robin family relocated!

Scott came home last week after work and said "Honey, do you want to hear some bad news?" Obviously I didn't say "Of course, dear...I love hearing bad news!" Anyway, he proceeded to tell me about this robin that had built a nest in the building that they are renovating. They were scheduled to put the windows in and close up the building today so he had a bit of a dilemma as to what to do with the nest and the newly hatched babies. I was a bit concerned as to what he would end up doing come today. He just sent an e-mail update - it looks like the robin family was successfully relocated!

There was a bit of drama with the robin relocation operation, but long story short it worked and the robins have a new home outside of our building. That's the short version. The long version goes like this.

I bought a bottle of gorilla glue and scrounged some scrap lumber and cobbled together a box for the nest this morning. I then took it into the room where the nest was made, thinking the parents would be locked out. Well, they were trapped in the room as well (one window was left out but they couldn't figure that out). They left me alone while I pulled the nest out of the ceiling joists and slipped it into the box. I then set it on the sill of the open window hoping they would hear the babies, but that didn't work. I tried prodding the parents out with a 2x4 which forced one of them to swoop down and crash into the window and fall to the floor. I felt pretty bad at that point thinking it was a gonner but after watching it for a few minutes and seeing it breathe I thought maybe it was just in shock. So I put that one in the box with the babies and covered it with a shirt. Then I went outside and climbed up on some scaffolding and slipped the box between the outside wall and some gas pipe and wired it all together with some scrap electrical wire. After getting it secured, I took the shirt off the box and lo and behold the parent was sitting on the nest, apparently fully recovered from his collision with the window! I left it at that...hopefully the other parent will find its way out of the building tonight while we're gone and reunite with the family. Pic of the relocated nest in its box is attached. Hopefully they will like their new home!