Can anyone tell me why a pair of Robins, who were busily making a nest in a nest box in my garden until a couple of days ago, have suddenly disappeared?
Their disappearance coincided with the sighting of a sparrow hawk on the fence in my garden. Would the hawk have taken both Robins or just frightened them off?
Very sad not to see the pair in the garden.
Thank you.
Jane
It's very possible that one or both have been predated, have you seen any feathers in a mound as the Sparrowhawk usually deals with it's kill on the ground? Maybe scared off by cats, how high is the nest box?
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
Thank you Wendy - no feathers at all. No cats in garden as I have 2 dogs. Nest box around 2 meters off the ground and covered largely by a rambling rose. Lots of house sparrows. The robins were so active and visible for a couple of weeks and now no sign at all.
Is the nestbox near to a feeding station? Otherwise sounds like an ideal position ... maybe one has been predated elsewhere which leaves a lone Robin looking for a new partner, sad!
Hello again Wendy. There is a feeding station but not right next to the nest box - it is actually the other side of the wall in the front garden, because we have had problems with rats and mice near the back of the house feeding off fallen grain etc.
Another option is the nest was predated by a rat as soon as eggs were laid. That is assuming the nest in the box was complete. If not, an adult was predated and the other deserted as it didn't get far enough on to bother continuing.
Thank you for the above reply. Very pleased to say one of the robins has just reappeared!. Looks rather cautious.
The hole in the nest box is not big enough for a rat. I didn't think the robins had got as far as laying eggs, but I could be quite wrong.
Will report further developments. Thank you again.
No problem. Rat size isn’t an issue. They come in a variety of sizes, and breed when suitable conditions allow. Rats can also get in robin nests anyway. You said it is a hole…..not an opening?
It's a small round hole in a circular nest container.
That's interesting. So not a wooden box?
Hello - no, it's made from tightly woven paper. No more sightings of robin for 2 days.