I would think they may be Carolina Wrens. They fledge about 14 days after hatching. I would think they'd be able to get out fine if the parents do.

I looked at a photo of the Carolina Wren and it's not a wren. These birds are larger. They look like these blackbirds.

Here is a link that might be useful: Blackbirds

PS - I forgot to mention that I have Jack Russell dog that keeps trying to jump into the grill. We are doing our best to keep her in the front yard and not let her around back. When the fledgings do start to fly, about how long does it take them to leave the area and not come back?

I'm assuming you have European Starlings from your description (your googled image is not a US bird). You can google that species and probably come up with fledge times.

-O-

The description sounds like Starlings to me, too.

I thought they might be starlings. I am in Tennessee.

Now a new concern. For the first time, I can see the babies. They are hoping all around the enclosed grill and crying. One brace sole keeps trying to jump up to the opening. However, I have not seen the mama all day.

We are about an hour away from dusk, so I am keeping an eye out. Obviously, I know nothing about this fledging thing. Does the mother actually teach them to fly, or dose she leave the nest and leave it to them to find their way?

Maybe robins?
{{!gwi}}

Starlings always nest in places like that. The chicks will fledge about 14 days after they hatch. They should be fine, but you don't want them to nest there again, if you want to use the grill this summer, so open it up when they fly the coop.

Robins do not nest in enclosed places. Robins create mud cup nests in trees, bushes and overhangs. So it's not a robin.

OK, I am almost positive that the parents are missing. Don't know what happened. The mother was there this morning. Now what do I do? I feel I have to open up the grill lid. I don't see any way that the chicks can get out. They will also need to eat. What do I feed them?

I think I saw the mother this morning. She was standing on top of the grill, and then hopped down to the side tray. I could not tell if she was feeding the young from the side hole or not. She may have even slipped inside the grill without my seeing. I am crossing my fingers.

I will be curious to see if the babies have the same energy this afternoon, as they did last evening. This morning, they were not so rambunctious with their hopping up and down, but they seemed just as vocal.

I read on the emergency forum that the mother will stay gone all day and only return to feed the birds. That made me feel a little better. I tell you that I didn't sleep well last night, and even had a dream about the baby birds...only they were yellow chicks and did not survive. :(

May want to re-think keeping your Jack Russell out of the grill.

In 1890, misguided Shakespeare lovers released 100 European Starlings in the US. They have since increased to over 200 million and now pose a threat to our native bird species

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/cerc/danoff-burg/invasion_bio/inv_spp_summ/Sturnus_vulgaris.html

Starlings fledge at the age of three weeks. They are fully feathered and ready to fly when they leave the nest. They can do anything that parents can do - so if nothing happened to the parents, they will be fine. You can use a flashlight and mirror to look inside. If chicks are in there, watch them from the window. Parents come with food every 5-15 minutes. If after that you are absolutely sure that the parents are missing, you can take them to rehabber. If this is not possible, read the site below...

Here is a link that might be useful: Baby Starling & Sparrow Care

I have seen the babies. They appear fully feathered, although some are very soft looking. I have not seen a mother coming every 5-15 minutes. How would I find a rehabber?

Below is a link to locate a rehabber. But please, make sure that parents are not coming to feed babies! Watch nest some more, you can even use video-recorder to record it and then watch it on fast forward.

Here is a link that might be useful: How To Locate a Wildlife Rehabilitator

I have a video recorder on my Sony digital camera. I am charging the battery to full as I write this. I will film as long as it will operate, then look back at the tape. I have a very busy afternoon and will not be able to keep watch. As I mentioned before, I will be interested to see how the birds sound this afternoon. So far, they don't sound very energetic.

Thank you for the Wildlife Rehabilitator list. I found a listing just 20 minutes away from me. Hopefully, they are still around. I will contact them this evening if nothing shows on the tape.

I realize that these are just Starlings, but I hate to see anything suffer and die.

If the parents are not feeding them, the babies could die from dehydration. Please check it out as soon as you can and if parents are not there, give them dry cat or dog food soaked in water. You will need to feed them about every half hour or hour. Hungry feathered baby starlings can eat as much as a full teaspoon of soaked food.

Thank you! Any ideas on what to feed them with? I don't have a dropper.

Getting ready to take off for about an hour and a half. I will check the film footage and also listen for the little twerps when I return.

You don't need a dropper. Just take a piece in your hand and put it in the baby's mouth. Do it one piece at time - as long as they ask for more. But during the first few times they might be scared of you. In this case you should open it's beak yourself and put a piece down in its throat. They will swallow it. Don't worry about big pieces - they have no problem swallowing grubs and such when parents bring them.

Unfortunately, the news is not good. :( After not seeing any activity by naked eye or on video, I listened out for the babies late this afternoon. They were not very chipper sounding (as they were last night). So, after dinner - armed with small pellets of moistened dog food, I ventured out to take a peek inside the grill. One tiny bird greeted me at the hole with it's mouth opened, but stumbled over. I then looked around and noticed a baby that I thought was dead. I got my husband to help me open up the grill. This rest is sad!

There had been 6 babies. One was dead, in an upright position, with head falling back. He was actually a plump little thing. BTW - The birds were not as far a long as I had hoped/thought. I was hoping that they would be in better condition (feathers and all) and could fly away today, but that was not so. While they had soft feathers in some places, they also had skin showing.

There were two other dead babies in the back of the grill, and my chipper little guy was standing on, and stuck between them. Those babies did not look as developed as the others. I am not sure how long they had been dead. The little guy eagerly opened his mouth and I fed him. One other looked about dead, so I had to force a bit of watered-down food into him. He came around and asked for more before falling asleep. The third guy asked for food when motivated. However, none took more than two bites before falling asleep. I think they were all suffering from heat stroke. It was 82 degrees today, so the inside of the grill must have been over 100! Sort of akin to leaving your children or dog in a hot car...they just couldn't take it.

I removed the dead birds, and we buried them in the back yard. The mites were horrible. I had them crawling up my arms, and have just come out of a full shower - washed hair and all.

By the time I finished feeding the babies, the wind was picking up, and the sun was gone and they were getting chilled. I had read to cover the babies with facial tissue. I dug a hole in the straw and laid them side by side. I then covered them with the tissue and closed the grill lid for the night.

I am not going to try and feed them again until the morning. Two of the three birds were so tired that they could not swallow their last bite. I really don't expect to see them alive in the morning, either. :( If they are, I will move them to a box and continue caring for them.

Thank you so much for the concern and advice. I just wish I had gone with my instincts and looked after them sooner. I think even this morning would have made a difference before the heat of the day got to them. My little guy was looking at me with wide bright eyes (but did not open his mouth) so I thought he and the others were alright...especially after seeing what I thought was the mama.

I will report back if the news is good in the morning. However, I think my dream has come true. :(

I m so sorry you had to see this. I know the fact that they are Starlings does not make it much better for you , however please remember they are invasive and damaging to our Native Songbirds. We really are better off without them surviving. None the less they are little creatures and nobody wants to see anything suffer. I hope for your sake you are able to save at least one so you wont feel so bad. Many serious birders do exterminate these birds in the most humane way possible, nobody would want to see babies abandon and left to starve. Good luck.

I think the people who want to discuss killing birds can continue doing it in the bluebirding forum.

Newhomebuilder - you should treat them with sevin dust to get rid of the mites. The article, link I gave you earlier has the instructions.
Don't leave them in the grill! Read the article - it has all the information on how to care for them until you find a rehabber. Myself, I would feed them at night as well because they went without food for so long. Babies always fall asleep after they eat, but later they will wake and want to eat again . Please, feed them again as soon as you can, don't wait until morning!

Here is a link that might be useful: Baby Starling & Sparrow Care

Geese Aleks, Im not discussing this, just trying to make her not feel so bad. I truly hope she can save one or all that are left. Lighten up.

People who rush to save invasive, destructive species are just being kindhearted, but probably wouldn't save a nest of baby Norway rats or German Cockroaches in their attic. All these destructive species became a problem because they are intelligent and adaptable, out-competing the native species in whatever area they are brought by humans.

Still, it's better not to encourage these sorts of birds by being careful what food is offered; garbage dumps bring in rats, certain types of bird food help House Sparrows and Starlings to prosper, to the detriment of native species.

What type of bird food? I feed thistle to the finches (the quail and dove have gotten in on the ground scraps as well).

Oh yeah, and I don't kill anything if I can help it. I even take flies, ants, spiders and any other insect outside. That's just my nature. :)

This will be my last post. All three birds were dead this morning. They were exactly as/where I had left them in a nest under the tissue paper. Two had their beaks shut, and the third still had food in it's mouth. Judging from their state of body, I think they all died soon after I left them. The reason I left them in the grill last night was because that was their home and I thought they would be less frightened and more comfortable. I myself have comfort that they were given one last meal, and a nice warm place to stay and die together.

Thank you again for all the advice!

Newhomebuilder, sorry about your loss. Don't worry about what other people say - some people just can't live without a fight :) By the way, rats and cockroaches are dangerous to our health, but starlings are beneficial because they eat more insects than any other birds. Thats why in Europe people encourage them to nest in their gardens.

Mention Starlings and Aleksandras will show up! Starlings are declining in Europe-they are from Europe so have natural enemies and are not detrimental to native species. Actually, the huge flocks of Starlings do spread disease at cattle stations, their droppings cause disease-they had to close the old courthouse here in Morehead and many people now have lung diseases from Starling droppings, plus they nearly made Red-headed Woodpeckers extinct here in KY, among other birds.

Thistle does not attract Starlings, but cracked corn and bread scraps will attract Starlings, House Sparrows, Grackles, and rats

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/cerc/danoff-burg/invasion_bio/inv_spp_summ/Sturnus_vulgaris.html

I can't believe you are saying it! When I wrote my first post, nobody even knew what kind of birds it was. Myself, I thought they were robins because of the black/brown color (starlings don't have any brown color). After that, my comments were ONLY for the questions asked by the original poster. You didn't give any advise to newhomebuilder, you just came up with your usual comments about the "bad" birds that should not be saved. I also don't remember newhomebuilder asking anything about seeds and that sort of thing. Why's all that in this topic? You should open your own topic with your anti-starling propaganda - don't worry, I would never go there, such things are getting boring here and reading it is just encouraging me to build even more starlinghouses :)

rachel_frome_ky - any animal can carry a disease that humans could catch, including "natives". Secondly, you talk about "rushing to save invasive, destructive species" as if human beings are not the most invasive, destructive species in existance. Any person with a heart would not think twice about helping a human (or dog or housecat) in need. Also, given their intelligence, their capcity for suffering may be even greater than other bird species.

You're right-in fact humans are responsible for spreading destructive non-native species, which is why we have a responsibility to clean up our messes and try to at least protect the natives species left!

Actually it would be great if all soft-hearted people would rescue Starling babies because they are intelligent, adaptable, not legally protected, can learn to talk, but would be imprinted on humans and unable to breed if released. It's their adaptability and extreme breeding tactics that make them out-compete the locals

It's great to rescue cats and dogs, but hopefully you also believe they should be spayed and neutered to avoid overpopulation

I find it interesting that your chosen method of cleaning up this "mess" that humans have made takes little, if anything away from humans, but takes everything away from innocent animals that just want to live their lives without harrassment and suffering. I absolutely do believe we need to protect our wildlife, and the most effective way to do that is habitat preservation. This protects many, many more animals than the mass bird slaughter that so many "bird enthusiasts" advocate to protect the few cavity nesting species they are concerned about.

And it seems your reference to some as "soft-hearted people" sounds is as if you believe caring for the well-being of others is a bad trait to have. :\

Also, don't forget that even amongst humans, the vast majority of people living in the US are not Native Americans. According to the logic of the anti non-natives, we should all stop reproducing, or better yet, be subject to mass killings so that the Native peoples can repopulate the geographic region.

You're right-let's import all the exotic species we can and let Starlings and House Sparrows take over-in fact, let's feed them, leave corn everywhere for the rats, garbage for the rats, etc...who needs native species anyway! Wait a minute..we've already done that.

Most people, at least in KY, including me, are part Cherokee

Who said anything about importing exotic species? Or feeding anyone? I'm talking about the creatures who are already here and letting them live in peace, and recognizing their status as individuals with the capacity to suffer and the will to live which is no different than that of human beings, despite their status as "native" or "not-native". How you are drawing the conclusion that this means I want to start importing mass numbers of exotic species and start feeding them is beyond me.

And I'm not sure what your statement about being part cherokee has to do with anything. Are you saying if house sparrows and starlings bred with the native species back when they were brought here and therefore had some tree swallow or bluebird blood in them that you would feel differently about them?

Tsi-tsa-la-gi Ta-hi-yu-i i-yu-s-t na-quu ha-le' ga-go u-yo-tsv-hi hi-ya ga-da-wa-hi

I am Cherokee. Then , like now, stop who damage this land.

U-NE-LA-NV-HI hi-ne-yu u-ne-gv a-s-ga-ya u-tlv-gi
i-nv-hi-yu u-tsa-ti-na

GOD keep white man sickness far away.

H-ne-yu u-hu-s-ti a-yu-wi-ya ga-no-du

Keep strong Indian (Native) life.

You all have no idea of what you speak. We have every right to protect our Native species. Look what happened when we tried to let the non natives live peacably with us long ago,,,,they took over!!!! A-HO!

And what exactly do you propose we do about these human non-natives Lisa11310, who not only decimated the native human populations but are decimating the "native" wildlife populations? According to your logic we should start killing them off. That would include you too. How do you feel about that?

Probably best not to argue..let people feed Starlings and House Sparrows, etc and take them to rehabbers. I'm just thankful I live in the country where most of the people don't do "birdwatching" and so don't fill feeders with food that attracts that sort of bird. Many people can't even have feeders because their well-meaning neighbors buy cheap bird seed and spread it around until the trees are buried in these non-native "trash" birds and there's no chance of seeing any other kind.

I think a few people are pretending that birders are trying to torture Starlings when all they are saying is to least don't feed, encourage, or "rescue" them.
Sad.

I'm still trying to get an answer as to why "non-native" birds are "trash", while humans get a free pass. Would anyone like to answer?

As far as feeders go, the most signifant reason people have feeders in their yards, birders or non-birders, is for their own entertainment. I could care less how many different types of birds people "get to see" in their yards! Animals do not exist on this earth for the purpose of human entertainment. They are here for their own reasons.

As far as rehabbing indivisual birds goes, I have rehabbed several birds who flew into my window and were knocked unconcsious. I do it to help out an animal that needs medical care, which I would do for any aniaml or person I saw injured, not because I want to preserve the existance of some taxonomical abstraction. Sorry but your words sound very callous and cold-hearted. You may not be specifically saying you want Starlings torutured, but your attitude towards them is what has spurned the latest craze I see in the conservation movement, which is this focus on the blaming and killing of other animals in the name of saving "native species" rather than habitiat preservation and drastically reduced consumption of resources. I don't believe it's the place of humans, the most non-native and destructive of them all, to determine which animals live and which ones die, while we do everything to ensure the life of every human is as long and pain-free as possible. It's just plain hypocritical and unethical.

I have 3 completed Oriole nests in my yard :)

Karen

I have all kinds of seeds in my feeding station. I have posted pictures on this forum before. It has thistle, sunflower, proso millet, wheat and cracked corn. All different kinds of birds are eating here, but never starlings. They are to busy with grubs and things. So Rachel, calm down - I don't know where the horror stories are coming from, but this one is not true.