>I have just come on the list as an amateur seeking advice. I have a
>robin's nest in a juniper/cedar type shrub beside my house. With a recent
>torrential downpour this nest is now hanging precariously and is partially
>disintegrated. This morning I discovered one of the three eggs on the
>ground and the other two look destined for there, also, without some
>intervention. (Mother is still brooding.) I had thought of making a three
>pronged crotch-type support to prop underneath. Another idea is to quickly
>substitute an abandoned nest I know of for this one. Should any assistance
>be considered? I would appreciate your advice.

It sounds as if either one of your simple solutions would work, and that
something is needed. I think it's worth giving nature a hand if the
solution is so straightforward.

Not to be confused with the people who decided to "save" a bunch of baby
ducks in Graham, WA, a few days ago by gathering them up at the roadside
(reported in the Tacoma News Tribune). The mother flew away, never to
return, and the ducklings will now be raised in captivity instead of being
left to follow their mother to some nearby water body. Even though we were
all told "mother knows best," in this instance the message was wasted.
Sure, a few of the babies might not have made the perilous journey, but
that's what being a duck is all about, not being confined in a pen
somewhere. I hope they had time to imprint on the female and realize they
were Mallards....(sorry, showing my biases). Good intentions and a minimum
of knowledge aren't always the best combination.

Dennis Paulson, Director phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416