Watch the Sighting:
As the weather warms up during the early months of spring in Montana, a pair of robins has built a nest for their new family. Wildlife videographer Judy Lehmberg captured amazing footage of the baby robins’ development, from eggs to the fledgling of the babies.
A New Beginning
The nesting pair chose the shelter of a wooden structure to build their nest, a common choice for parents looking to protect their babies from both nature’s elements and hungry predators.
Built with natural materials such as twigs, grass, and mud, the pair’s nest offers nearly perfect insulation for the eggs laid over the next few days.
The mother robin lays her first egg, and over the next few days, three more join it, filling the nest. Only once the fourth and final egg has been laid, the incubation period begin.
A typical clutch for a robin family is between 3-5 eggs, with incubation times between 12-14 days on average. By day 12, all the eggs in Judy’s nest have hatched, and the nest is now filled with frail, blind chicks that seem endlessly hungry.
Feeding the Family
Now that their eggs have hatched, the parents take turns hunting for food, including earthworms, insects, and berries. The insatiable chicks, covered in soft down, spend most of their time resting, or with their beaks wide open, prepared for their parents’ return with food.
Both parents will work tirelessly from dawn to dusk, guarding the nest and flying back and forth with food to feed their growing babies. These next few days are critical for the brood’s development, and they rely on their parents’ constant nourishment and protection to grow properly.
By day 20, the chicks start to develop their wing feathers, and on day 24, they open their eyes! It is incredible to witness how fast the chicks develop over such a short time!
Fledgling The Nest
Finally, on day 30, all babies have left the nest and are now called fledglings. At this point, they still cannot fly, so their parents will continue to support them while they learn to forage by themselves and develop their flight muscles.
Over the next eleven days, the fledglings will hop and flutter around, hiding from predators and calling out to their parents for food and protection. It is a bittersweet moment for parents when their young leave the nest, but once the fledglings have the strength, coordination, and confidence to fly away and start their lives, there is no prouder moment.
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The Resilient Robin
Robins may seem like ordinary birds, but Judy’s footage highlights that their parenting journey is nothing short of extraordinary. This brief and intensive experience is part of what makes them such a resilient species, with some robins able to raise multiple broods in a season!
The quiet determination of robins shows us that even the smallest creatures can carry out the most incredible acts of devotion. In every backyard, there could be a quiet miracle unfolding…as long as you know where to look!