Raccoons and Robins

by Rara
(Oshawa, Ontario, Canada)

Baby Robin in a nest

Baby Robin in a nest

This summer a Robin made a nest underneath our deck. The first batch of 2 baby robins left the nest and I think they're safe and sound.

The mother robin laid another batch of eggs, and this time, I watched them from the beginning until they hatched, and the Robins started to feed them. It was such a beautiful life miracle, to be seeing it right in front of my eyes.

One day I woke up at 5:00am to the sound of very distraught robins, I ran downstairs to check what happened, and to my uttermost horror, a raccoon was perched on the deck right next to the babies.

I cried to my husband for help, and by this time, I was bawling my eyes, because I knew he probably got to all 4 baby robins. The parents were devastated!

My husband managed to shoo the raccoon away, but it was a tragedy for us that morning. After a couple of minutes the robins returned to the nest. It turns out that there is still one baby who survived. Later on that day, the raccoon kept coming back, because I think he knew there is something still up there.

We decided that it's best for the baby to take him inside for the weekend until we can find someone willing to take care of it. Because we knew that it's fate would be the raccoon once we took him outside.

Over the weekend we took care of him, and Monday we called everywhere and no one is willing to take him. They all said to take him outside and his parents will care for him. But the raccoon is roaming our backyard. So finally, we found a place in Midland the Wildlife center, they said they'll take care of him until they can release him in our area, we live in Oshawa, it's 2.5 hours away.

We drove all the way there. The robin is doing great now and due to be released next week in our area. I wonder if his parents will recognize him.

Now i know some people would tell me that I should have let nature take its course, but I just couldn't stand leaving him out there for the raccoon. I made the right choice.

Bless you for taking care of one of Mother Nature's defenseless little creatures!

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starstarstarstarstar 		Respond to Rara & Sarah
by: Elisheva

I'm so sorry you lost the robins! I am fortunate that the birds come here to feed (the robins are crazy about berries!) and so do not tend to nest in the backyard.

A few years ago, I needed to water the front yard (also full of shrubs). I had just turned on the water for the soaker hose and heard a robin making a fearful racket - so loud, I was frightened and I froze, looking for a hawk. The Robin kept it up and I saw the nest about four feet off the ground inside a yew, but no babies. I looked down to see if a baby had fallen: there was a baby robin about 3" from my foot! He was out for his first flight and I studied my way out of THE ROBIN'S YARD, seeing two other baby robins taking flying lessons. I roped off the path on both sides with DO NOT ENTER signs. From then on the front yard was off limits, until the PUC came to visit to report a "leak" - I'd left the hose on ALL that time!

I'm sure those babies had plenty to eat that year and my husband and I paid the Hydro bill, knowing the extra money had not been wasted at all! We were so proud of our babies!

I would love to hear from anyone with positive experiences keeping squirrels, cats, raccoons, rabbits, and all manner of birds housed, watered and fed on a 60 x 100 ft lot and safe from hawks.

We should be able to look to the city parks; however, we are lucky if they contain a few trees and the hawks have killed all the rabbits and raccoons. We may still have a fox.

Any ideas? Many thanks!
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starstarstarstarstar 		Sounds like feral cats to me!
by: Elisheva

We live in Kingston and have naturalized our yard to attract wildlife to cover for nesting and berries supplemented by seed for nutrition.

We have a very busy animal kingdom! We also have raccoons! A raccoon female was lying on our deck in early May. Husband called a "rescue" agency who made an over the phone diagnosis of distemper. "Put a garbage can over the raccoon and bring it in - we'll destroy it." I know what distemper looks like and raccoon didn't have it. What she did have was newborns under our deck. Although she presented us with five babies on Mother's Day !!!, only two babies lived.

Unfortunately we also have several feral cats which we would normally trap. Even more unfortunately, we seem to have at least six different "house" cats looking for a meal.

The feral cats shred everything to pieces, raccoons kits or cubs, squirrels, pigeons, kittens, sometimes something as small as a mourning dove.

Pet owners PLEASE: I have a beautiful cat named Bella. She is a house cat. That means she NEVER goes outside - EVER. She is safe and healthy. I also have a beautiful black lab. She is a "house" dog. She is never allowed outside without a leash and a human - EVER. I believe I am being a responsible pet owner and am providing much needed cover, berries and seeds to a great number of birds.

IF YOU OWN A DOG OR CAT, KEEP THEM SAFE!

IF YOU BELIEVE YOUR PETS ARE DOING YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD A FAVOUR BY KILLING EVERY THING THEY SEE, PLEASE REMEMBER THAT RACCOONS AND FERAL CATS CARRY DISEASE WHICH YOUR PETS WILL PICK UP IN FECES - RESEARCH IT PLEASE.

MAY NOT KILL YOUR PETS;
MIGHT JUST KILL YOUR CHILD.

KEEP YOUR PETS INSIDE PLEASE!
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starstarstarstarstar 		So Sad :(
by: Sarah

I too live in Oshawa & have been enjoying watching the momma & daddy robins take care of 3 babies that were just born last week.

I have doing my part trying to help keep them dry when it rains & even watering my garden & lawn in hopes it will bring more worms out.

I woke up this morning to find HORROR! A bird leg on my porch - and the nest on the ground - then the momma bird torn in half & feathers all over the place!!!! More bird parts on the other part of my deck! I was devastated!!!

I am not sure what got to my birds - but I think it must have been a raccoon. I don't think a cat could reach the nest where it was located....

Then to add to my sadness, the daddy bird was on the fence looking for his family - and possibly seeing his dead family?

I am very emotional about this incident - I have never seen anything like this before.

Last year, we had three broods born in the same spot without incident!

Even though I know it is the circle of life - it makes me so sad & angry that it happened to my family of robins!!!!

Yes, knowing that the loss of some young animals is just the way Mother Nature works, doesn't help much when something like this happens.

I'm so sorry that this happened to your little Robins - I hope the Dad finds a new mate and has time to raise one more clutch of babies before fall.

I think you are right, it was likely Raccoons that caught and killed the birds.

Barb
(Webmistress)

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