My husband was planning on changing a burned-out light on our porch, and afterward, forgot to put the ladder away. Momma Robin built her nest on top of it, and has three little nestlings.
Disaster struck this afternoon. I just got home from work, and found that a storm had blown the ladder over. The nest lay on the porh, upside down, and the three nestlings were sitting there, soaked from the driving rain. I set the ladder upright, placed the nest back in its spot, and caught one of the nestlings. I tried to put him back in, but he jumped back out of the nest and fell down onto the brick porch. I placed him inside again, and held my hand over him until he stayed put. I found the other nestling, but when I put him in the nest, both jumped ship and fell to the ground.
Long story short, I finally managed to get both back into the nest, but I still can’t find the third. He’s hiding from me.
When I came home, Momma Bird was standing on the porch, not far from her babies. She swooped at me when I was picking them up, and as I type, I can still hear her calling from the trees. So, I’m relatively sure she hasn’t abandoned them.
Did I do the right thing in putting them back into the nest? I’m afraid they may have been hurt in the fall. I’m also concerned about not being able to find the third.
Will Momma Bird go back to taking care of them? If I can’t find the third, will it survive? (It’s big enough to hop, and its feathers are developed.) Will it try to hop back to an area near the nest? If so, I can keep watching for it, and possibly get it into the nest, too, when it comes out of hiding.
How much more stress can Momma Bird take before she abandons her young all together? I’m afraid that all of my well-intentioned activity has really spooked her, and if I go back out there, I might frighten her away for good.
What should I do??