Midsummer’s Eve Fledglings

The robin fledglings I’ve monitored since the tail end of May are stretching their wings. The first to leave the nest was on June 19th 2014. I feared the fledglings would fall out of the nest and hit their heads on concrete sidewalk below, but they soon showed me “no worries” as they have taken to flight very quickly. The second to leave the nest is pictured perched on a cedar tree branch. I believe it was spooked out of the nest too soon, something that was unavoidable due to the very close proximity of the nest next to human dwelling — the nest was built upon an a/c unit barely 5 feet above ground level over a sidewalk frequently filled with human and canine traffic.

Great efforts to maintain the peace and quiet in the area of the nest has been trying on my neighbors, especially now as the fledglings are testing the air and everyone is anxious to see them take flight. So far we have excellent weather, no need for major use of the a/c unit, but come July that story may change. This Robin family has lucked out!

The 2nd fledgling to leave the nest is being taken care of while she stays in the cedar tree by the parent birds. I’ve seen her hop-fly upwards in little bursts of energy.

The last 2 fledglings are quite content to stay hidden in the nest. Now without their siblings, and being the littlest, they are left to develop at their own pace in a nest no longer over crowded with two fledglings far bigger than themselves.

These will be the last photographs I will take of this nest in order for the next 2 to stay in the nest until they are ready to really stretch their wings.