Will they come back?

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seeker1 Philadelphia, PA(Zone 6b) May 30, 2008

Robins built a nest in the tree in my front yard. The younglings have now left the nest and I need to know if the parents will return and use this nest again.
I really would like to prune the tree and that would include the branch that the nest is on.
I liked seeing them, but, last year cardinals built their nest in the bush closer to the house and one night I found one of the eggs had fallen and the poor thing was alive. You have never seen such panick and praying! It was close to 12:00 midnight, everyone in the house was sleep and I have never had experience with any babies but humans. I didn't know anyone to call. I finally made a "nest", manged to get the little thing into it without harm and fed it some peanut butter on the end of a salt spoon (It actually ate it!), and a little mashed banana. I covered it to keep it warm, went to bed and prayed.
It was still alive the next day and I (in my ignorance?) put the make belive nest next to the other one. They ignored it!!!! By the evening of day two, the little fella was dead.
I really don't want to ever go through that kind of experience again. My heart just can't take it. Any advice??

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HisWifeTiff Centralia, MO May 30, 2008

any young wildlife found needs to be left alone, the parents normally won't come back once the young has been messed with.

Birds like Robins, finch, sparrow, etc all remake their nests every year. They might use some of the materials from a previous nest, but they won't re-nest in it.

This message was edited May 30, 2008 6:26 AM

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vjbuffy1 West Des Moines, IA May 30, 2008

I think you are safe trimming your tree. Even if they wanted to come back they can easily make a new nest. We have finches who like to use the same nest over and over (it's in our porch hanging baskets), but if they can't they go somewhere else.

On another note, Hiswifetiff, I learned a while back that if you put a fallen baby bird back in its nest the mother will take care of it just the same. I thought they wouldn't, but as I researched it I found myself to be wrong. The mother will not come back while you are there, but is probably close by.

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