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Please help.....abandoned baby wrens??

16 years ago

I have a nest of 5 baby wrens in a flower pot right outside my back door. They hatched last Wednesday, so they are about 6 days old. We had very bad thunder storms last night, and I have not seen the Mother or Father bird all day. She had been feeding them about every 10 to 15 mins. before today. They are all sticking their little heads up, open mouthed every time we go in and out of the door. I have no idea how long they can go without food, and how to feed them, if that is even possible. If something happened to the Mother, wouldn't the Daddy wren continue to feed them? Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

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Comments (3)

shay2006
Original Author
16 years ago
She's back....I guess she was there all along, and I was just missing her. I finally saw her late this evening flying in and out. I was so worried that something had happened to her in the storm last night. I can sleep well tonight.... :0)
dzyg
16 years ago
Glad you saw her again, we always tend to worry about nothing. Comes with the birding territory I guess. I wish we had Carolina wrens around here they sound like such cute little birds.

Donna
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I'm really sorry your babies were taken and the nest destroyed. Is the nestbox on a metal pole with a baffle? If not, that could be the problem. Raccoons are everywhere, even if you haven't seen one. If the box is mounted on a wooden pole or a fence it is easy for a raccoon, a cat or any other climbing animal to get to it. If you haven't already looked at the sialis.org website you should spend some time reading and make sure you have a proper setup. You know, even when you are being really careful sometimes tragedy just happens. I don't put out any feeders at all because I'm afraid of bears coming around for food. I know the birds have plenty of natural food and if they can't make it out there then maybe they shouldn't.
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Tressa, I know there are 2 or 3 different kinds, that little winter wren was the only one we have had to nest in a box, these are house wrens I guess, and I am not sure if that is the same as the Carolina wren. They are not afraid of anything and ours like to find some unusual place in our garage, like they knocked all the nuts and bolts out of a nook and put it there, we have had some that raised their babies then never came back, maybe a snake or hawk around. I have heard of them nesting in hanging baskets, and even one story I read of one coming in a ladies house and nesting on the mantel in her living room, they will come through a small opening. I know that warning call that you are talking about, sort of a growl. My dh said they never use the same nest twice, so maybe you can check around the area. Hope you have them again....
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shay2006
Original Author
16 years ago
Yes....you are right. I worry about them just like they were my babies...LOL. Carolina Wrens are the sweetest, and cutest of birds. The babies are adorable with their big yellow bills wide open whenever we open the door to go on the deck. This is the third year in a row they have built in this pot. It is on a plant stand in a corner between my screened in deck and the outside deck. It is positioned where it is under the eave, and I always plant a dragon wing begonia in the pot so they have a lot of coverage. I guess it is an ideal place for nesting. They always build the nest on the screened in side, so we have a birds eye view of the nest...no pun intended...LOL. They are not afraid of us at all, and after 3 years, we are the best of friends. I had a grackle nest this year too, and they made a nasty mess, unlike my little wrens, who are very clean. I have also had three broods of mockingbirds in my holly bush. Not sure if they were from the same birds, or different, but there were babies in there from late April up until just a week or so ago. I am very protective of my little wrens, and am worried sick about them until they fledge. I will miss them if they ever decide to find a new home.

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