What is taking my babies??? SO SAD!

15 years ago

I am just beside myself. I have had 2 Robbin nests (same pair)of hatchlings taken and now a nest of Chippers. Both of the Robins nests were only 2-4 days old. I am not sure of the chippers, I can only say I just started hearing them peep loudly 2 days ago. Today I located the nest and it is empty (and clean) The first Robins nest and the Chipper nest did not look disturbed. The second Robbins nest was. I am in the woods. I had a Chipper nest lose eggs a few years back and 1 baby Robin taken at fledging last year but I have never lost 3 nests or all babies. Who knows how many other hatchlings have been taken. I have noticed a lack of babies this year. (Especially Dees that nested in natural cavities)

I have the usual, Racoons, Squirrels, Skunks, Chipmunks, Opossums, Turkey , Deer, Hawks, Eagles,Rabbits, Blue Jays an occasional Blow Snake. Not many cats because we have Coyotes. What is different this year is a bunch of the little Red Squirrels, a stray Woodchuck and a family of baby Crows. We have also started a dozen or so small fruit trees. The nests have all be only 4-6 feet from the ground and where there is normal foot traffic. I know it is not unusual to lose hatchlings but to lose 3nests in a row is breaking my heart. Who would you suspect?

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Comments (6)

Connie Kru
15 years ago
I have had Crows take eggs and baby robins from their nest.
dzyg
15 years ago
Lisa, I would say crows, I've seen them steal eggs from Robins nests and also fledglings from House Finch nests. As far as your Dees in a natural cavity, I am betting raccoon. Hope they can renest and be successful!

Donna
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Thank you all....it will take some time for me to get over this. You are all right, one would assume that a parent would feed the babies well enough before fledging for them to make it through the process or surly see that they were failing and needed to be fed a few more times to make it up to the sky. I have been over and over this in my head, I have so many questions that I know nobody will have the answers to. The first being how does a Tres get hit by a car on a nearly no traffice rural road, then it all snowballs from there. I am sure everybody feels this way wether it be a HOSP a HOWR, a racoon, ants, snake, poisioning or cat, it HURTS to lose one of our birds and to know it suffered and to think there MAY have been something more you could have done. I guess I should consider myself very lucky to have this be my first loss in 5 years. Thank you all again, nobody but you guys would really understand this heartache.
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terrene
15 years ago
That is too bad. The other morning I watched a pair of Robins aggressively attacking a Blue Jay that was apparently getting too close to their nest (not sure where the nest is exactly but it's near a big Cedar tree). There was lots of flapping and whacking as the Robins kept after the Blue Jay until it gave up and left that part of the yard.

Lots of baby Dees around here this year. You can't miss them because they are such cute but whiney little things.
deanie13
15 years ago
I once saw a crow pluck three baby mockingbirds out of their nest -- one a time -- while the parents went ballistic. It was just awful. Though I guess the baby crows have to eat too. geez!
lisa11310
Original Author
15 years ago
Thinking it over and looking at evidence. I'm ruling out everything but Crows, Hawks, and Red Squirrels (for these 3 nests). The one nest that had been disturbed had chicken wire loosely surrounding it so a Raccoon (or other large climbing critter)would have left a bend in it. I am hearing the baby Crows begging however I have not heard any ruckuses from frantic parents. Maybe very early morning attacks? I cant do anything about the Crows but I can do something about the Squirrels (I don't want to) but if I find they are the culprits..........
bbcathy
15 years ago
Sorry Lisa, I had crows conduct a very orchestrated attack on a robins nest full of babies in my yard a while back. Did cause a big ruckus though. Lost a Catbird to a window strike because of it.
Cathy

What is taking my babies??? SO SAD!

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Connie Kru

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What is taking my babies??? SO SAD!

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