How to Protect Robin Eggs From Blue Jays

Blue jays, the large and vocal North American birds, occasionally eat robins' eggs and the eggs of other birds. Moving the robin's nest away from the jays isn't a great idea since the robins will likely abandon the eggs. Objects used to deter birds, such as decoys, may drive blue jays away, but will likely scare other birds away too. It takes about two weeks for a robin egg to hatch. The best way to protect them is to provide alternative blue jay food sources for those two weeks so the jays don't go hunting for anything else.

• 1

  Hang a bird feeder at least 25 feet away from the robin's nest, and keep it filled with whole peanuts and seeds for two weeks. Peanuts and seeds can also be spread on the ground away from the robin's nest.

• 2

  Hang a bell of suet at least 25 feet away from the robin's nest, and replace it when it's fully consumed. Suet sizes range from small if you don't have many jays to large if you do.

• 3

  Set up a bird bath away at least 25 feet from the robin's nest, where the blue jay can bathe and drink. If there are only a few blue jays, a shallow pan should suffice as long as you replace the water when it gets dirty. This will help centralize the blue jays in one location so it is less motivated to fly around the area looking for water and possibly finding the robin's nest.

• 4

  Ignore the robin's nest when you see blue jays around. Jays are very intelligent birds, and if they notice you are studying an object for long they will investigate it themselves. When jays are around, focus on the bird feeder or other food sources you want the jays to find.