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.

indigo, congrats on your successful Dee nesting!! Best of luck to your Blues too! I looked back on my records from last year and in good weather conditions the Blues started egg laying 3-5 days after completing nestbuilding. Of course what we perceive as a completed nest and what they perceive it as could be totally different and weather plays a big part in it too. This years nests at the park where I monitor nestboxes both pairs of Blues that are there took over 10 days to lay eggs after the nest appeared to be complete however the weather was very cold then and I believe they delayed egg laying. I had a pair of Blues house hunting in my yard yesterday and this morning. I am so hoping they decide to nest here too! Donna

Jen, they usually wait until nobody's looking LOL. Sometimes they peek out for the longest time, and we watch and watch for days. The minute we take a break, Poof, gone, like you said! Other times, they fledge very quickly. I once watched from the house as all 5 youngsters fledged while a hawk was nearby; I believe the parents panicked and frantically called them out. They must know best, as they all fledged and survived fine. But it sounds like you might get another chance to watch! Don't disturb them near fledging time, so they don't fledge before they are really ready; they will be very vulnerable if they cannot fly. Visit this link to read more about monitoring, etc. You will find nesting timetables, and how-to's, so you can know what to expect and what to do (or NOT do) and when. Keep notes on a calendar as you monitor, so you can make your own timetable, relative to your own geographic area. BlueBars Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.sialis.org/index.html

Welcome! First, nestboxes should never be mounted on fences, wooden posts, trees or anything else a predator can easily climb up. They should be mounted on slick metal poles (conduit) with predator baffles (wobbling stovepipe) and put up at least 15 feet away from any fence/tree or anything a predator can jump from. Your raccoon you relocated could be back anytime and or another raccoon could come by and see its happy meal sitting waiting on the fence for it. Please visit sialis.org for helpful information on properly mounting nestboxes and info on sparrow spookers/wren guards etc. If you see birds sitting with the Blues and not being chased away they are not wrens or HOSP. They are most likey House Finches which like to hang with Blues for some reason. However being you are on a farm with other farms around you probably most likely have HOSP around. A sparrow spooker will not scare the Blues away from their nesting and I would put one up asap, right after you move that box off that fence and to a safer spot about 15 feet away from the fence. Yes you can move an active nesting like this, the Blues won't abandon it because of moving it. As far as the TRES you can do the same with that box but you will need to be much more careful if there are eggs. It is really hard to see in their nests because of all the feathers but usually when it is loaded with feathers that means there are eggs in there. I just did a nestbox switch on an active Blues nesting because the momma blue laid seven eggs (which all hatched)in a smaller Gilwood style box, it has a 3 1/2" x 4 1/4" floor. I switched the nest to a larger box mounted on the same pole and had no problems with the adults accepting it. The nestlings were five days old. Good luck! Donna