Front Door Wreath Nesting Robin

by Kristen
(State College, PA USA)

Front door wreath nesting Robin

Front door wreath nesting Robin

Readers share how American Robins have built nest on door wreaths, laid eggs, and and raised young. Enjoy their stories and photos.


One nice Spring day in late March I was coming in the house through our front door and a bird darted out at me from behind the wreath.

Initially I didn't consider she might be building a nest because it's a wreath on a door.

The weather got iffy again because that's how Pennsylvania is... Sunny and warm one day and the next cold and freezing rain, then warm again.

During those days I entered our home from the garage.

The next nice day I came through the front again and the bird flew out from the wreath again.

This time I inspected the wreath and there was a full nest, as described on this site.

I wasn't sure what to do. Initially there were no eggs in it.

Now we have 2 sweet little eggs in our nest and are using our garage entrance until nesting season is over.

After that, I'm knocking the nest out so I can keep my wreath for future seasons.

Does anyone know if these offspring survive will they look to nest where they were born?

from wild-bird-watching: The young won't use the nest but the adults may return and will rebuild if they do.

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Robin's Nest on my Birdhouse Wreath

by Sue
(Buffalo,NY)

I thought some robins were building a nest nearby as I saw a lot of activity recently.

I didn't see a nest but thought they had built it in a tree nearby.

Not so- they built it on top of a wreath that I had on my porch! (see the picture). There are 4 eggs that I think are about 4 days old.

robin nest on door wreath


What is really funny is that they built on my birdhouse wreath! Too funny!

This is not exactly a peaceful spot, with two dogs and three grandchildren who visit on the weekends, but so far they are ok with the location they chose for their new family!

I can't wait to see the new birds and will put out fruit for them to enjoy!

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Robin's nest
by: LeAnn

Can someone think of a nicely worded sign I can put by the front steps to get people to use our garage door and not the front door where a robin has laid 4 eggs in our wreath?

It is at eye level just to the left of the door! I can't believe we never saw her build it! I am trying to think of something cute but I am not too creative! LeAnn

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Forsythia Wreath Robin

by Kim
(Delaware, Ohio, US)

This spring has been interesting for my house and robins.

It started with a certain robin (maybe more) consistently diving and hitting the glass in my backdoor.

Robin Looking through window of door from Nest

Mom Robin Looking through window



They did this for a week and a half every morning and sometimes in the evening. I took video, it was so bizarre.

My back door has a magnolia tree film that covers the glass and mimics stained glass...must look like an actual magnolia tree to robins.

We thought this was strange, but who knew a robin would then take up residence in the forsythia wreath that hangs on the storm door on my front porch a few days later?

Three days after hanging the wreath, I noticed the top portion drooping. Upon inspection, I found a robin’s nest sitting on top of it.

The next morning as I came down my stairs, I saw the Momma (my son calls her Betty) through the half-moon window at the top of my front door and that's when I took these pictures.

She was sitting in the nest and has been there every morning since.

No eggs yet, but we're anxiously watching for them and to see this natural process unfold on my forsythia wreath!
Robins Nest on top of forsynthia wreath outside view

Outside View of Wreath and Nest on Top



Luckily, most visitors enter the house through my garage.

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Looking Forward to More of the Story
by: Ginger

Please keep us posted.

What an interesting story. Amazing where the birds decide to nest.

I'll be looking forward to seeing Betty's babies.

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Robin bldg nest on busy deck
by: Mary Domenco

On May 29th a robin started building her nest under the roof of our covered deck.

Our back door opens onto this deck so I'm concerned we use the back door all the time.

She tolerated my husband, me, and my dog this afternoon while we were outside and she was in the nest.

But most times she takes off quickly when I open the door.

I tried to drive her away at first when she started to build the nest but she was persistent and it was raining for 2 days so I let her stay.

I just hope she doesn't abandon her nest later on due to the lack of privacy.

I'm trying not to bother her too much.

I see from other comments on this website that it takes about 2 weeks for the eggs to hatch.

We are enjoying watching her & look forward to seeing the little ones.

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great view & well camoflaged nest
by: Loretta

Great story and photos!

I just found a Robin nest in an Albertina spruce outside of my window but was not as fortunate as you are to have such a delightful close-up view of the nesting mother!

Though I'm not complaining -- I'm thrilled to even have them outside of my window!

It's amazing how camouflaged the nest is and how well it blends in with your gorgeous door wreath.

With the grasses draping so beautifully over and between the forsythia, I'd say that your robins are natural-born landscape artists... or professional florists.

Being an artist, I have to wonder if they don't step back (or fly back) just as we do, to see if all of the colors and textures of their creation are blending properly.

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Wreath Over Door

by Jane Litavish
(Pennsylvania)

Robin Nest on Grapevine Wreath

Robin Nest on Grapevine Wreath

If you look at the picture closely you will see the nest on the very top of the wreath.

This pair is on its second brood that we know of.

The mother is used to us going in and out of the door.

She rarely even leaves but on occasion, she will fly to the telephone wire and let us know her displeasure.

The little ones are now growing their feathers.

There were four but one fell out or was pushed out. That was not a happy day as the mother and father screeched for a long time.

I was surprised to see the nest initially as it looks like a crown on top of the wreath I made.

I posted a picture to Facebook and said the Robins thought my wreath needed an additional ornament so they gave it a crown.

Every year the Robins try to build on the front of our house and this year they succeeded to nest twice.

We never saw the little ones from the first time she hides them in the woods below our house.

The three in there now should leave soon and I will be able to enjoy my morning coffee outside again.



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Robins Nesting on Easter Wreath

by Beth Hecker
(Crown Point Indiana USA)

Four Robin Eggs in Nest

Four Robin Eggs in Nest

Robins Build Nest in Easter Door Wreath



Three years ago the Robinsons built their first nest on my Easter wreath on the back porch.

I watched and photographed each step of this amazing process. Such delight!

Year 2 I was pleased to have them return to build again.

However my Dexter(pit bull) was taking an extreme interest and I feared for their safety.
robin at wreath nest

As baby #4 departed from the nest I felt it best to take down the wreath to avoid any future trauma.

Year three The Robinsons arrived and were noticeably unhappy that their nesting place had disappeared.

I felt horrible not to provide this haven but it was in their best interest.

Sadly my Dexter crossed the rainbow bridge late that summer.

So this year as I prepared Easter decorations I rehung the wreath to see if the Robinsons would be back in town.

To my delight they did return and began building a new abode in the wreath.

I feel that they know me now as they are not particularly bothered as I come and go through the back porch.

I anxiously await seeing the beautiful blue eggs and gorgeous young birds that will entertain me this spring season.

So grateful to have a safe place for them to live!

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Robins Nest on Shed Wreath

by Stephanie
(Hammonton, NJ)


showing robin nest on top of the wreath that was hanging on our shed door


Our 4 year old was the first to notice the perfectly shaped Robin nest atop a artificial wreath that we had left hanging on the shed door this year.

There it was, built directly atop the thing, out of our and especially our daughter's eyesight.

"I want to see inside!" "Please!!"-- over and over, until finally one day I pulled the heavy metal chair over and stood on it to have a look.

Sure enough, several beautiful blue eggs were in there; and thus began our spring adventure.

We started noticing Mama bird flying back and forth repeatedly, but mostly sitting in the nest.

One day my husband saw one bird on top of the other- in the nest!

This was all new to me; I thought we had some unusual freaks of nature setting up housekeeping on our property!

My research of robin nesting behavior revealed quite the opposite- this is what robins do!

It seemed such an extended time that this happened, and we were afraid the eggs hadn't survived.

The nest was protected by an overhead roof, but still, the BBQ grill was just a few feet away!

Had we 'smoked' the eggs ??

One day, we noticed something new: little pointed beaks, wide open and waiting for food, poked out of the nest!

The baby birds had arrived!

baby robin in nest built on artificial wreath


We sneakily took peaks in the nest to see the baby robins, including my daughter, whom I had to lift and hold above the nest to see it.

Amazing things going on in there, we couldn't even tell how many were squeezed into that little nest.

The one thing we knew now was that the mother and father both were providing care for those nestlings - and they did not care for us humans hanging around.

They squawked and squeaked wildly anytime we came near the nest. My hubby even got dive-bombed once. He decided to move his grill after that.
moma robin watching us while she perches on top of our car



Now, each day we see the babies growing bigger and taller, mouths still open wide (unless sleeping, which they appear to do all together!) I'm sure they will be venturing out soon!

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New to Baby Robins
by: Gene

What a great opportunity for your children to see. You are so special to share this with your children.

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Did you see them leave?
by: Anonymous

I'd be interested to know if it hasn't happened yet but when it does if you actually see them leave the nest.

I've seen two nest in the past three or four years and never saw the birds leave but they were big enough.

I've seen movies of fledging's and parents coming to help them but that's never been the case here.

I suppose it's possible that other animals got them but I tend to think not.

The babies were pretty big this year but the next morning they were gone and the nest was empty.

I decided we should take the nest down hoping that another set of robins would build a new one.

So far not happening.

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Watching birds leave the nest
by: Gene

Absolutely! We have videoed Robins leaving the nest. Also Cardinals and Purple Martins. It can happen quick or take hours.

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Follow up to Exciting Robin- watching this year!
by: StephanieP

I was able to watch the fledglings climb up on the edge of the nest late one afternoon.

They were wobbling and the parents were not as close by, as if they knew the babies had to make it on their own.

The very next morning, All had gone!

I looked all over the area close by the nest, but found nothing!

Since then the parents seem to be just hanging around; one even perched right outside my kitchen window and peered in at me from the railing out there.

The other one flies up atop our roof and zooms down every so often.

I guess they are the parents? They look full grown so I doubt it's the babies already.

It happened just 3 days ago!

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Mother left the nest
by: Anonymous

This year after laying 4 eggs and two were hatched the mother disappeared. Don't know if she was killed by a cat or what.

After that the male just sat on the edge of the nest, he never kept them warm or fed them.

We watched and he never sat on the nest again or fed them.

After two days we knew the babies were not able to survive and the other two were never hatched.

The mother never came back, is it normal for the male to not look after the babies alone?

This was very upsetting to see.

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Front Door Wreath Robin Nest

by Susie
(Farmington, UT)

Two weeks ago my husband opened our front door to go out and said, "Was that always on this wreath?" while pointing to a robin bird's nest on top of our door wreath.

robin nesting on top of door wreath

Robin Nest on Wreath



The wreath does have quite a 'natural' look to it, but no, it had never had an actual nest on top.

Later that day, we went out the side of the house to take a look from afar, and a Robin was there in the nest packing mud.

I hadn't seen much of the birds since then and thought they had given up on the nest.

We've had some cooler weather and have not been as diligent about not using the front door.

However, yesterday and today I've seen and heard the Robins quite a lot.

The mother has been sitting in the nest most of both days, with the male usually nearby.


Once when the birds were gone I pulled a chair over and took a peek - 2 beautiful eggs!

I don't want to upset their nest or put them in danger.

But I'm afraid we may have too many visitors to the front door as the weather gets nicer and I'm due to have a baby in two weeks!

Should I put caution tape around and a sign pointing to another entrance?

Will the birds really abandon the robin eggs if we use the front door too much?

Any suggestions?

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How delightful
by: Geoffrey Campbell

Such a beautiful story, my heart was touched by your kindness and the unusual placement of their nest. I would very much like to see an update in the future. Thank you for sharing.

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Robin nest in our front door wreath.
by: Belinda

We live in South Ogden and the same thing just happened to us. There were 5 Robin eggs and they hatched today.

I'm wondering if we should use caution tape. What did you end up doing? I'm worried about visitors disturbing them.

My husband even wanted to buy worms & leave them on our doorstep to make feeding easier.

It's pretty cute that a Robin felt our home was safe enough to make their home. We're open for any suggestions on how to keep the birds feeling safe.

from wild-bird-watching: caution tape or a sign is a good idea. If you offer any food, place it a good distance from the nest as it can attract predators.

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Our new family
by: Rosie

We too, had a Robin nest- but on the front porch light. The porch has a roof and it seemed as though the shelter was the intention.

It's as though the birds had studied our habits, because we set there frequently, day and night.
How entertaining it was!

The Robins would swoop into the nest most of the time without us even knowing it, and leave almost as quiet. The same when the 4 little ones arrived.

When they left the nest, we had to remove it so the birds couldn't return. I was afraid the nest might become a fire hazard on top of the porch light.

If you can handle the inconvenience, I'd suggest enjoying at least ONE Robin experience.

These birds are extremely smart and don't need our help- just our patience! Good luck.


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this is not a robins nest. What is it. Is on our front door.
by: Anonymous

Was 4 eggs, now 4 little birds. Mom and Dad look like small sparrows, finches, or some other wild bird.

I have been looking at eggs birds and nests trying to ID them and there are so many types of birds that I can not find them.

The eggs were less than 1 inch long and were white with Small streaks or speckles on one end.

Maybe a Carolina-Wren

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Wreath Nest in CT
by: Susan

Two weeks ago I noticed a Bird's Nest in door wreath, so carefully placed it looked like it came with it.

I did touch it because, naively it never occurred to me that a bird had built it in the one day I was at work.

The first day saw nothing so I thought the Mom had abandoned it because she smelled my scent from the day before. But, the second day there were two Robin's eggs. And the third day, Four!

Today the babies were born while I was at work and Mama is taking care of them.

Although thrilled with this good luck of a bird at my door, I think I will move it when they are done. But, not too far away.


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Robins Nest in Wreath on Front Door
by: dawnmclean@rogers.com

I too have a robins nest embedded atop the wreath at my front door.

I will leave it alone but do have concerns about how it is all going to pan out as this door is used daily.

Not too much but we will have visitors tomorrow.

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