Trigger Warning: the following series of videos contains footage of Nature in Action, the struggle for survival on full display. Note also the focal distance of the camera is not quite short enough, so the subjects in the foreground are slightly blurred.
A dramatic scene was captured on the American Robin nest cam outside Clay Science yesterday afternoon. At 4 pm, the male robin was diligently tending and defending the nest:
At 6:45, though, this happened:
An American Crow, one of the most voracious nest predators around, made quick and sloppy work of at least one egg and carried the other away to consume it in peace, away from the distraught robins. Not long after, the male robin was back at the nest, apparently cleaning up the remains of the broken egg (and perhaps, one shudders to think, eating the scattered bits of yolk?).
Odds are the pair of robins will lay another clutch of eggs or build another nest, especially this early in the season. But as you can see, it's an uphill battle to fend off the hungry, prowling hordes of crows, jays, weasels, raccoons, possums, cats, snakes, and yes, squirrels and chipmunks.
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