Need a stable platform/basket/? idea for a bird's nest

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For 4 years in a row, a robin has been building her nest high up under the eaves of my 2-story house on the crotch of an aluminum downspout. For 4 years in a row.... high gusts of winds have been tearing her nests apart.  One year, eggs ended up splat on the ground, another year her nestlings ended up splat on the ground... one survived only to be killed by one of my dogs. Another year two survived the fall and I got stuck feeding them until they could be released. Last year, I called the FD and they came out and removed what was left of the nest with the nestlings in it and brought it down to me. I positioned it atop a lighting fixture to my garage and duct taped it to the side of my house. She stayed with the nest until they fledged then fed them for another few weeks on the ground then promptly rebuilt another nest in the crotch that same year and we went for round 2. This spring, I draped tarps and caught 1 of her babies when the high winds came and ripped the nest apart leaving one nestling hanging upside down by a leg and 1 still in the nest. The FD came back with their bucket truck, brought down the "hanger" and handed it to me then removed the nest with the 3rd nestling in it and I duct taped it to the side of my house again and put them in it. It was a disturbed nest so one jumped out to the ground and was promptly killed and eaten by the same dog that killed the last baby. ----We have a small FD that doesn't mind coming out but.... I need a permanent solution because this bird is bent on building her nest in the same location every year and I just don't have the time to feed what survives the falls. Bad news is I probably need 2 somethings because I now have another robin that built a nest up under the eaves on the other side of the house in the crotch of another downspout and my bet is... that robin will build there again next year.  ----Hardware cloth was suggested but I would prefer to weld something.... anything.... permanently in place so I don't have to deal with this year in and year out.--Welders are some of the most creative people I've met. I realize robins aren't endangered but will you guys help me out here please. I bought an egg basket with the thought of possibly re-purposing it. I can't take a photo of it because it's buried under steel in my car but found this woven sheeting of some sort for sale at a steel supply a few days ago and snapped a photo thinking it looked promising. I don't know what the material is called though. --MM 211Smith Tru Lite O/A set, Thanks Bob!Lincoln AC-225--But you must not change one thing, one pebble, one grain of sand, until you know what good and evil will follow on that act. The world is in balance, in Equilibrium- Ursula K. Le Guin
Reply:I love to weld, but I'd just pop rivet, or screw, a little piece of tin or aluminum to the elbow from both sides that extends up to the eve.No more access and no more nest.Good luck Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:I'd be about willing to bet that the one building on the other side of the house is one of the survivors from a previous year that is now nest building like Mom does, on a downspout.
Reply:I have had this problem with doves, I went to a craft store and bought a basket made of some kind of straw. I then built a bracket out of aluminum and used coated floral wire to connect the two. I used a screw to hold the bracket to the surface. I feel as a bird watcher and having a robin that has returned for several years, too much intervention may run her off. Keep what you do simple and enjoy mama (that is what my wife and I call ours). The gutters and downspouts are aluminum by the way. Good luck and thanks from a fellow nature lover.RegardsDave
Reply:Originally Posted by MinnesotaDaveI love to weld, but I'd just pop rivet, or screw, a little piece of tin or aluminum to the elbow from both sides that extends up to the eve.No more access and no more nest.Good luck
Reply:MinnesotaDave & DSW> "I love to weld, but I'd just pop rivet, or screw, a little piece of tin or aluminum to the elbow from both sides that extends up to the eve.No more access and no more nest." Me thinks the two of you and my husband were triplets separated at birth. He said the same thing. --Bisteneau> I know for sure because of the facial markings that the robin nesting there for the last 4 years is the same robin but.... I don't know if Momma #2 nesting on top of the other downspout crotch is her offspring. Could very well be because they do migrate back to the general vicinity of where they hatched. --smilindave> Doves are sloppy nesters and I haven't found them to be discriminating in their choice of nest sites. I had a momma build a nest in a flower pot last year that I'd left out over winter. It was about 3' off the ground on a stack of retaining blocks fully exposed to all the stray cats running loose. I waited for her to lay her 1st egg then moved the whole flower pot kit and kaboodle up onto a ladder outside my patio door where it would be protected from the elements. I glued the bottom of the pot to the top of the ladder with gorilla glue and used a sawzall to cut out the lower rungs so the strays couldn't get to her. The ladder was pretty trashed and was going to be pitched anyway. She stayed with her nest and two out of three of her eggs hatched and fledged. I have no idea where she nested this year. --I do think you're 100% on the money about too much intervention with robins though so I'm going to have to think about this. I won't be able to weld what ever I come up with because I didn't order a spool gun for aluminum and have no clue how to weld aluminum anyway so thanks for mentioning that both the gutters and downspouts were aluminum. The brackets probably are too. --Mortality rate of young the 1st year is real high. If they make it to the 2nd year.... American robins usually live another 13-14 years so I do need to do something since Momma #1 and #2 will be with us for a while. I'm thinking if the basket I bought is large enough.... I might cut the top off and see how that works. I can resort to gorilla glue combined with your suggestion of using floral wire to secure it to the downspout by just wrapping it around a few times. I'd think that should hold up to the winds so Momma #1 can build her nest next year as long as the basket is large enough. I think I'll have to put a call in since I just measured it and it's only 8" across. Wire egg baskets are cheap and come in an assortment of sizes so if this one doesn't work... I can buy larger size baskets. I've got time. Momma #1 is done for this year and I duct taped the other nest in place while Momma #2 screamed at me from a tree limb about 10' away. --MM 211Smith Tru Lite O/A set, Thanks Bob!Lincoln AC-225--But you must not change one thing, one pebble, one grain of sand, until you know what good and evil will follow on that act. The world is in balance, in Equilibrium- Ursula K. Le Guin
Reply:Are you winds during nesting time predominantly from one direction?  It sounds like the wind is an additional problem with the current location so if you can provide them with suitable nesting locations on the downwind side of the house then that may help them out.  Might be a couple of welding projects for you there - create some new nesting platforms for them!
Reply:Make some birdhouses...
Reply:I got a call back from the ornithologist. He said the basket might work and to go ahead and try it otherwise 10" would be preferable. Momma #1 is done for the year so I have time to start looking for larger wire baskets. --RSD> Momma #1 is building her nest on the southeast side of our house every year. Momma #2 built her nest on the northeast side under the eaves for the 1st time this year. She's on her 2nd clutch of eggs right now. We had a Momma #3 on the sill to our 2nd floor bathroom window and incredibly.... her nest held up... on the west side of our house. It was built on the sill butted up against the outer window frame. Momma #3 took full force winds from the west and still managed to fledge 3 babies. Our prevailing winds are from the west. They're whipping around the house and hitting that nest because of the way we built on the lot. The northeast location chosen by Momma #2 is somewhat less susceptible to winds but.... I've duct taped her nest for the time being.... just in case we get a storm coming in off Lk Michigan. --I've got a feeding platform for my vultures. It's about 6' off the ground with a 2" lip around the edge so the treats I toss up for them don't slide off from wind and rain after they're done feeding. Vultures are "neat" eaters.... they pretty much stay in one spot and eat their fill but without the lip... the rains would carry scraps to the ground.... I'd think a platform could work as long as it had a 3" lip to contain the robins' nests and some water drain holes in the bottom. Good thought.... I could drill holes in it so I could wire it to the downspout. I really hate being up on ladders that high so I'm thinking I'll put together a few different "fixes" and see which fit up there the best that can be gorilla glued and wired. --Going nowhere> Unfortunately for me, robins aren't cavity nesters like a screech owl or a blue bird. I'm leaps and bounds better at working with wood than metal.MM 211Smith Tru Lite O/A set, Thanks Bob!Lincoln AC-225--But you must not change one thing, one pebble, one grain of sand, until you know what good and evil will follow on that act. The world is in balance, in Equilibrium- Ursula K. Le Guin
Reply:What about getting a bowling ball , some 1/8'' round stock and make a basket for them ? Use half of the bowling ball to form the nest. Form all pieces and tack together. You might even get by using aluminum foil to lay inside if that's acceptable.   As for you feeding platform, why not cut the 6' pipe in half, and add a hinge on the 3' pieces to tip it down to fill, and then push it up and pin it ? Just a thought.
Reply:I'm fresh out of bowling balls but.... if I could get one.... wouldn't it melt when I tried to tack weld the wire? --6' is a lot taller than me so I've just been reaching up and sorta pushing what I'm putting out for the vultures up over the lip then sliding it out of the plastic bag and onto the platform. So far.... so good and I wear disposable gloves.... just in case I don't get the road kill all the way onto the platform. I haven't been putting much up lately because I'm pretty sure the visiting vulture I had has raised her young and moved out of the barn loft. The only other bird I've seen visit the platform was a golden eagle and that was years ago.... he took the dead opossum and flew off with it. Spring when they've got young is the time to use the platform feeders.... the rest of the year they're on their own eating from the road and getting out of the way before a car pegs them. Believe it or not.... I've actually seen motorists speed up when they see vultures on the road feeding. Sad but true.MM 211Smith Tru Lite O/A set, Thanks Bob!Lincoln AC-225--But you must not change one thing, one pebble, one grain of sand, until you know what good and evil will follow on that act. The world is in balance, in Equilibrium- Ursula K. Le Guin
Reply:I'm fresh out of bowling balls but.... if I could get one.... wouldn't it melt when I tried to tack weld the wire? The bowling ball would be used to form the wire then set on table to tack pieces together.  Another thought, does your husband have hair ? Have high pain tolerance ?  Just use his head for forming the basket, have him hold round steel in place on head and tack. NO HAIR on head would be best.
Reply:Ummm... husband is losing hair fast and what's left isn't jet black any more either. He says his bald spot is NOT a result of male pattern baldness... it's from the halo he earned being married to me rubbing all his hair off over the years. --A bowling ball would probably be about the right size. I've got stainless steel mixing bowls I could use for a form and come to think of it.... I've got some pyrex mixing bowls I could use too. Thank you for the suggestion.MM 211Smith Tru Lite O/A set, Thanks Bob!Lincoln AC-225--But you must not change one thing, one pebble, one grain of sand, until you know what good and evil will follow on that act. The world is in balance, in Equilibrium- Ursula K. Le Guin
Reply:I like the basket idea best.  Now equil I have to ask since you brought it up.  Did you seriously call the Fire dept for a bird issue and twice?  That's our tax dollars hard at work. "Hey I didn't come to look and learn, I came to turn and burn.... If I can't light up, I'm gonna light out!"-JodyIdealarc 250 "Fatman"MM 252MM 211 "Little boy" Victor Torches
Reply:Honestly.... more than 2x. Last year I called to request a bucket truck so they could put pinkies that blew out of squirrels' nests back with their mothers. And the year before I called also. Unfortunately there was no way to reach any of those nests even from an extension ladder. They tried reaching the nest they thought they'd have a shot at. Unfortunately it was about 2' out of her reach on a limb that couldn't have supported her weight. Oh how that firewoman (?) strained to reach that nest. We all decided it wasn't a good idea tossing both pinkies in from that distance so they returned them to me to pass onto a rehabber. They lived.... I jump started them by heating them up and providing fluids subcutaneously until they could be taken in the following week but.... awfully nerve racking doing that when their body weight couldn't have been much more than 1200g. I'd never hydrated any life form that tiny before but figured there was nothing to lose trying.   --In my very humble opinion.... there are far worse "greater goods" for which our tax dollars are routinely being appropriated and beyond that....I know myself. I would have felt guilt not calling. I seriously don't have it in me to do nothing although you are right and I probably should have left well enough alone. Definitely not a good use of hard earned tax $$$ with so many human needs going unfulfilled these days. --Last edited by Equilibrium; 07-16-2014 at 03:42 PM.Reason: TMI oopsieMM 211Smith Tru Lite O/A set, Thanks Bob!Lincoln AC-225--But you must not change one thing, one pebble, one grain of sand, until you know what good and evil will follow on that act. The world is in balance, in Equilibrium- Ursula K. Le Guin
Reply:If you only knew what kind of BS calls get run.  Yours isn't that bad.
Reply:Originally Posted by Going nowhereIf you only knew what kind of BS calls get run.  Yours isn't that bad.
Reply:I stopped in at a bowling alley.... they'd just pitched 4 cracked and chipped bowling balls. They told me to stop back in a few months and they'd let me have one for FREEEEEEE. I saw him tape my name to the wall so that the next bowling ball that cracked didn't get pitched. I picked up a spool of wire at a garage sale down the street from where I'm learning how to weld. I think it will work.... now all I need is the "form".-- I'll post a photo of what ever I come up with as a fix. Fractured and cracked bowling balls seem to be out there for the taking if someone asks and they're the correct dimensions so who knows.... maybe somebody else out there who is having the same problem will stumble on this thread.MM 211Smith Tru Lite O/A set, Thanks Bob!Lincoln AC-225--But you must not change one thing, one pebble, one grain of sand, until you know what good and evil will follow on that act. The world is in balance, in Equilibrium- Ursula K. Le Guin
Reply:Things aren't going so well wrapping and tacking. I guess that's what happens when you pull an Indiana Jones and make it up as you go. I'm blowing through the wire.... pure inexperience. Trying a little bit of a different direction.... weaving. If it doesn't work... back to the drawing board. --MM 211Smith Tru Lite O/A set, Thanks Bob!Lincoln AC-225--But you must not change one thing, one pebble, one grain of sand, until you know what good and evil will follow on that act. The world is in balance, in Equilibrium- Ursula K. Le Guin
Reply:That kind of looks like copper wire in the last few pix. If it is, then you are not yet going to be able to weld it with your 211. I know this is not Tying Web, but you may need to wrap the same wire around the places you want to secure to get it to hold, or cut the pieces slightly longer so you can tie them at the intersection points. This might work for what you are wanting. You have until spring to perfect your technique, too.
Reply:That kind of looks like copper wire in the last few pix. If it is, then you are not yet going to be able to weld it with your 211. I know this is not Tying Web, but you may need to wrap the same wire around the places you want to secure to get it to hold, or cut the pieces slightly longer so you can tie them at the intersection points. This might work for what you are wanting. You have until spring to perfect your technique, too.
Reply:It does in the 3rd photo. It's definitely steel... not copper. Tying web... pretty funny. I'll try weaving and tacking. If that doesn't work... I was thinking of going to a thinner gauge wire and working from a base plate of some sort up using a chunk of the downspout as a form. Like you said.... I've got the time to figure something out even if the weather turns and I can't weld until spring. Temps dipped down into the 40's the last few nights. That's unseasonably cool. Squirrels and chipmunks are scurrying around gathering nuts and the non-migratory birds are in a feeding frenzy.... hummingbirds and geese started migrating the 1st week of September.... red-winged black birds are gone... robins are heading south.... that's very early. I think the animals know something we don't know.... here's hoping this winter isn't a doozie.MM 211Smith Tru Lite O/A set, Thanks Bob!Lincoln AC-225--But you must not change one thing, one pebble, one grain of sand, until you know what good and evil will follow on that act. The world is in balance, in Equilibrium- Ursula K. Le Guin
Reply:Originally Posted by EquilibriumIt does in the 3rd photo. It's definitely steel... not copper. Tying web... pretty funny. I'll try weaving and tacking. If that doesn't work... I was thinking of going to a thinner gauge wire and working from a base plate of some sort up using a chunk of the downspout as a form. Like you said.... I've got the time to figure something out even if the weather turns and I can't weld until spring. Temps dipped down into the 40's the last few nights. That's unseasonably cool. Squirrels and chipmunks are scurrying around gathering nuts and the non-migratory birds are in a feeding frenzy.... hummingbirds and geese started migrating the 1st week of September.... red-winged black birds are gone... robins are heading south.... that's very early. I think the animals know something we don't know.... here's hoping this winter isn't a doozie.
Reply:Ummmm.... that WAS my attempt at small tacks. I was just "barely" pulling the trigger. We're talking an epic fail. --I was thinking smaller wire could be bound off with extra stick-out for bulk then welded. Sorta like I did with my tomato cages. --I have a somewhat amusing story. I was looking for a bowling ball and sent out an e-mail to family and friends after the bowling alley told me to call back in a few months. Within one week I had over 20 bowling balls on my front door stoop behind the hip wall. All different colors... all different weights. All I needed was one. So.... I rolled the dumpster over to the front door and started pitching the bowling balls in it. All of them had cracks in them and weren't worth hauling to GoodWill. My garbage man comes and uses his truck to pick up the dumpster. He lifts it up and tips it and all the bowling balls start dropping out like a gumball machine with a broken flap. I'm watching him standing up looking at them from his cab as they're dropping. He empties the dumpster.... puts it back on the curb then gets out and walks around and looks inside the bin. He said they looked like bowling balls but he wasn't sure and that in all his years of picking up garbage.... that was a 1st. I was up the driveway when he was emptying it and it was admittedly an odd sight watching all the colorful bowling balls tumbling out.MM 211Smith Tru Lite O/A set, Thanks Bob!Lincoln AC-225--But you must not change one thing, one pebble, one grain of sand, until you know what good and evil will follow on that act. The world is in balance, in Equilibrium- Ursula K. Le Guin
Reply:I'd go for a "keep it simple, stupid!" approach. That nest would probably be just fine on a common tree branch where the surfaces provide a bit more grip, so just a little extra support should be enough.I am unable to find the name now, so a picture has to do. How about just adding two or three "ribs" similar to this viking ship "skeleton" to keep the nest where she builds it? Just a bit of extra support keeping the nest where she builds it, instead of a complete remodel of her entire "apartment" - big changes might not be accepted too well. http://reignoffury.com/blog/wp-conte.../05/frame2.png