Robins build nest inside Nayland school classroom

BBC Robin nesting in box at Nayland School, SuffolkBBC
One pupil said the robins had left "a lot of bird poop"

A pair of robins have set up home inside a classroom anatomy display and appear to have laid about three eggs.

Year 6 pupils in Eagles Class at Nayland Primary School in Suffolk came back from their Easter holiday to find the nesting birds.

Deputy headteacher Katie Coburn said they had flown in through a window which "no longer functions".

The school has taken expert advice and will "leave the windows open for when the chicks learn to fly", she said.

Robin nesting in box at Nayland School, Suffolk
They are nesting in a display (top centre) which teaches the Year 6 children about the oesophagus

Ms Coburn said: "Our teaching assistant in class, her husband is a wildlife expert, so he's been in to have a look.

"We've stayed well back and peered in from afar and we're quite sure that we've seen the mother robin sitting on three eggs, so we're very hopeful."

One Eagles Class pupil told BBC Look East it "took us a day to notice them", while another said they had "found leaves and twigs all over the classroom".

Katie Coburn
Deputy headteacher and Eagles Class teacher Katie Coburn said they took expert advice on how not to disturb the nest

They have named the male robin Lord of the Wings, while the female has been dubbed Phoenix.

Ms Coburn, who is also their class teacher, said it was an "exciting learning experience" for the children.

The school has been advised it is illegal to touch a bird's nest but can continue to use the classroom.

Once the birds fledge, experts will be on hand to ensure their safe return to the wild.

It is not unknown for robins to nest in unusual places.

During the 2020 coronavirus lockdown, a man from Reepham, Norfolk, found a nest behind the grill of his car, while earlier this month, a woman from Ilkeston in Derbyshire discovered a nest in her bicycle basket.

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