Journal for the nesting Carolina Wren Updated: 10:16 AM EST Aug 10 Babies left nest. [View all]

[Baitball Blogger]

Last edited Fri Aug 10, 2012, 09:19 AM - Edit history (7)

Day 1: It's obvious she's been doing more than just building a nest the last couple of weeks. Today she's delivering small morsels of food to the nest, and leaving with huge white droppings which I suspect is baby bird droppings. Funny how the food is small but the poops are about six times the size.

Day 2: It's been a busy day but the times I peeked out the window I haven't seen the parents. They are gone for longer stretches of time than yesterday. I did take a peek into the nest. There are three babies. Sleeping and eyes closed, but they are fluffed up with downy looking feathers. They also look like they have rust colored chest feathers.

Day 4: I gave it another look. Four babies! They are so quiet. Is it normal for Carolina Wren babies to be quiet? They knew when I was there because they greeted me with open mouths. I'm not sure where the parents are, but they come and go almost undetected.

Day 4: Just got some mealworms and left them out for the birds. I'll know in the morning if the parents have found them.

Day 5: Can you overfeed a baby bird? The seven mealworms are gone from the container. When I went to check on the baby birds only one of them had their beak open, and even he didn't seem serious. The other three looked like they were sleeping off a drunk.

Day 7: Showing that Carolina Wren parents are as smart as our mothers were, they opted for variety in the diet, instead of the more expedient meal worms. I had the meal worms out for them since the morning and the parents have ignored them. Instead, the mother was ripping up a dead lizard to feed to the babies. I also checked into the nest this morning, deciding to let them see me each day so they get use to me, and the four of them had their peepers open, their beaks closed and they looked unimpressed.

Day 11: Lots of activity today. Each morning I show my face to the babies before leaving mealworms in a black bowl for the mom wren to distribute. Today I heard her warning cry. I went to the window and noticed she was perched on the chair screaming at a lizard that was looking in the bowl. There were no worms in the bowl, but, nevertheless, the bird got defensive. She even turned to look at me in the window and became even more insistent. I finally got out and shoo'd the lizard away. Well, a few minutes later the bird did it again. So I went out to find the lizard trying to double back. So I shoo'd him away again. Then she was satisfied and left for more food, which looks like the babies like baby lizards.

Anyway, the babies chirped for the first time. They are beginning to try to stand on the edges of the pot. I suspect I'll be putting a few back into their nest soon.

Day 12: All four are out of the nest. I saw the mom enticing one chick up a branch of a ligustrum. She had a dead lizard in her mouth. The baby looked good. I guess she wants to nurse them outside of the nest where they can exercise their wings. I left a number of mealworms in the bowl outside and someone is chirping, so the food has been found.