Success! Baby Wrens!

[jchandler]

Hello all!'

I wanted to show off my wren babies! I didn't get a good picture, because I was so anxious to hurry up so as not to disturb "nature". There are five babies in the nest.

I do have a question (or rather observation), though, since this is my first experience with having babies so available for me to look at.

I have not seen the adult wrens at all since I saw them at the birdhouse a couple of weeks ago. I discovered the babies two days ago. The first day, they were all sleeping except one, that greeted me with his wide open mouth. The next day all five birdies wanted to be fed and I heard tiny peeps.

What time of the day do wrens feed their babies? I have not seen the adult wrens at all since I saw them at the birdhouse a couple of weeks ago. I hate the thought of these babies starving while I watch.

And, speaking of watching, do I put the babies in jeopardy by peeking at the nest? The birdhouse hangs on a nail on my fence and opens in the back. All I have to do is pick the birdhouse off the nail and open the back door to get a good look at them. I don't see any wrens lurking in the shrubs.

Am I doing ok? I want to take another picture, or get my camcorder out, but I don't want the babies to be abandoned or die of stress.

I appreciate your comments.

Janan

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/243/521414740_c5531fc196.jpg

[Vern]

Good for you! Mine didn't make it. Just make sure the open mouths don't include any that are bigger and pink inside.

It's strange that you haven't seen the adults?? With those hungry mouths, they should be coming and going constantly with food for the babies. You should hear them calling when they are coming in with something to feed the young. They won't last long without being fed.

[jchandler]

Vern,

I've been lurking in this site all day waiting for someone to reassure me that the babies would be alright and now I'm not going to get any sleep for worrying now that you told me that yours died!

When I peeked in today, only three of the babies greeted me with open mouths and I didn't hear any hungry chirps. Oh my!

If the babies die, it's probably because those nasty sparrows ran the parents off.

Would I be able to save them by taking them somewhere? I already have a vision of you guys giving me a formula to hand feed the birdies every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day for the rest of their little lives! :eek:

But I'll do it, if someone will tell me what to do.

[betsy]

Janan, I'd suggest you take them to Rogers Wildlife (rehabilitators) first thing in the morning if there is still no sign of the parents. Just take the whole nest box -- they'll take the babies out and put them in an incubator and feed them. They know what to do and how to do it, and they have a license to do it -- they're more likely to be successful than you or I would be, provided the babies haven't gone without food for too long already. Here's a link to their website -- they're located about 10 minutes south of downtown Dallas. Very nice people -- they'll give you directions if you call 'em. Neat place to visit, too. Lots of birds.

http://www.rogerswildlife.org/

[Vern]

Hopefully, the one didn't open it's mouth because it was just fed. I think I would do what Betsy suggested if you don't see any sign of the adults first thing this morning.

Mine died because there were two Brown-headed Cowbird chicks in the nest that the adults were busy feeding. Their own didn't get much to eat.

Good luck!

[jchandler]

I went to pick up the bird house and the parent Wren flew out, thankfully.

I didn't hurt anything by picking up the bird house, did I? The parent will come back?

[betsy]

Yes, it will. That business about birds abandoning their babies if there is a human smell around is a myth.

Good to hear that the parent(s) are still around. Now it would be best if you disturbed them as little as possible for at least a week -- give those little babies a chance to get their eyes open, grow some feathers and whatnot. Allow mamma to stay with them and keep them warm for now. They can't regulate their own temperatures yet. I suggest not taking any more photos for a week, since you have to take the birdhouse off the fence in order to do it.

[jchandler]

Thank you so much, Betsy, for the advice and I will follow it for sure. There is one sparrow that sits guard at the house in order to run off the parents. I keep running it off, but I'm about ready to get my pellet gun out.

I'll wait a week and then get a new picture to post on the site.

Thanks again.

Janan

[jchandler]

I think the baby wrens are dying.

Since my last post, I have not removed the birdhouse from the fence to open the back door. However, once every day I tapped lightly on the house to make sure I heard little peeps. The peeps got fainter and fainter until this morning there were none. That's when I couldn't resist looking in the house.

The poor little things were just laying there barely breathing. However, when I jostled the nest a little, they did perk up some and open their mouths. But still no peeps. They seemed so weak. But I'm a novice birdwatcher, so that may be norm. I don't know, but I have a sinking feeling about it.

I've monitored the birdhouse regularly, since I can see it clearly from my dining room windows and when I'm outside. I rarely see the parent wren, but at least I have seen it enter the birdhouse (only three or four times). There are three sparrows that strategically post themselves around the birdhouse to run off any parent wren that might be trying to get to the nest. A time or two, I've heard the wren's song and looked for the sparrows to run them off. It's not long then before the parent wren shows up.

I've called the rehabilators in my area (thanks for the website, Betsy), but could only leave a message with my number.

I would like some encouragement or advice. Am I expecting too much from these little babies? Shouldn't their peeps be energetic and insistant? If I'm right, and they are dying, I think they will not last the day and that makes me so sad.

Thanks for your help,

Janan

[Vern]

Hopefully the little ones are still going. With the adult Wren flying through the gauntlet of HOSP, it may be discouraged. Do you notice if the adult is taking food in?

[jchandler]

I think the few times I saw an adult Wren go in the birdhouse, it must have been the male, because he wasn't carrying any food with him.

I called the website Betsy recommended and they gave me a phone number for a volunteer that takes orphaned birds. I was so relieved to hear a confident voice tell me just what to do.

She stayed on the phone while I went outside and looked at the birds again. I thought they were already dead, but when I touched them, they moved. Once I described them to her she said those babies needed to be fed right away. She told me to put a towel or cloth in the clothes dryer to get it warm, then to remove the babies from the nest and put them in the warm towl in a box and bring them to her.

I had to drive way across town, but it was worth it. She was waiting at the door with a syringe full of formula. The babies responded to the food and ate it up! She said I did the right thing by bringing them to her.

I miss them already. :o

[Vern]

That's good that they were still able to eat. Both of the adult Wrens here were feeding the chicks and sometimes arrived at the nest with food at the same time. Unfortunately, most of it was going to the Cowbird chicks.

Thanks for the update on your situation.:)