Our current houseguest

Hi Gabriel,
Grandpa and I have an uninvited house guest, and soon there may be little ones!
About 10 days ago a robin came with her mate and started to make a nest over our front door. We were worried that she would be disturbed by our going in and out all the time, so we kept taking the mud and grass down. We kept that up for two days, but so did the robin couple. Every time we took it down, they started over again.
Eventually we gave up because it was apparent to us that these robins were intent on making their nest right there, in a place that is protected from bad weather and predators.
After the nest was complete, we noticed the female robin hanging around the nest quite a bit. I’ve learned from reading about robin behavior that the female will typically lay one egg a day for four days. Then she nestles into the nest to incubate the eggs. Most of her time is spent there for the next 10 to 12 days, until the babies break out of their shells.
I wasn’t able to take a picture of the eggs because I have no way to get above the nest without disturbing the female robin. Here’s a photo of her incubating the eggs.
 
Because the nest is right over our front door, Grandpa and I have been going in and out of the side door most of the time. The female robin leaves the nest every time the front door opens, and we are afraid that if we cause her to leave the nest too much the eggs won’t get enough warmth and the hatchlings (baby birds) might not be strong enough to break out of their shells.
She also leaves the nest to eat, drink and “go about her business,” and when she does, the male comes to the ledge over the door to guard the nest so that no predators can steal the eggs. Here’s a photo of the male robin looking inside.
 
I’m going to visit GramEl in Florida this week, and it’s possible that the babies will hatch while I’m away. I hope Grandpa will tell us any news of the robin family while I’m away.
If you want to know more about robins and their nests, you can find some information here. At the bottom of that page there are links to even more information about robins.
Love,
Grandma