Q. I have an American Robin nesting in my gazebo. It’s April. I’m kinda ready to start entertaining. How long will the female be nesting there?
Sometimes birds build their nests in what we would consider less than ideal places – like your gazebo! The good news is that in about a month, give or take a few days, you should be able to entertain in your gazebo once again.
Robins lay one egg each day until their clutch is complete, typically between three to five eggs. When the last egg is laid, the female begins incubating the eggs – this typically lasts between 12 to 14 days. Once the eggs hatch, the young stay in the nest for another 13 days or so – this is called the nestling period. After this period, the young robins are ready to leave their nest – they are now fledglings. Once they leave the nest, they don’t return to it.
Under the Migratory Birds Regulations, 2022, you cannot damage, destroy, disturb or remove an American Robin’s nest that has a viable egg or live bird in it, nor can you destroy, take or disturb an egg. You also can’t, among other things, kill, injure or harass a migratory bird. This means that as long as the nest is active, leave it be!
I hope this gives you some peace of mind. While you’re not able to use your gazebo right now, know that it won’t be long until the young robins leave the nest, and you’ll be back to entertaining under your gazebo.
