What to do when Robins make a nest on your front door?

I have been hanging a wreath on our front door for as long as I can remember. While I heard about birds making nests on wreaths, this spring we had our first experience. So, what can you do? My recommendation is to do nothing. Wait it out and enjoy the show. Here’s our story and guidance on what to do when robins make a nest on your front door.

How our story started

We have a covered front porch. Each Spring, I hang a large white hydrangea wreath on the front door. During the second week of May, I continued that tradition and hung my wreath. A week later, we awoke sometime around 4 a.m. to loud robin singing. Now, we always hear the robins in the morning, but this was different because it was louder, earlier, and longer. In fact, it was loud enough that we closed the windows. This continued for approximately 2 weeks. During this time, the robins were actively building their nest unbeknownst to us. The female robin does most of the work with some help from the male.

When we found the nest

On May 29th, we had a package delivery. After the delivery man rang the doorbell, we saw him jump away from the porch. Concerned, we opened the door and he told us about the nest on our wreath. Because the mother robin was in the nest, he was startled (I’m sure the robin was a bit startled herself)! Sure enough, there was a beautiful perfectly round nest, about 6 inches in diameter, right at the top of our wreath. Upon looking in the nest, there were already two pale blue robin’s eggs. Over the course of the next week, a couple more eggs were laid. In total, we think there were five. As I said, the nest was perfect. Just think about the robin’s effort to create this perfect nest using only her beak and wings. The nest is made from grass and twigs, held together by mud.

How the event unfolded

What surprised me most is how aggressive robins are in protecting the nest. There were always two robins on ‘lookout duty’ to warn of approaching danger. Their favorite places for ‘lookout duty’ included: one, the lawn, directly in front of the porch. Two, in a pine tree near the porch. Three, on the porch railing or in a rhododendron to the right of the porch stairs. In addition, if you walked up to the front door, the robins would do a ‘fly over’ your head. Despite all this, we still managed to get a few good pictures.

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It was amazing to watch how fast the nestlings grew. By five days, their eyes begin to open and are fully open by eight days. By 10 days, the body is fully feathered. Sixteen days after we saw the first pale blue eggs, the last of the nestlings had left the nest. The good news is that once the nestlings leave, they don’t return.

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After the nest was empty

The morning after the last nestling left the nest, I was out working in our vegetable garden and a baby robin joined me. Because the garden is surrounded by a six-foot fence on three sides, he was stuck. Within minutes, the male bird was there to take care of him and navigate him out of the enclosure. Later in the afternoon, the baby came back and perched himself on the lower fence. Again, the male robin was close by watching over. After the babies leave the nest, it’s the male that watches over them for the next few weeks. In the meantime, the female robin is seeking out a place to build another nest and lay her next clutch.

What to do after the nestlings leave

The big question you may be asking is what to do with the nest and wreath after the robins leave? The birds will not reuse the nest. First, you need to make an assessment of whether your wreath can be cleaned and reused. In our case, we cleaned and reused the wreath. Here is what you can do.

• Put on disposable gloves and take the wreath off the door.
• Lay the wreath on the ground and lift the nest off the wreath. In our case, the nest came off easily. Discard the nest.
• Hose the wreath down to remove all the bird excrement.
• Disinfect the wreath with a mixture of bleach and water (one-part bleach to 9 parts water).
• Let the wreath dry outdoors for 24 hours.
• Thoroughly clean and disinfect the front door and porch.
• Clean and disinfect the wreath holder.
• Wash your hands well with soapy water after each cleaning.
• Re-hang the wreath.

I think of the experience as a gift from nature. If robins make a nest on your front door, I hope you enjoy the event.

References

• Society for the protection of birds
• Audubon – American Robin