ROTFLMBO .... engineers.. are so ... so ... conceptual ... ask them to explain anything.. and odds are.. they can ... though most of it will be un-understandable to most of us ... but OMG ... most of them need to be kept away from tools ... i had one engineer buddy.. who could do NOTHING ... without making himself bleed ... it was a running joke between the rest of us.. taking odds when it would happen in any given project ...... my wife to be and the gang went up north for a long weekend.. and we were chopping wood or whatever.. for the cottage owner.. and dave starts bleeding.. and the rest of us ignore him.. and go have another beer ... and wifey is having a stroke because he cut himself .. and our reaction was.. oh.. thats just daves way ... lol ... that was near 15 years ago.. and she was just telling the story .. again .... last week ... lol listen closely ... on trees ... the biggest mistake i made for decades.. was thinking the branch had to be taken down intact ... say a 15 footer ... then one day.. i had a 'duh' moment ... and started cutting off 5 foot sections ... basically what i could hold in my hand after severing ... without falling off the ladder ... all the brush is going to have to be sectioned out for disposal.. so why not do it while it is hanging in the tree ... as i said.. DUH!!!! good luck ken

was the nest in the branch you removed, or did removing the branch leave a big gap of unprotected nest? a few years ago, i accidentally....had NO IDEA it was there....exposed a nest of baby robins while pruning a large rododendron bush in my front yard. i feel for you because i was worried to death about those babies!! they were fully exposed near the top of the shrub and were total sitting ducks. i couldn't get branches to stick in securely enough to shelter the birds from hot sun and predators ...the branches just would not stay put. my neighbors thought i was goofy but i got a brainstorm and used an umbrella. it worked great. the long handle fit in nicely and the open umbrella (although silly looking) gave them the shelter they needed. i was careful to leave easy access for mom and it was very secure. they grew and eventually flew!!! can't remember how long i left it there, at least a couple of weeks. an added bonus was that it was so easy to keep track of their progress. mom seemed to appreciate my help, never minded me getting close to watch feedings, etc. please let us know if all is ok......

1) Will upsetting the robins occasionally (hanging up laundry 2-3x/day) cause them to abandon the nest? Yes. And if the eggs hatch, you can scare the nestlings out of the nest prematurely. 2) Are there certain times of day that they tend to not be in the nest so I can work around those times? No. 3) Do we need to just avoid the deck area until they hatch and leave the nest? If so, how long is that? The eggs hatch after about 15 days and then the young leave the nest 18-20 days later. We usually hang up all our laundry outside so this is a pain but we do not want to upset the birds. Our 4 children will love to see the eggs hatch. : ) It will be worth the sacrifice. Keep a distance, listen to the chicks' begging cries and watch the parents go to and from feeding them.

Thanks birdguy. Since time was of the essence, I looked further online and was able to find a NY State Wildlife Rehabilitator and got her on the phone. I was only seeing one Robin adult on the ground, sitting in the corner of the garden below the pear tree. It had been sitting there for several minutes, which seemed odd. I had seen either this one or another hopping around, but for over an hour there was no adult getting INTO the tree and taking care of the one hungry chick I could see. She recommended that I go outside and walk near the adult that was sitting in the garden to see if it would fly to the nest or away. When I went out to test the situation, it hopped away and hid under another bush as I approached, and I could see that one of the wings had feathers askew. The rehabber thought that I should get a towel and try to bring both the wounded adult and the remaining chick(s) to her house where she rehabbed many birds, since nobody was getting into the tree to feed the chicks and the adult may also be in danger. I went into the house to get some boxes and towels (she recommended separate boxes for the chick and adult to reduce stress on the adult), came out and the adult was no longer in the area. Perhaps he/she was just mildly injured and could not make it into the tree, but could fly or hop away to a more secluded spot to recuperate and rest. At any rate, no adult Robin was in the picture, the chick had not eaten in some time, so I got up on a stool and took the nest down. As I suspected, there was only one chick in the nest. It was only partially covered in a soft downy fuzz and was mostly pink and grey. So, my suspicions that there had been some sort of battle for the nest and chicks the night before were correct. Two chicks were taken, and either the parents had decided to abandon ship or were injured beyond ability to care for the remaining chick. Perhaps that injured adult that was hanging around was hoping to get the strength to care for the chick, but was unable to do so. I feel that somehow I was meant to see the situation. I took the nest in a towel, covered the top (left space for air) and put it in the box gently, and hit the highway to get to the rehabber. I could hear the chick chirping occasionally, and from time to time it would lift its head with open mouth waiting to be fed. It was heartbreaking. At every red light I looked down to confirm that the chick was still breathing, which I could easily see through the gap in the towel. I got to the rehabbers house and she couldn't be nicer. She had many small chicks of all varieties in paper towel-lined baskets in bins, with heating pads underneath to keep them warm. She immediately gave the chick some fluids with minerals subcutaneously, and said that you have to wait a while for that to take effect before giving other foods or the chick would not digest the foods properly. I had to leave shortly due to some business, but I'm waiting to hear if the chick made it through the day. The rehabber said that some chicks will make it for a few days, but then will fail to thrive and not make it, so I think she was preparing me for a 50/50 chance. The rehabber told me that every spring and summer she gets many Robin chicks with deformed feet, and that she suspected lawn and garden chemicals since Robins eat mostly worms and other insects that may have consumed these chemicals as well. She said that veterinarians always dismiss her theory about the chemicals, but I don't! I resolve to stop using any lawn chemicals from this day forward (my garden areas are already chemical-free). I have learned a lot from this episode, I hope the chick makes it, and next time I hear such a screetching sound and a nest is reachable, I will not hesitate to help if I can help. I feel so bad for the little family that I photographed so happily the day before. I know it's nature's way and that not all chicks will make it, and that there are eternal rivalries for food and territory among and between species, but it's still sad this evening when I look out the kitchen window and don't see the nest, the attending adults, and the chicks. Perhaps I'll prune the branches of that pear tree to discourage other robins from using it, as this is clearly not a good territory for them to nest in with so many bluejays and starlings around. Thanks again birdguy.