Nestbox news: Hatch day for the House Wrens
The Wren babies are hatching today. So far, four out of the six eggs have hatched, and one bird has removed the top shell that was sitting on one of the unhatched eggs, so that one can safely hatch as well. Interestingly enough the female has not eaten the shells like I usually see with the Bluebirds. The nice side effect is that the male seems to be more busy feeding the kidlets now than obsessing over the Bluebird box or finding another girlfriend (not a single visit at the BB house today!).
It is so cute how the Wrens make their little noises when they bring food. I hope they stay that busy. (The BBs still train the babies survival but they have been coming back more in the last two days, so hopefully they will be more present for a third brood soon.)
Nestbox news: Deco matching the walls
The House Wren has laid egg six this morning. She has been adorning the nest with feathers that she found around the property, and I like how her color choices match the walls.
The box is also a 6 inch diameter PVC box and I added two holes in Bluebird size and use a shrout with different hole sizes to adjust the box when necessary. The two holes provide better air flow and in the case of Bluebirds, might help the birds to escape a House Sparrow attack.
Come good into the weekend!
Nestbox news: The wreturn of the little terror
I have’t posted an update in a bit, so today is a good day. The babies are now 11 / 12 days old. Their eyes are open and their feathers are coming in, They grow by the minute thanks to Gayle and Mr. Business feeding them pretty much constantly. I was surprised to see them even feeding them mulberries but I was glad to see it too because the weather has been very hot and the mulberries I guess provide lots of moisture. When the last baby was 7 days old, I took the Wren guard off the box. It is recommended to take it off between day 5 and 10 after hatching. Then, the babies are big and heavy enough so that the Wren does not pose a threat anymore. Well, and yesterday, the Wren returned to check out the box. I edited the video a bit to make it shorter, but the Wren pretty much got in, tried to poke the babies and on the second try actually tried to yank one out. Thankfully, the baby was big enough so there was no way the Wren could finish the deed. The Wren in the other box has laid egg 2 by now. I hope that somehow between the Bluebirds fledging and Gayle starting nest 3, the Wren brood will keep them so busy that they don’t venture out again to check for nests. I will of course attach the Wren guard again too and hope it does it’s magic a second time.
Video: Snow day surprise!
I heard about Carolina Wrens in Michigan birdwatching groups but never saw one myself. Until today! What a fun surprise. I hope it sticks aropund for a bit and also checks out the other feeding stations.
Nestbox update - House Wren
After no adult bird came to feed the Wren babies for almost 24 hours, we thought and pondered all day and then took them out the nestbox and brought them to a rehabber (Wild Wings in Hazel Park, they will be happy about donations, it is how they finance their good work). They were nine days old yesterday, not ready to fledge. The day before, the parent had fed them almost every 5 to 10 minutes, then suddenly nothing. The camera takes videos when there is motion or sound. It did not malfunction and I checked the clips as well as the livestream regularly to make sure. I did not want to see the babies die in the box, and I think waiting until the next morning would have sealed their destiny.
No adult bird has returned to the nestbox since. There are strong little birds and I hope they make it. Birds have a rough life, and unfortunately it happens that baby birds lose their parent/s too soon. The good thing is that there are licensed rehabbers who will take them in and care for them until they are ready to fledge.
I hope I get some updates. Be well, Wren babies ❤️
A happy Father's Day
to all the fathers and father figures out there. Sir Corleone, the House Wren, has now good chances to be one soon too. Lady Corleone has graced the nest with a first egg this morning. She will now lay one per day until her clutch is complete. As you can see, they have been obstructing the view a bit but things are always in motion, and maybe it improves over time. Observations so far - they are still vocal even if they have mated now, and one of them spends the night in / at the box even if they are not incubating yet.
I am looking for the little surprises
when I go through the photos each day. There are many factors that determine who I might see. Time, placement of the camera and the kind of feed are some. Today, I played around a bit. And I got Mr. Meow, the Catbird who I now decided is my favorite bird this summer, a young Redwinged Blackbird whose markings I loved, and a House Wren that would refuse to be in focus or in full frame.
There is still not much happening
but this curious and tired looking Wren checked out the camera yesterday. Unfortunately the bowl was empty, but I put it in the same spot today, maybe I’ll get a clearer picture.
Video: House Wren checking out nestbox
This morning, a House Wren inspected the Flicker box. It is a huge box that is filled with wood shavings, but the Wren has nested in something similar before, so I would not be surprised if it happened again. Let’s hope it doesn’t just build a mock nest in there.
Nestbox camera: The House Wren is back
For several years now, a House Wren has raised broods in a nestbox that we made with the intention to get woodpeckers to nest in there. It is quite a mansion for such a tiny bird, but they seem to like it. I am excited to see how things progress.
