge. > > Cheers, > > Patricia L. Chalmers > Halifax > > > >
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