W
e live on a large acreage with
lots of trees, but these robins
(left) decided to build their
nest right by our bedroom win-
dow. Perhaps they wanted their picture
taken, as they did not seem to mind my
camera peeking around our bedroom cur-
tains. The babies seemed to be constantly
begging for food, and their parents never
seemed to have a free moment.
One day, a magpie came along to try and
snatch the babies for its dinner, so I decided
to try and save them. I searched for some
way to cover the nest so the larger magpies
couldn’t get to them, but I was afraid that
the mom and dad robin would be too scared
to return to the nest. In the end, I decided I
had no choice but to try something quickly,as obviously the babies had already been
spotted by the magpies. I cut out a big piece
of cardboard and shaped it so that the open-
ing would be just large enough for a robin
to fit through. I then waited for the parents
to leave the nest. I placed a ladder close to
the nest, climbed up and put the cardboard
structure over the nest and secured it with
some wire. I returned to our bedroom to
watch if the parents would accept my in-
tervention. I was so pleased when they re-
turned with food and even seemed happy
with their newly safe nesting spot. The only
problem was I couldn’t take any more pic-
tures till the babies left the nest, ready to fly.
I believe I saved the babies’ lives, as magpies
often need a high protein source for their
own babies—it’s just the cycle of life. A Nesting Place
Lending nature a helping hand
by Alicia Strelkov, Olds, Alta.BIRDS & BLOOMSBRILLIANT BLOSSOM
Russ Hayes of Sherbrooke, Que., shares
this colourful shot of a gorgeous orange
poppy, which he snapped while on a
walk through his neighbourhood.57