I had the pleasure of being able to observe a chipping sparrow nest with my young daughter. They nested in a blue spruce topiary at the front entrance of my home...less than a half meter from the ground...very easy to observe the eggs and the nestlings as they grew...after they fledged, my daughter asked me if she could have the nest to take to daycare for their "nature" table so I pulled it from the bush...once I had done that, I noticed that the parents began to excitedly chip in a nearby tree...do the young go back to the nest at nights? I just assumed that once they fledged the nest was no longer needed...
And I fear I did this twice...a pair of House Wrens nested in my swallow box this year....and a few days after they fledged I removed the old nest to clean box out...I noted an egg in the nest and just assumed it was an old one that did not hatch...I have noticed that a pair of wrens have built another nest in the box...but do not appear to be nesting....
Do birds use their nests after fledging?
