Vibes for baby robin!

I had a terrible accident in the garden today. I was strimming a corner of the field with very high nettles and I suddenly saw movement in the grass. There were two baby robins, fully feathered, fluttering along the ground to escape from me and my cutter. Then I saw a third one, not fluttering, but sitting still on the bank of grass beside me. To my horror I realised that it had its tail feathers completely cut off and a little bare butt was showing. I found the nest, hidden under a plastic plant pot that was lying in the grass, so I put the baby back into it, where it settled down. The mother bird was in an elder tree a few feet away, calling her alarm call. I left the area immediately and have not returned, hoping the family wouild get back together but I have no idea if the little tailless one will survive or not. I don't know what else I could do - it will not survive if I take it inside, but how long will it take for its tail feathers to regrow, and its siblings are learning to fly? Will the mother stay with it? Of course, my main fear is it will end up as lunch for a cat (mine or someone else's) or fox. I just feel awful for causing such a thing.

aww, poor little chap. It'll work out for the best, even if he does end up as lunch maybe he'll be lunch for a very hungry animal (yes I know that's a really weird way to look at it)

Sometimes these things happen, and you did the best you could. I hope the little robin does ok though

Aw Jenny, you had no way to know. I know that doesn't make you feel better, but I agree with Monax Lisa - you just have to try to look at it that everything happens for a reason.

for little baby Robin.

....and I should think that as a baby, new feathers will grow in quickly.



Laurie

Having left that area alone for over 24 hours, I went to look carefully and quietly this afternoon. The nest is empty and I didn't see any birds around. At least the little tailless one didn't die of shock back in the nest. I can only hope Mom is still feeding them and he will regrow his feathers.

for baby robin.

hopefully everything will be fine, it was an accident but i can still understand how you feel. A few month ago i hit a bear on my way home from work....yes, a BEAR! he ran out so quick i think i was able to get down to about 20 before i struck him, he tumbled over a few times and got up and ran. Messed up my front bumper pretty good, but other than that the car is fine, and i was really worried about the bear, who knows whatever happened to him. I told alot of people and they said that bears are pretty tough so i really hope he survived it.

Wow, a bear! That must have been traumatic for you and the bear. As you say, accidents happen. But I am not strimmimg the field edges anymore until I am sure all baby birds will be flying.

There is a "Caution, Bear Crossing" sign on the highway a little ways south of our house in Arkansas. They're fairly common. I've seen them dead by the side of the road.

Human population and most animals conflict, and the animals almost always lose out.

Could you tell if the pot was actually the robin's nest? I thought robins generally nest higher up in trees.

Ah, wait. I just looked up your location, and what you call a robin and we call a robin are not the same bird.

You are right - the US robin is about three times the size of the European one, and a longer leaner shape. About the only thing they have in common is the red breast!

poor baby...

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