Photography

An idiot robin has built a nest on top of our garage door motor. The nest was constructed so the chain that drives the door is actually a part of the nest, and if we open or close the garage door, the whole thing is going to get torn apart. So I guess the garage door is staying open for as long as it takes for these eggs to hatch and these birds to leave the nest.

Feeding the babies!

All three are now hatched, here's more feeding time.

Apparently there are four. Surprise bird! No idea why they're laying like this, I assume they're just derps or scared of me.

Almost fully fledged, the nest is getting quite crowded. We've moved the cars out of the garage and set down some cushions from outdoor chairs to provide a landing pad for them. They'll be out of the nest within the next few days.

I recently watched a video of a pair of Sandhill Cranes raising a Canada Gosling, and it seems that it isn't the first example of it in the last few years. Are cranes like penguins where they will steal eggs/hatchlings if they had an unsuccessful breeding season, or is there some other reason that they 'adopt' baby geese?

For my fellow Sandhill craniacs interested in this phenomenon you’ll be delighted to know another cross-species adoption has been spotted in Madison WI this spring! Unknown how this happened but folks in my birder groups are saying the cranes took over an abandoned Canada goose nest with a single unhatched egg left behind. No way to know the backstory for sure but hopefully this chick is able to figure out life with his new eccentric parents