Expert: Roger Lederer - 6/25/2007

Question
I have a small bird that made her nest behind my satellite dish.  I observed the babies exactly 1 week ago and have enjoyed watching them grow.  Unfortunately when I looked yesterday they had disappeared.  Yesterday a.m. they were still feeding from mom and just barely moving so I'm certain they hadn't left the nest on their own.  I've also seen the mother twice since at the nest and kind of looking around.  I'm heartbroken for her.  I have seen Blue Jays as well as tons of squirrels so I'm not sure what happened to them.  My questions are: does the mother bird mourn - I guess I'm wondering how long she'll keep coming back?  Also, should I just remove the nest now?  I'd hate for another to lay eggs and have this same thing happen.

Answer
It sounds perfectly normal. Young birds leave the nest before they can fly and are fed by the parents on the ground until they can. They probably just moved on or are hiding, as they are supposed to do, to stay away from predators. No, birds do not mourn. Do not remove the nest - she may use it again. Besides, it is illegal to remove or disturb a bird's nest (federal law - so people don't collect them, as they used to). Thanks for your concern.