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.