OMG, Evelyn! If you knew how many baby mockingbirds I hand fed while working at Audubon, you'd die! People would bring in baby birds all day long, and you couldn't convince them to leave them alone, so my job was to take care of them and get them prepared to be released back into the wild later on. One of the reasons we do not encourage people "rescuing" the baby birds is that there comes a time when the bird has imprinted so strongly on the parent bird, it will not take food from a person. You can cram it down their throats, but it will just sit in the crop area and not be digested. So removing them from the parent's care is often a death sentence. Now if a whole nest comes down (like during a storm) sometimes there is no recourse but to rescue them and try to feed them. And I know techniques have improved GREATLY from the days I was involved in bird rescue. So the odds might be better now. But lordy, lordy...I must have handraised at least 200 baby mockingbirds in a couple years time. Not to mention jays, grackles, thrashers, titmice, and maybe 1,000 mourning doves! (My least favorite baby birds of all time.) Anyway, your picture is a trip down memory lane for sure. Saintp, the length of time it takes an egg to hatch varies from species to species, but usually it is not very long. A week or ten days, often. I'll see if I can find out about bluejays. I don't remember. Maybe I never even knew. But the info is probably out there somewhere. Will get back to you later. Marcia

If the mother hummingbird isn't back by morning, you should quickly contact a bird rehabilitator. Don't think there is a charge. Hummingbirds and babies must eat every 15-30 minutes. Mix up some hummingbird food- 4 parts water to 1 part white sugar. Boil the water, add the sugar, stir till sugar is dissolved. Let cool to room temp. Feed babies with plastic eyedropper, slowly, one drop at a time so they don't choke. This will sustain them for a short period of time, but get them to a bird rehab fast. Call "Wild Birds Unlimited" store-or similiar stores, maybe even pet shops- to find a rehabilitator. Good Luck- hope the mom comes back!!!

Holcombee: What kind of wren? I'm guessing maybe Carolina? I doubt she would fix it, but I have no real reason to say that. It just seems to me from observation that birds are more fixated on feeding the babies than anything. I don't know how she'd be able to fix the next from the top with the babies in it. I also wonder if she would notice that the bottom of the nest was in need of repair and/or have the sense to do anything about it. Having said all of that it is merely speculation. If the babies do fall out, the parents will still attempt to care for them if they are healthy, but they are likely to become the prey of another bird or cat or night predator. I guess if you do decide to shore up the nest somehow, you should make a solid plan and have a helper ready to hand things to you or run for something you may need. The parents are likely to be somewhat upset, and you want to be able to work as quickly as possible. I have used a deep bucket in which to carefully place the babies (I pick up the whole nest and babies by scooping it up with two hands). I cover the bucket with a towel so that the babies do not become prey or get overheated by the sun. Then I have fashioned nests out of similar materials making sure to try to work the materials into a cup by putting my thumbs into the middle. I just try to get it as close to the old nest in shape and materials as possible. Once I have the new nest in place, I then replace the babies carefully. In the cases that I have done this, they have always been in a nest box, so it is easier to be sure the babies will stay put afterward. The real danger here is if the babies are of an age that they could jump ship and you cause them to fledge prematurely out of fear. Can you tell about how close they are to fledging? Are the eyes open, do they permanent feathers yet? If they are close to fledging, I'd leave nature to her work. This is not an ideal solution, and I'd only use it if absolutely necessary. I think if you are able to add anything under the nest, that would be the best thing. This is one of the reasons that there is such mortality rates in songbirds under one year. Good luck and keep us posted.

Well Tim, get that pole into the ground really securely. Yes, there is time for another batch of eggs. I do have some concern that nest #2 might meet the same fate as nest #1 though. Need to keep a close watch on it. Check inside the box about every 3 days or so and keep a written record of what you find. The Mom will begin incubation once the last egg is laid, and they usually lay 3-6 eggs. No, the babies do not look blue at first. Check the link here to familiarize yourself with normal chick appearance.~~Angie Here is a link that might be useful: Egg to Empty Nest/sialis