Rain, glorious rain. It has been raining for the first time in ages and the Wrens are delighted. They land on a tree branch causing just enough motion for the rain drops to shower down on them. They raise their wings and shake and gyrate and sing. I think I'll put out some soap, shampoo and towels nearby to make their showers more enjoyable. They noticed the new mulch under the trees and there has been a lot of inspecting and discussion about whether it was the right kind, if it was deep enough, etc. Lord, they are picky, picky, picky. My sis Gail is an artist and one of her first paintings was a Wren building a nest in an old overturned boot. It was wonderful. I wish I had bought it from her. A co-worker wanted it so I missed out.

It was raccoons that got the first failed Bluebird nest, because they were good sized nestlings and one morning they were gone. So something got them overnight. I then baffled the snag using sheet metal flashing, and that DOES work for all climbing critters, but that didn't stop the House Wrens who got the final nesting. I knew it was wrens because I found an eggshell on the ground that had a tiny hole in the shell, and the Wrens were flocking around the nest hole later in the day (poor Blues). Dante, I can't speak for Lisa, but I don't "eradicate" House Wrens as they are native birds, just don't encourage them. They like brushy, shrubby areas (as do many birds, such as Cardinals and all Sparrows), and I've removed most of that. Also you can remove their sticks from a nestbox where they start to build a nest. Goldfinch, when the Blues were nesting, I did do a little House Sparrow control. I had a nest box installed on the side of the house that had a Van Ert trap in it. There are not a lot of House Sparrows here, but that did remove a couple of males that were trying to nest in the yard and may have posed a threat to the Blues.

I'm sharing this to lift the spirits of those who have tried to help and been met with sad results. I hope this gives hope to anyone who wants to try and save an abandon baby. Rescue centers try to tell that you have to be licensed/certified (and that you can't transport them over state lines...like the bird knows) and that they can't help or give advice and you're breaking the law. We are animal people with a small farm and have raised baby chics from eggs, so I felt confident we could do this and be successful. Not to mention I couldn't let a living thing perish under our very eyes. I had a nest with 2 eggs in a helmet in my garage and an active Mom who trusted us being in and out quite frequently and looking in on her. After hatching (7 days a go) only one hatchling remained and no sign of egg shells or Mom. After almost 24 hours of no Mom, we decided to intervene by feeding and keeping warm. We named her Stimpy the Wren. The hatchling can live for 24+ hours as it absorbs what is left of the egg inside (we learned this hatching chickens). To feed the bird, we soaked and mashed cat food (12 pieces) in sugar water (1tbsp water with a sprinkle os sugar), then added a pinch of mashed egg yolk to the mix. We take a pea size amount and warm it up (for 6-7 seconds in the micro). I made several tsp size batches and froze them for the days ahead. She eats a pea size amount every hour via tweezer from 8am- 10pm. She was eating 1 tsp over 2 days, now she eats 1 tsp a day. A week later her eyes are opening and today she made her first audible peep today to eat! Her feathers are coming in rather quickly, she has doubled in size, eyes are opening and she tries to hop around in circles in her nest. She poops once for every 2-3 feedings or so and we remove it with q-tips to keep her and the nest clean and free of bacteria. We are being careful not to imprint on her and vice versa as we want to return her to the wild. Things we are being mindful of: we don't handle her; she stays in her nest in a box on a heating pad with a small dish of water to create some humidity (**not for drinking, they cannot drink or be given water this young or they will drown...her water comes from the food we've prepared, water can be offered in a shallow dish once they are fledglings and able to dip their own beaks**); it is quiet and dark with little to no voices and we stopped parking in the garage on day one; it remains quiet and there is nothing loud to startle her; we keep all of our dogs/cats out of the space. We will have to give her a bigger area (store bought bird cage from what I've read) so she can begin to hop and flap about and incorporate bugs into her diet. Below is a useful website if anyone encounters an orphaned hatchling/nestling or needs more information: http://www.2ndchance.info/insecteater.htm. FYI: a fledgling is the last phase of growth and by then the bird is well on its way to flying and independence, best to let nature take its course at this point unless it is injured. I am hopeful that all I have read and tried thus far will aid this little one into a happy bird life and I hope to have been helpful to other readers, this process is trial by fire just like having a newborn baby!

Thanks, Mustangs. I do not want the chocolate--only peanut butter fudge. So you think it is okay, right? About the parchment paper. I have seen people on the food network baking their cookies on the parchment paper. I wondered why. Didn't get answers--got to mail this stuff to my kids tomorrow,, so went ahead and baked them on the greased cookie sheets. By the way, I followed that sour cream cookie recipe, but I messed up, I think. They didn't taste right and I remembered I got the light sour cream because my daughter watches her weight. You just got to be naughty--not try to be nice, I guess.Thanks again for answering. All I have to do is taste this stuff to see if it tastes right and that's enoough calories to last me for a year. - Barb