A robin has found the perfect home for its nest – in the wheel arch of a parked-up Toyota Corolla.
Discovered by Toyota staff at the firm’s press fleet headquarters, the bird’s nest is already populated by six tiny chicks.
Staff were able to carefully place a video camera opposite the nest in order to monitor the progress of the birds, with footage showing the baby robins being fed by their parents.
The Corolla had been returned to the garage following a long-term test and was parked up alongside a 40-strong fleet of cars usually used for press test drives. However, because of coronavirus restrictions, the fleet has been grounded – giving more time for the robins to nest.
Graham Bothamley, Toyota press fleet manager, said: “I noticed a pile of leaves around the base of the rear wheel arch of the Corolla on April 12 and discovered a nest full of eggs balanced on the top of the wheel.
“With a carefully hidden GoPro camera, we’ve been able to watch the parent robins sitting on the eggs and now feeding the baby birds. You’d have thought the birds might have chosen one of our more famous cars, such as the Lexus LFA or Toyota Supra, but instead they chose the world’s best-selling model, the Corolla.
“We saw signs in early April that the robins had tried to build a nest in our car wash area, but that’s usually very noisy, so we think that’s why they relocated to a quieter spot, and with our car test drives on hold owing to the current lockdown, the family have plenty of peace and quiet.”