Recently my blogging friend Fly in the Web, of French Leaveand Costa Rica Calling, sent me a lovely video clip of a robin which had set up its nest in a garden hanging basket.
After watching this super little video it occurred to me that people might also enjoy the story told in the photographs below. Four years ago, in the middle of May, we took our trusty little campervan into our local market town for its annual MOT test (the compulsory British test of roadworthiness) only to get a bemused phone call from the garage soon after we arrived home. They had opened up the engine compartment to find a bird’s nest, complete with eggs, on top of the carburettor!
They promised to complete the test without disturbing the nest and later that day we collected the van and drove it home very gently indeed. Amazingly, not only were the eggs undamaged by the heat and vibration of the engine, but the mother blackbird went back to her nest as soon as we got back and eventually hatched all her eggs.
Over the next few weeks DH and I carefully peeped in from time to time to watch over the nest and the rapid progress of its precious contents. Obviously we couldn't use the van again until all the baby birds had grown up and left the nest and in fact it was touch and go as to whether they would leave in time for our scheduled trip to France. From memory the last of the fledglings finally made his entrance into the wider world little more than a week before we were due to travel.
Every spring since then we have been very careful to check that no other enterprising birds have decided to set up home in this particular desirable neighbourhood. J
MOT Nest or The Patient Mother May 14th
Very small but growing fast May 29th
Let's look at the world June 1st
Where's Mum? June 3rd
A nice cuddle June 4th
The last to leave June 8th
All Gone or The Empty Nest June 9th
STOP PRESS! Apologies to my earlier visitors. The video I put in wasn't in fact the one Fly sent me. I inadvertently clicked on the wrong one in the YouTube list. Silly me! I have now added the correct one, so if you have popped back, you may like to watch again.
If you want to see the photos enlarged, double-click on them and they will open in what Google calls a light-box, which really enhances the colour and detail.
Hello Perpetua: What an absolutely enchanting little video and what an amazing story to go with your remarkable photographs. We can well believe that the journey home from the garage must, indeed, have been very tense but how splendid that all survived the trauma, yourselves included, and that the birds hatched out so successfully. Positively delightful!
Hello, Jane and Lance. I so enjoyed the video when Fly sent me a different link that I had to search it out on YouTube. As soon as I saw it, I thought of the series of photos DH had taken and the post then wrote itself. A few weeks we will never forget.
Janice, we felt so privileged to be able to watch the nestlings grow and had to record the story. DH couldn't come too close, so I've cropped the photos to enlarge them.
I'm so glad you enjoyed the video - as I did the photographs of your lodgers. What super garage men! I can just imagine how carefully you drove home with your precious cargo.
Fly, I loved it and was so glad to find it on YouTube. I was about to send the photos to you as a thank-you when it struck me they would make a good blogpost. :-) The garage men were tickled pink at their discovery and made a point of checking with us later that the eggs had hatched OK!
Fly, I'm a first-class idiot! It's only now I've watched the video again that I've realised it isn't the one you sent me. Doh!! There are a LOT of bird's nest videos on YouTube....
But this one was nice too.....the best part of the other one was the poor mother coming with yet another worm only to find all her nestlings had finally flown. If a bird's expression can be said to show 'Well I'll be damned...' that was it.
Spot on, Fly. But I loved the nestlings with their demanding, gaping mouths. How can they open their beaks so wide? This was something we of course never captured with our blackbird chicks.
Isn't it amazing where birds sometimes choose to roost? We have had them nesting in trellises and arbors, a rolled up carpet and the overhang to the back door, but never atop a carburetor! What a wonderful story, Perpetua, and how well you documented it. I thoroughly enjoyed it, as well as seeing Mama Robin in the hanging basket. Thank you.
Absolutely, Penny. They are the most adaptable and resourceful creatures. Back in my days as a parish priest, I got used to dodging the swifts which nested in the roof of the church porch every year and we also get them in our barn. We have bluetits which nest inside the stone wall of the barn too, but there's no camera access there, though we hear the chicks twittering every year.
Perpetua, I remember, with others, living through those anxious days wondering if the birds would let you leave for France as planned! I don't think I saw all those "progress" photos at the time, and it's really great to see the whole saga in pictures, as well as Fly's video!
CB, it was a thrilling saga, wasn't it? Touch and go towards the end, but we made it! :-) It's fun to relive it, but once is enough. A couple of years ago we only just forestalled a second attempt by the blackbirds to set up home on top of the engine! Memo to self - check tomorrow - just in case....
What a delightful tale and beautifully illustrated too. Your garage mechanics are pretty special I'd say! Brave blackbird, I'm glad that she got a happy ending to her inadvertent adventure.
Thanks, DB, it was an unforgettable experience. We were very fortunate that the mechanics found the nest when they did, so that we knew not to disturb things once the chicks had hatched. I still can't believe how calmly the mother bird stayed sitting on her nest each time we gently lifted the bonnet to peep in.
I love your pictures of the bird family and its unusual nesting place! It's amazing how adaptable they are to nesting possibilities -- and how quickly, relatively speaking, the little ones leave that cozy nest!
Thanks, Kathy. DH is good with a camera. I think the engine compartment must have seemed so much safer and drier than nesting in the hedgerow and luckily it was. I too was amazed at how very fast the babies grew up and left home.
There is so much about this post that is wonderful! The video from Fly is so adorable -- a magical feeling when you watch it. But the story of the blackbirds on the carburettor complete with illustrations -- that is icing on the cake! Love love love that the garage was 'in the loop' so to speak. In this story the human beings are just as cool as the birds were warm and cosy!!!
Thanks, Broad, and it wasn't even the video Fly sent, as I added the wrong clip. So everyone who comes back gets two bird videos for the price of one! :-) The video fitted so beautifully with our photo that they were meant to go together. As for the garage men, they are just plain nice and we know them well. One of the many advantages of country living.
Thanks, Ricky, I shall duly convey them. You are so right about the places birds sometimes choose to nest, even at times apparently very vulnerable ones. Yet they do succeed in raising their broods in these odd places.
Thank you! This is so lovely - both the videos and the photos. As I write, I'm watching a blackbird collecting nesting materials ( we groomed our Golden retriever at the weekend and left the resulting fluff in the garden for the birds) Spring is already in the air today, and I love it!
Hello Sheena and welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed them so much. It's that time of year, and though we don't have a dog to provide cosy nest lining for some lucky chicks, it doesn't seem to be inhibiting the busy birds all around us. Yes, spring is here, whatever the weather may still have in store for us.
Wonderful, isn't it, EF? We had a big shock when the garage told us and now we're primed to expect anything. Two years out of date? You do like living life in the edge. :-)
Just got home from a singing lesson perpetua. Had quickly looked at it this morning and thought, "how do I tell her, that ain't no robin". However, have just watched it (or its replacement) and it is really lovely. I really do love all birds, but robins are somehow special. Thanks so much and for the terrific story of your unwanted 'lodgers'. Excellent pic's.
LOL, Ray! You tell her the same way her DH told her: "That's not a robin"!! This will teach me to double-check all video clips and links before publishing my posts. :-) The one you finally watched is the one I meant to post and I agree that it's wonderful.
Glad you enjoyed the story and the photos. If you want to see them in greater detail, double-click on them and they will open in what Google calls a lightbox, which really enhances the colour and detail.
How absolutely wonderful! Loved the video but am completely blown away by the camper van hatchlings!! A fantastic story and perfect photos. Thank you, Axxx
Annie, it happened nearly four years ago and I still get enormous pleasure from looking at the photos and remembering how the story developed. The video adds activity and reminds me that when we weren't around our nestlings weren't always still and quiet. :-)
Oh I just love this story and the accompanying photos. What lucky birds they were that you allowed them to stay where they were until they were ready to leave.
Knowing your love of animals and nature, I thought you would, Ayak. :-) We are fortunate enough to have two vehicles, the campervan and an elderly estate-car, so we could leave the nest in peace without being stranded ourselves. Mind you, now that Tesco deliver even to the top of our Welsh hillside, we could leave any future lodgers in peace even if we only had the van. :-)
What a very dear story!I find it amazing that the little things survived all that movement and disruption. And what a place for them to nest in the first place. I am sure you had to use a lot of restraint not to be popping in on them all the time. I am in awe! Debra
Debra, we were surprised and thrilled when all the eggs hatched. In fact we did some googling and discovered other cases of birds making their nests in car engines and the chicks surviving the car being driven. They may be tiny but they are tough! We would have loved to watch more, but knew it wasn't fair on them to do more than peek occasionally.
Thank you kindly, Nerima. :-) Yes, they were very lucky to be found at that early stage, but we think ourselves even more privileged to have seen them grow up like this. It makes me smile even now, just to think about it.
I was surprised too, Friko, but she just sat very still and looked right at us. We weren't actually as close as the photos make it seem and we were very quiet and still. If the mother bird could cope with finding that her entire nest with its eggs had disappeared for hours and returned unscathed, perhaps we didn't seem to be a threat.
Amazing where birds will nest sometimes. Love the way even the mechanics did everything they could to make sure the nest was kept safe while they serviced the VW :-)
BTW thanks for advice sorted Firefox so Blogger has deigned to allow me to comment again! :-)
Welcome back, Antoinette! Glad you've manage to sort things out. Yes, some birds do seem to be remarkably adaptable and resourceful when it comes to finding safe nesting sites. I think finding the nest, complete with eggs, on top of the engine made the mechanics' day. They certainly still remember it. :-)
It was so fascinating and great fun to watch, Rosaria. The discovery certainly made a welcome break from the ordinary day's work for the garage mechanics and DH and I were thrilled throughout.
Gosh, Penny, it looks like we posted simultaneously. :-) Yes, it was a wonderful event which makes a lovely story. We were all set to postpone our trip if necessary, but fortunately it turned out that baby blackbirds grow up VERY quickly.
Molly, when Fly sent it to me, it made my day, so I know just how you feel. :-) The poor parents working themselves to the bone to feed all those gaping beaks! Our campervan blackbirds are now a family legend....
Hello Perpetua:
ReplyDeleteWhat an absolutely enchanting little video and what an amazing story to go with your remarkable photographs. We can well believe that the journey home from the garage must, indeed, have been very tense but how splendid that all survived the trauma, yourselves included, and that the birds hatched out so successfully. Positively delightful!
Hello, Jane and Lance. I so enjoyed the video when Fly sent me a different link that I had to search it out on YouTube. As soon as I saw it, I thought of the series of photos DH had taken and the post then wrote itself. A few weeks we will never forget.
DeleteWhat a wonderful story, accompanied by such a great series of photographs. Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteJanice, we felt so privileged to be able to watch the nestlings grow and had to record the story. DH couldn't come too close, so I've cropped the photos to enlarge them.
DeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed the video - as I did the photographs of your lodgers. What super garage men! I can just imagine how carefully you drove home with your precious cargo.
ReplyDeleteFly, I loved it and was so glad to find it on YouTube. I was about to send the photos to you as a thank-you when it struck me they would make a good blogpost. :-) The garage men were tickled pink at their discovery and made a point of checking with us later that the eggs had hatched OK!
DeleteI had it from a friend in the U.K. who had it from her sister in Jamaica - never thought to check it on YouTube.
DeleteYour photos were superb!
Fly, I only checked when I wasn't sure how well your link would embed in a blog post. Everything seems to end up on YouTube eventually.
DeleteThe photos are entirely due to DH's skill with a camera. All I did was to crop them heavily to enlarge the image of the nest itself.
Fly, I'm a first-class idiot! It's only now I've watched the video again that I've realised it isn't the one you sent me. Doh!! There are a LOT of bird's nest videos on YouTube....
DeleteBut this one was nice too.....the best part of the other one was the poor mother coming with yet another worm only to find all her nestlings had finally flown.
DeleteIf a bird's expression can be said to show
'Well I'll be damned...' that was it.
Spot on, Fly. But I loved the nestlings with their demanding, gaping mouths. How can they open their beaks so wide? This was something we of course never captured with our blackbird chicks.
DeleteWhat a wonderful story, and great photos. A joy to see.
ReplyDeleteJean, the photos make me smile with pleasure whenever I look at them, so I'm glad to have been able to share them with you.
DeleteIsn't it amazing where birds sometimes choose to roost? We have had them nesting in trellises and arbors, a rolled up carpet and the overhang to the back door, but never atop a carburetor! What a wonderful story, Perpetua, and how well you documented it. I thoroughly enjoyed it, as well as seeing Mama Robin in the hanging basket. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Penny. They are the most adaptable and resourceful creatures. Back in my days as a parish priest, I got used to dodging the swifts which nested in the roof of the church porch every year and we also get them in our barn. We have bluetits which nest inside the stone wall of the barn too, but there's no camera access there, though we hear the chicks twittering every year.
DeletePerpetua, I remember, with others, living through those anxious days wondering if the birds would let you leave for France as planned! I don't think I saw all those "progress" photos at the time, and it's really great to see the whole saga in pictures, as well as Fly's video!
ReplyDeleteCB, it was a thrilling saga, wasn't it? Touch and go towards the end, but we made it! :-) It's fun to relive it, but once is enough. A couple of years ago we only just forestalled a second attempt by the blackbirds to set up home on top of the engine! Memo to self - check tomorrow - just in case....
DeleteWhat a delightful tale and beautifully illustrated too. Your garage mechanics are pretty special I'd say! Brave blackbird, I'm glad that she got a happy ending to her inadvertent adventure.
ReplyDeleteThanks, DB, it was an unforgettable experience. We were very fortunate that the mechanics found the nest when they did, so that we knew not to disturb things once the chicks had hatched. I still can't believe how calmly the mother bird stayed sitting on her nest each time we gently lifted the bonnet to peep in.
DeleteI love your pictures of the bird family and its unusual nesting place! It's amazing how adaptable they are to nesting possibilities -- and how quickly, relatively speaking, the little ones leave that cozy nest!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathy. DH is good with a camera. I think the engine compartment must have seemed so much safer and drier than nesting in the hedgerow and luckily it was. I too was amazed at how very fast the babies grew up and left home.
DeleteThere is so much about this post that is wonderful! The video from Fly is so adorable -- a magical feeling when you watch it. But the story of the blackbirds on the carburettor complete with illustrations -- that is icing on the cake! Love love love that the garage was 'in the loop' so to speak. In this story the human beings are just as cool as the birds were warm and cosy!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Broad, and it wasn't even the video Fly sent, as I added the wrong clip. So everyone who comes back gets two bird videos for the price of one! :-) The video fitted so beautifully with our photo that they were meant to go together. As for the garage men, they are just plain nice and we know them well. One of the many advantages of country living.
DeleteHi Perpetua - Congratulations to DH for the photos & thanks for such a delightful post. It is amazing where some birds do choose to nest!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ricky, I shall duly convey them. You are so right about the places birds sometimes choose to nest, even at times apparently very vulnerable ones. Yet they do succeed in raising their broods in these odd places.
DeleteThank you! This is so lovely - both the videos and the photos. As I write, I'm watching a blackbird collecting nesting materials ( we groomed our Golden retriever at the weekend and left the resulting fluff in the garden for the birds) Spring is already in the air today, and I love it!
ReplyDeleteHello Sheena and welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed them so much. It's that time of year, and though we don't have a dog to provide cosy nest lining for some lucky chicks, it doesn't seem to be inhibiting the busy birds all around us. Yes, spring is here, whatever the weather may still have in store for us.
DeleteThat's precious.
ReplyDeleteLord only knows what's under my hood. My inspection sticker's two years out of date.
Wonderful, isn't it, EF? We had a big shock when the garage told us and now we're primed to expect anything. Two years out of date? You do like living life in the edge. :-)
DeleteJust got home from a singing lesson perpetua. Had quickly looked at it this morning and thought, "how do I tell her, that ain't no robin".
ReplyDeleteHowever, have just watched it (or its replacement) and it is really lovely.
I really do love all birds, but robins are somehow special.
Thanks so much and for the terrific story of your unwanted 'lodgers'.
Excellent pic's.
LOL, Ray! You tell her the same way her DH told her: "That's not a robin"!! This will teach me to double-check all video clips and links before publishing my posts. :-) The one you finally watched is the one I meant to post and I agree that it's wonderful.
DeleteGlad you enjoyed the story and the photos. If you want to see them in greater detail, double-click on them and they will open in what Google calls a lightbox, which really enhances the colour and detail.
Dear Perpetua,
ReplyDeleteOh, to begin the day with this robin and hatchlings video. Thank you. Thank you.
Peace.
Good morning, Dee. Very glad you enjoyed the video so much. It made my day when I first saw it.
DeleteHow absolutely wonderful! Loved the video but am completely blown away by the camper van hatchlings!! A fantastic story and perfect photos. Thank you, Axxx
ReplyDeleteAnnie, it happened nearly four years ago and I still get enormous pleasure from looking at the photos and remembering how the story developed. The video adds activity and reminds me that when we weren't around our nestlings weren't always still and quiet. :-)
DeleteOh I just love this story and the accompanying photos. What lucky birds they were that you allowed them to stay where they were until they were ready to leave.
ReplyDeleteLovely post Perpetua x
Knowing your love of animals and nature, I thought you would, Ayak. :-) We are fortunate enough to have two vehicles, the campervan and an elderly estate-car, so we could leave the nest in peace without being stranded ourselves. Mind you, now that Tesco deliver even to the top of our Welsh hillside, we could leave any future lodgers in peace even if we only had the van. :-)
DeleteWhat a very dear story!I find it amazing that the little things survived all that movement and disruption. And what a place for them to nest in the first place. I am sure you had to use a lot of restraint not to be popping in on them all the time. I am in awe! Debra
ReplyDeleteDebra, we were surprised and thrilled when all the eggs hatched. In fact we did some googling and discovered other cases of birds making their nests in car engines and the chicks surviving the car being driven. They may be tiny but they are tough! We would have loved to watch more, but knew it wasn't fair on them to do more than peek occasionally.
DeleteThunderous *applause*!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lucky family of birds!
Stories like this are always so heart-warming!
Thank you kindly, Nerima. :-) Yes, they were very lucky to be found at that early stage, but we think ourselves even more privileged to have seen them grow up like this. It makes me smile even now, just to think about it.
DeleteI am surprised the mother let you take photos while she was sitting. Brave bird, or else very trusting!
ReplyDeleteI was surprised too, Friko, but she just sat very still and looked right at us. We weren't actually as close as the photos make it seem and we were very quiet and still. If the mother bird could cope with finding that her entire nest with its eggs had disappeared for hours and returned unscathed, perhaps we didn't seem to be a threat.
DeleteAmazing where birds will nest sometimes. Love the way even the mechanics did everything they could to make sure the nest was kept safe while they serviced the VW :-)
ReplyDeleteBTW thanks for advice sorted Firefox so Blogger has deigned to allow me to comment again! :-)
Welcome back, Antoinette! Glad you've manage to sort things out. Yes, some birds do seem to be remarkably adaptable and resourceful when it comes to finding safe nesting sites. I think finding the nest, complete with eggs, on top of the engine made the mechanics' day. They certainly still remember it. :-)
DeleteWhat a lovely situation! I'm impressed on how everyone took care of this family of birds.
ReplyDeleteIt was so fascinating and great fun to watch, Rosaria. The discovery certainly made a welcome break from the ordinary day's work for the garage mechanics and DH and I were thrilled throughout.
DeleteWhat a great story! How fortunate that you were able to give the birds time and space for their family-making adventure!
ReplyDeleteGosh, Penny, it looks like we posted simultaneously. :-) Yes, it was a wonderful event which makes a lovely story. We were all set to postpone our trip if necessary, but fortunately it turned out that baby blackbirds grow up VERY quickly.
DeleteThat video is amazing - thank you so much for sharing it. Love the pictures of the baby black birds in your camper van.
ReplyDeleteMolly, when Fly sent it to me, it made my day, so I know just how you feel. :-) The poor parents working themselves to the bone to feed all those gaping beaks! Our campervan blackbirds are now a family legend....
DeleteHello. I just found you via Moving On Annie. What wonderful photographs :D
ReplyDeleteHello Annie and welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed DH's photos. They came out better than we could have hoped in the circumstances and we treasure them.
Delete