Baby Robins

I work at a nature center and we get these calls all the time. Leave the babies alone. The mother will visit the nest as she sees fit. She will stay away as much as possible so as not to draw attention to the nest. If some of the babies die, that is part of nature. The reason why some animals have so many babies is because they know not all will live (think of rabbits). Please explain to your children that this is part of the natural cycle of things. Also if a hawk were to eat one, then the hawk lives for another day. Eventually the mother may kick the fledglings out of the nest. She does this to facilitate thier learning to fly, she did not abandon them, she will come down to feed them. Resist the tempation to take them inside your house. It is also a fallacy that the mother will abandon the babies if they are touched by humans. Especially for rabbits, the best thing you can do for them is to touch them; the mother will come back at night and, smelling your scent, will deem the nest unsafe and move the nest. This is only to be done if there is a threat to the nest, i.e. a dog or being mowed over.
I hope this helps!

We have a robin family that builds nests every year. We had babies a few years ago that one did not survive. We don;t know if another nasty bird killed it or the parents since it was not thriving (they do that). The parents would be gone for almost the whole day and only pop in for a quick trip and then gone again. Do not pick them up. If you are really worried, you could feed them ants but use tweezers or something else. They cannot digest birdseed. Robins eat bugs and worms and some berries.

We found a robin with a broken wing one time and none of the wild life areas in Cook or Dupage could help. They could not take the bird to aid. We were told they were not allowed to take in a wild, natural habitat animal unless the area it was in was a danger. We had to let it die.

What ever happened to the babies? Did the mom come back?

I'm sure the mom is around. If the mom isn't around, the dad can feed them too. As the babies get bigger they require more and more food, so the mom is probably out gathering it up and you just might not be seeing her stop back at the nest. If she ends up really being gone, a good place to ask advice is the Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn. You can look at their website or call them about baby animals.

You can see if you have a wildlife rehab group in your area. They can help if needed and also give you advice. If you have trouble contacting one check with a local vet and if they know or exotic animal vet.

Just observe. They don't really need your help. Robins are incredibly resilient and have their own way of doing things. You're lucky to get to see the process. Teach your kids to be good researchers and observe from a distance. Soon they'll fall out of the nest. Resist the urge to put them in a shoebox. They are just growing up.

Sorry you cannot help them. My girlfriend just did this last summer to a baby Robin in her backyard. She started feeding it worms and "took it in". She then called around to see if any wildlife agencies or preserves would take him. They told her once you touch the bird or feed it it will never go back to nature and/or survive. They wouldn't take it! :( Maybe call and see if someone will come out to remove the nest themselves without touching the birds....

It's okay for her to have been gone a few hours and entirely possible that she has managed to swoop in and out a few times when you didn't have eyes on the nest. It can take less than a minute for her to drop food to them and fly off again. Leave them be, there isn't much you can do for days old hatchings anyway. Even at the vet it's hard for them to survive on human care before they at least have some feathers. Sweet of you to worry, I know they are cute!

I know you are anxious to do something for your little adoptive family, but don't do anything yet. We too have a family (3rd yr in a row, same spot) perched in a nest on a metal wreath on our front porch. She definitely lets us know when it is okay for us to come and go out the front door, sit on the porch or water flowers. We know she is protecting her family. This year, I put the wreath out in March, (early, I know) anticipating a visitor & then we waited for her to arrive & then watched her spruce up the nest and lay her eggs. Daddy Robin has been sitting on the porch railing also making his presence known. After they leave, we keep the nest right where it is, even after the wreath is put away for the winter. Our daughter will be home from college this weekend and can't wait to peek in on our little guests. As for mommy coming back, our mom was gone yesterday afternoon for a few hours. She came and fed the little guys, left and was gone again for quite awhile. Be patient and I'm sure, she will be back. She is out looking for food. Sorry for the long response. I know they are "just Robbins" as I have been told by some people. The mom preparing her nest, laying her eggs and then tending to them and waiting for them to hatch, is a beautiful thing. Now, watching her feed them, seeing them peek out of the nest (there are four) looking for her and then mom nestling in that tiny space to tend to them is a beautiful thing. Maybe she is even back by now after this long response!:-) Have a beautiful day.

Let it go for a day. The baby birds will not make it if she is really gone though. :(