One nest, two eggs and two mamas?

This is the second mama robin seen in this nest this week.

This morning, while mulling over that no egg was laid in the robin's nest yesterday, I picked up my binoculars and looked toward the nest. To my surprise, there was a new mama sitting on the nest. Her pert and pointed beak looked the same as most of the robins I see in my yard.

But what had happened to the mama who sat in the nest on Wednesday and laid the first egg? The mama with the wide and crooked beak that looked so much like a fledgling from a nest last year in the same site. Had something happened to her? Was that the reason no additional egg was laid in the nest yesterday?

The first egg was laid in this nest on Wednesday,

and the second was laid on Friday of this week.

Usually, one egg is laid each day, until the nest 

is complete.

When I went outside to take pictures of the new mama, I was surprised that she allowed me to get close to the nest and take several photos of her. This, too, reminded me of last year's nest. The mama of that nest also allowed me to get close to the nest, even after the eggs hatched.

According to literature, robins and cardinals will sometimes share a nest. During my research, I didn't find any literature about two robins sharing a nest. The coming days will reveal if two mama robins are sharing this nest or if it has been taken over by another mother robin.

Since the first egg was left unattended for most of the second day, I wonder if the baby will survive. The mama sitting on the nest Wednesday took long breaks from the nest. After seeing her on the nest early yesterday morning, I did not see her at all during the afternoon. I did check the nest several times to see if a second egg had been laid. During those checks, I did not have to wait for the mama to leave the nest, because she wasn't on it. When I did the last check, it was almost dark and a mama was on the nest, facing inward with her tailfeathers extending out of the nest.

Late this afternoon, while the mama took a break from the nest, I checked and a second egg had been laid. This new mama rarely leaves the nest, except for short breaks.

~~~B~~~