If it sits on the grass to water and drain then sneaky snails could have snuck in within an hour. And caterpillars are laid as eggs on plants by flying insect adults. It does look like damage from one of these munchers though. Kind of a relief, I believe. Do you have lettuce or even potatoes? You can lay them on top of the media to try to attract snails then squish and flush them. Also, if you repotted it and havent had it long its entirely possible there were snail eggs on the roots and they hatched after you repotted. Some people spray roots with hydrogen peroxide to kill snails and their eggs but I'm not sure how a fern would handle such treatment.

It doesnt sound like the Carolina Wren or the mockingbird unless its repeating a louder and more annoying call than the ones on the website lol. I would love it, if it was Screech Owls. I have seen them around but they sound different than what we are hearing. We also have a big nesting of Barred Owls in the woods behind us and they get in the trees by our bedroom window and put up a racket of monkey noises some nights. They are hysterical. I hear them some afternoons too in the little meadow area between us and a neighbor. It sounds closest to a cardinal mating call but it consistently has only two "notes"/syllables to the call with the second being a slightly higher pitch than the first. It waits a few seconds before repeating it. It Doesn't sound like a typical chirpy songbird or a crow or hawk etc. It does sound a little astroid or video gameish but it is loud! I guess I should get some binoculars so I can try and see it. Maybe some small ones w a camera in them so I can take a photo and then I can look it up. This has been going on for several years every spring so its probably a mating call of something lol. I will have to look at reviews on amazon lol.

If the small bird had a true crest, an oak titmouse perhaps. Scrub Jays don't migrate, but they can shift about a bit within their range between winter and summer months. Inland, they are more likely to be found in a lower mountain shrubs and oaks type of habitat, rather than flat expanses of farmland.

I would most likely not repot it quite yet, give it a bit of time in its new residence. These guys can be a little melodramatic. If it’s seemingly healthy and still producing new leaves, it’s okay for now. You will likely have some really solid growth in the meantime. I have made many mistakes by repotting immediately after purchasing a new plant and caused undue stress. In fact, my biggest rookie mistake was the constant itch to repot at the first sign of roots. With that said... You COULD definitely size up an inch or two when you’re ready to pot. I would pot in a loose peat based mix. (Or coco coir blend if you have any), and NOT disturb the roots, as they look fragile. I would plop that in a new pot with a 1/3 of soil and just fill the potting mixture around it and allow it to loosen on it’s on. It is not always necessary to loosen and spread the roots.. Unsure where you are in terms of humidity but I live in dry Colorado climate and use pebble trays for all my ferns and they respond very well. I have two birds nests in the shower l and they are very happy and have no crisping, which occurs easily in them. I hope this helps!