Expert: Julia Booth - 6/22/2008

Question
We've been watching a robin from the time she built her nest through the incubation period. It appeared on bird hatched and she and her mate began the feeding. However,last evening there was a very strong wind & rain storm; the wind so strong that for periods the mother robin and nest were completely exposed the the very strong winds and rain...well, this morning when going to check on them, the mother is nowhere to be seen nor any sight of the baby(ies)..we cannot see up into the nest,however, there is no sight or mother or babies.  Could you please tell me, is there a chance, seemingly obvious, but a chance something has happenned during that storm, is that why she has not returned?
Thank you

Answer
It depends on how many days old the birds were. They usually fledge around two weeks. Robins actually continue to feed their babies on the ground, even after they leave the nest. It's possible that they relocated to a safer place. I can't tell you for sure.