Robin Babies – Leave Them Alone
Our neighbors came by yesterday. The mom and her boys had found a baby robin in their yard, seemingly alone and possibly injured. Since they considered me something of a bird expert (which I’m not), they wanted to know what to do.
My simple advice. “Leave it alone.”
Robin chicks come out of the nest almost helpless. It would be nice if the Mama Robin would make them stay in the nests a little longer, but often the little ones get cabin fever and flop down early from the tree limbs. But rest assured, the Mama knows where they are at all times and will quickly usher them under cover.
A few years back, I heard a commotion in the same yard next door and went to investigate. There was adult robin feigning a broken wing and was squawking and hopping around, trying to lure the cat away from her baby. I saw the young bird, the robin and cat, and then told the aggressive feline that if it didn’t abandon the yard immediately, I would boil its tail in Wesson Oil with the cat still attached. Well, I didn’t use those exact words, but the cat got the message and hightailed it. The mother robin was quick to return to its offspring and thanked me for my efforts.
The mother robin from the recently discovered chick has been feeding her baby fresh worms beneath our shrubs and is standing guard in case of stray cat invasions. In a few days, they youngster will be able to fly and to better fend for itself.
If you find a baby bird, leave it alone.
