Vine Tenants

People say it's good luck to have birds nesting in and around your house.  I don't mind having a birds nest in our grape vines.   Every year we seem to have 1 tenant.  It's kinda neat and so cool.  Being nature and all.  And they're not hurting anyone.  But when they grow, guess where they go take a crap. On our back patio.
Ya that part sucks.
We've had doves make nests and they seem to be more fearless of humans trimming vines.  This robin was squawking at me when i had my camera poking around through the vines getting some video of what was going on in the nest.  It's impossible to see from the upstairs window because of the leaves.  And I think that's what makes our vines so desirable for nests. The visual protection from predators. (Although I have seen Kevin roaming around.) Which is why I try to trim them back to reduce the curb appeal to birds.

I was thinking that I would see eggs in the video, but they've already hatched and they look kinda gross.  But when you're parent is sitting on top of you squashing you this is pretty much what you'd look like too.  Pink and flat almost like road kill.

It's not always rosy.  One year the nest was empty, but i think there was a dead chick in it.  Ya that's not a good luck inducing thought is it?  And who has to get rid of it. ME.  But I didn't want to go up there and touch the nest so I power washed it out of there.  Hands free.

But hopefully these little ones live and grow up and fly away quick and not crap so much. We've been seeing the mother swoop in with worms.  So I guess the chicks are doing okay.


There's a professional clown in this video too. He's just missing his red nose, red big hair and yellow outfit.

Here's what they look like 2 days later.
It took us 3 tries to get a glimpse of the chicks, because these aren't normal robins.  They are PREDATOR robins.  They'll squawk at you and swoop down at you like you are a worm.
Both mama and papa robins were pissed at me trying to get video of their babies.  And my faithful 11yo sidekick was hiding around the corner ensuring that there was at least me between him and the angry robins.

You can see their shadow in the video flying around.  They then swooped into the trellis squawking at me loudly.  And whenever i approached they would look at me.  Seeing what I was doing.  Giving me the evil stare.

But after 3 attempts I quickly got a good video glimpse of the 3 chicks after 2 days.  They have grown quickly.  Still haven't opened their eyes but looking less like something from a chinese restaurant marinating in soy sauce and looking more natural.