The nest in the rose bush now has eggs. I could not find any recording of the Grackle distress call with out additional calls in the mix. Other birds distress calls and calls of predators. With that mix I figured it would scare the Robins too, defeating the whole purpose of the broadcast. I guess all I can do is hope.

Maybe you should give the grackles dog food. In my yard they are eating chicken feed (wheat, cracked corn, etc). I have never seen them attack a bird nest.
You may also try covering half of your rose bush with a tarp or something. The nest would be less visible from the air, and the parents should be able to find it from the bottom.

As you will find, if you read the links I posted, Grackles do attack nestlings and eggs, whether you see them do it or not. If you read the link I posted, you will also see that leaving dog food or cracked corn in the yard is the way to attract Grackles and other undesirables to your yard where they will be encouraged to breed to quickly proliferate.

If you choose to have these types of birds in your yard and feed them, that is your business (and that of your neighbors, who would also be affected). Spare me your typical arguments I've already heard about how you love all the birds. Good for you. Some of us prefer to have song birds and Robins in our yards, not Grackles and Starlings.

Maybe you could try something like the sparrow spookers we use for Bluebirds, Tree Swallows and other cavity nesting birds. It scares the nesting birds too BUT the babies or eggs in the nest are a powerful draw for the parent birds and they overcome their fear. It is just strips of mylar bowing in the wind. You could maybe use old CD's too. Go to sialis.org and see what sparrow spookers are all about.
Cathy

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.sialis.org

Thanks Bbcathy, I will make a spooker tomorrow. The second egg was laid today so it is early for the pair. I have some old CDs I can rig up on the deck post which is a foot away from the nest and between the nest and the tree the grackles sit in. By the time the eggs hatch the rose will be in full bloom and provide more coverage. The other worry is, I have to paint the deck. It's primed and ready for the top coat. Will this cause a problem for Mom? I can do just the deck surface and leave the railings until the chicks have fledged.The pool cover is still on. It would be another week to 10 days before we open it. Do I have to worry about that action too? Right now many birds come to use the rain water collected on the pool cover. They drink and take long baths. So many things to think about when you are expecting.lol

Interesting.....one is trying to save one....one is trying to save from one......I vote for the American Robin any day!

Rachel, last year I had a post in here with a link to a robin's nest in my yard. I had a videocamera there and many people have been watching it. Later I had that camera in a bluebird's nest and also in a brown trasher's nest. The robin's nest fell down after heavy rain, but I was able to save babies and made a new nest for them in a flower pot. They grew up and fledged successfully. The thrashers was attacked by a snake, but I saw it on camera and got rid of it. Remaining babies also fledged successfully. Two years ago my camera was in a cardinal nest. I don't know if you remember that from my topics, but it was here. This is the best proof that I have robins and other birds in my yard. So please don't tell me what birds I have and what I don't have in my yard. Here some pictures from those nests:

Cardinals

Robins

Bluebirds

PS. I'm not arguing with fact that grackles can steal babies from the nest. I just saying that they are not doing it in my yard.

Yes, grackles do kill songbirds and nestlings, and so do hawks, falcons and many other animals. They are not doing it to be mean. It is sad, but everyone has to eat, and I find it ironic that people would advocate NOT feeding the grackles, and at the same time expecting them not to eat what they naturally eat. I certainly hope all of you who are sympathizing with the robins are vegetarians.

WHAT ABOUT THE POOR SNAKE?????

I wish no living creature ill. It was just that the Robins had already lost their young and I wanted to give the second pair a chance. I have been building a garden for 6 years. This is the first pair to honor my garden with their family. If it had been a Grackle that had nested here I would have been just as thrilled and concerned for them. I will be putting up a CD festooned "Spooker" today in the hopes it will assist the Robins.

One year I left dog food in the outdoor hoppers and it didn't take but a month and my property started crawling with Grackles feeding their young and squawking everywhere.
When I finally noticed I quickly began feeding the dogs so the Grackles couldn't get to the food and the problem went away.
The same would happen if you let garbage lie around-you'd have rats and cockroaches, and they are also doing "natural behavior"

We humans have a choice and don't have to buy expense food and/or aid and abet undesirable birds on our properties.

Bbcathy - are you asking about snake that I removed from the trasher nest? I released it in a different place.

If it makes anyone feel better, my Grackles only kill house sparrows! You have to have some kind of control! LOL

Hey, love THOSE Grackles. Maybe you could rent them out??

Got a peek in the nest. 4 eggs, wow! Is that the usual number? The first nest only had 2. Sometime between June 12 and the 15th will be hatching time.

Let us know how it works out. I hope it works.
Good Luck
Cathy

The "spooker" is up. Robin Mom is now OK with it. She enters the nest from the back away from the spooker. She even stays tucked up in the nest when I run the lawn mower. I'm working on learning to post photos. When I get it right I will post a few.

Hi Wren Garden, and Welcome! My favorites are the House Finch, and I've seen JOY and some sandness over the past several years. One thing for sure, you CAN get excellent advise right here, from people who are SO knowledgeable. They sure helped me from the get-go ... when I first started to love birds!

One year, I really screwed up, and put out watermellon! The grackles came, with a vengence, and killed adults to win the territory! That taught me to NEVER put out a banquet when nests are active.

Also, I leave very LITTLE food out that would attract other species. One thing the grackles HATE is safflower seeds. (Hard, pearly white.)

I've seen them actually KICK their feet in it, with ANGER!

And, I leave NOTHING near my 'nesting porch' house-side! I play it down! Never leave a chair, or stool, or anything that a squirrel can jump (leap) with! (Yep, they rob and eat eggs, babies, and adults too.)

And, the ravens rob nests here like WILD in the spring. I say .. "It's a bird eat bird world out there ..."

It makes me SICK but I continue to try and protect when I can. I've been heartbroken several times ... it never gets easier. But, the bottom line is ... nature will win over 'us' most of the time.

I don't get into discussing which birds I could EASILY live without! LOL People always have arguments ... and we'll always have our 'babies' !!!

Take care, stay strong, and do keep them in prayer. How could "Mother Nature" PS: If you have any leftover cherries, your ROBINS will love them! (Just wait 'till FALL to give them some!)
Also, I LOVE to blast the grakles with a squirt gun! Tee Hee!

Note: It's MOST important to feed the birds when their natural foods (seed, etc) is burried in snow! Birds seldom freeze to death, but in the harsh winter, they often starve!

I know I am very late to the game but wanted to post this for the benefit of others. We had a robin's nest under our eaves. We had the occasional grackle visit our backyard, the odd crow, and 2 very aggressive house sparrows that were incessantly harassing the robin's nest (likely fighting for territory). Every time I saw a crow, grackle and house sparrow in the yard I chase it away yelling "out" and clapping loudly. When that didn't seem to work I consistently went after them with the "jet" spray setting on the hose while yelling "out". That seemed to work! The trick is to be consistent and vigilant. (We used the same method but with a water spray bottle to train our cat, now deceased.). We don't have any bird feeders in our backyard, nor garbage. I was even careful not to plant any plants with young vegetables. There is a lot of water around our neighbourhood, so I also got rid of our bird bath in the backyard until all the baby robins fledged. The house sparrows didn't like that one bit as they loved our bird bath. There were at least 3 baby robins that fledged (flew away from "our" nest) in the last 3 days. The last one fledged from the nest this morning. I see them around our backyard and our neighbour's backyard doing fine. And I am still chasing away any crows and grackles I see! Crows are smart and will remember you "individually". And I am hoping they do so.