How to move a nest?

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VeloClone

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Jan 19, 2010
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Brooklyn Park, MN
I had a pair of robins raise three chicks in a nest under my deck the past few weeks.

I watched the three babies fly away for the first time yesterday morning. One right after the other.

They haven't come back. Neither have the parents. Truly an empty nest now.

Made me feel bittersweet to see them all grown up like that... watching them build the nest, one of them sitting on it at all hours, and then the adults flying in and out with worms to feed the chicks.

Now they're gone and all gone up and ready for their own adventures.

I'm going to leave the nest. Maybe they'll come back next year. Evidently robins can have more than one clutch of eggs per year, too, so maybe the same parents or another set will still use it.
One spring we rarely used our sliding door to our deck because a robin built her nest on the deck railing under a overhang just a few feet from the door. A couple of years later it was on the porch light on our front porch. We tried to disturb them as little as possible. A cowbird laid an egg in the robin's nest on the deck.
 
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cytor

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I had a pair of robins raise three chicks in a nest under my deck the past few weeks.

I watched the three babies fly away for the first time yesterday morning. One right after the other.

They haven't come back. Neither have the parents. Truly an empty nest now.

Made me feel bittersweet to see them all grown up like that... watching them build the nest, one of them sitting on it at all hours, and then the adults flying in and out with worms to feed the chicks.

Now they're gone and all gone up and ready for their own adventures.

I'm going to leave the nest. Maybe they'll come back next year. Evidently robins can have more than one clutch of eggs per year, too, so maybe the same parents or another set will still use it.
You are going to make me cry.... my son has his last day of school today and he graduates HS. Going off to college in the fall. He's my only child, so empty nest resonates.
 

somecyguy

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Jun 19, 2006
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One spring we rarely used our sliding door to our deck because a robin built her nest on the deck railing under a overhang just a few feet from the door.

Same here this spring, but we still used it. I'd walk out on the deck and one of the parents would fly out and land on the deck railing, ******** at me. It was kinda funny.
 

mynameisjonas

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Jan 19, 2019
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Sucks, but pull them down, especially the one in the fireplace, thats a fire issue, possibly a CO issue with poor ventilation. If you wnat put the nest in the neighbors tree.
Appreciate this post. Ended up contacting the company that I use to service the fireplace and they recommended this wildlife control company that will open up the entire vent and clean it out and put in netting that will prevent the birds from entering in the future. It’s important to do that like you said due to the fire risk. It’s a legit risk, which I didn’t take that seriously. Anyone with a gas fireplace vent should consider getting it professionally cleaned out and netted.
 

CycloneDaddy

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Sep 24, 2006
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Johnston
Appreciate this post. Ended up contacting the company that I use to service the fireplace and they recommended this wildlife control company that will open up the entire vent and clean it out and put in netting that will prevent the birds from entering in the future. It’s important to do that like you said due to the fire risk. It’s a legit risk, which I didn’t take that seriously. Anyone with a gas fireplace vent should consider getting it professionally cleaned out and netted.
Pull out as much as you can by hand then get an air compressor and blow the rest out.
 

Sigmapolis

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Aug 10, 2011
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You are going to make me cry.... my son has his last day of school today and he graduates HS. Going off to college in the fall. He's my only child, so empty nest resonates.

I don't know if this will make you feel better or worse, but...

I've been watching the nest out my office window most of today. An adult robin has come by a few times and hopped in the nest before flying off again. I don't know if that was one of the parents or if it was an entirely different bird, but it does not seem to be completely abandoned quite yet.

Maybe the parent was looking for the babies -- who are all gone now. Or, maybe, they're checking on the place and planning on having another brood there in the next few weeks.

:)

Either way, I'm going to leave the nest alone for a while.
 

CyclonesRock

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Jan 1, 2018
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Iowa
I don't know if this will make you feel better or worse, but...

I've been watching the nest out my office window most of today. An adult robin has come by a few times and hopped in the nest before flying off again. I don't know if that was one of the parents or if it was an entirely different bird, but it does not seem to be completely abandoned quite yet.

Maybe the parent was looking for the babies -- who are all gone now. Or, maybe, they're checking on the place and planning on having another brood there in the next few weeks.

:)

Either way, I'm going to leave the nest alone for a while.
They won't reuse the same nest. If you want a second hatch this year pull down the old one. If it is a good spot a new one will be built rather quickly. Most years I have 3 sets of finches on the ornamental wreath that hangs on our front door.
 
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ImJustKCClone

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traipsing thru the treetops
Is anybody going to give me guff for ripping the grackle nests out of my trees? Those are dirty, nasty birds that I've seen kill mourning doves for nothing more than refusing to abandon their nests. They have been trying to gang up and bully a robin this year who nested in the same tree and she isn't having any of it. Robins are pretty tough.
We lost a nest full of 3 pileated woodpecker chicks to those damn nest robbers.
 
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BryceC

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Mar 23, 2006
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I’ve got swallows and those trash bird nests go in the garbage immediately and you can come at me with your dang 1918 bird laws all you want.
 

CyclonesRock

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Jan 1, 2018
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Swallows SUCK. Territorial and mean mofos.
I love the swallows, they eat a ton of insects, especially mosquitoes. I currently have a swallow nest under my deck that was taken over by sparrows. I will be eliminating those sparrows as soon as possible. Sparrows, Starlings and Cowbirds are the scum of the bird world.