Nest down — notice how clean inside

Surprised how clean it looks inside after three chicks lived here for a couple weeks? From http://www.geochembio.com/biology/organisms/robin/ » “Nestlings are fed … for the first four days after hatching. Both parents feed nestlings, delivering 6 – 7 feedings each hour to a single nestling, totaling 35 – 40 total feedings a day to each nestling. Robins feed their young about 3.2 pounds of food during the 2 weeks while in the nest.” Of course there's a "back end" to all that eating.

But, also from http://www.geochembio.com/biology/organisms/robin/ » “During the nesting period, adults take care of nest sanitation by eating, or later, carrying away fecal sacs produced by the nestlings.” So this is why the nest seems so clean!

Once they've left the nest, “Female American robins follows the fledglings at first, later only the male does. The female will begin a second nest at which time the male leads the juvenile birds to a communal roost site.”

1 year ago (“Something *else* for a USB port”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2016-05-21
2 years ago (“Three of my favorite people…”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2015-05-21
3 years ago (“*My* “something old” and “something new”…”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2014-05-21
4 years ago (“Heartleaf Iceplant”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2013-05-21
5 years ago (“Station stop Dallas, Texas”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2012-05-21
6 years ago (“Assembly Room, Independence Hall”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2011-05-21

[ IMG_5647S12x8Utm :: f/3.5 :: 1/125" :: ISO-200 :: 52mm ]

[Maggiemae]

Interesting - thats how its done but doesn't happen with swallows. The young birds sit with their tail ends just out of the nest and it all goes downwards - all over your walls or windows etc!