BUT..., and it is a big but...
We have a cat, and more than that, we have a cat that catches birds.
I have been reading up on nesting robins, courtesy of the internet and I now know that they will nest anywhere, often quite low to the ground, and maybe these two are young, inexperienced birds who are unaware of the dangers of nesting in a garden with a resident cat.
They have chosen a dense fir tree and made their nest about three feet from the ground. There is a convenient stalk growing from another plant which allows them access and, after some patience, I managed to get this shot at the weekend.
We found half a robin's eggshell in the garden a couple of days ago, a lovely pale blue, and I was concerned that the cat had been at the nest, but then I read that female robins clear the eggshells from the nest when the chicks hatch, so I was encouraged that maybe our pair had been successful in incubating a chick or two.
So far, the cat has taken little interest in the birds... but I knew she was aware of them, but not that she knew where the nest was.
This morning I went out into the garden to see if the robins were active and, aware the cat was outside, I went to look for her. She does go out of the garden, so I was not too concerned when I didn't immediately see her. There was a movement over by the little fir tree and as I looked closer I realised what it was. The cat was threaded up the centre of the tree trying to reach the nest, all that was on show was the tip of her tiger striped tail.
Seems nature has taken over and the chase is on. If nothing else, she will have chased mom and dad away, at worst any chicks that were there possibly aren't anymore. There has certainly been no activity from the robins so far this morning, and there is no sound coming from within the tree to prove any presence, although I will continue to hope.
Meanwhile, the cat is now back indoors taking a well-earned rest after her activities of the morning.
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