Carolina Wren Not Returning To Her Babies?

Question

I have a small nest right outside my front door. The mother bird made her nest in a old decorative wooden house i have on my porch. I have not seen the mother bird return for at least two days. Maybe she has and I just have not seen her

There are four babies in there and they appear to look strong, when you peek into the nest ... their mouths open up

should the mother bird be in there with them now, it is 8 oclock pm here. Should I think about feeding these baby birds.

Does anyone have any experience on what to do.

Answer 1

Carolina Wrens eat mealworms, so if you think that you are up to it, you can feed the young birds mealworms until they stop gaping.  But it's possible that the wren is just feeding them and you can't see it, because often times the birds have maybe 1 or two insects to feed the chicks.  They stick the insects down the chicks' beaks and then dash off to find more food to support their constantly growing young.  i've seen wrens and other birds feed their young for maybe 5 seconds at most before flying off again in search of more food.

But my assumption is just that the mother is just too fast and too busy to hang around the nest doing nothing.  I wouldn't worry about too much; I don't recommend the mealworms, because you might end up hurting the chicks, but if you are terribly worried, you can try it.

Answer 2

Unless you are watching the nest continually for hours at a time..you are most likely missing her visits to the nest.  If they had not eaten in 2 days these birds would be in pretty bad shape.  The mother should sleep in the nest overnight while the babies are small and unfeathered.  Once they are well feathered (about 5-6 days of age) the mother may not necessarily sleep in the nest with them.  The only way to know for sure if she is still tending to these babies is to watch from a hidden spot (you would be considered a predator and the adults will not come to feed if they see you near the nest) CONTINUALLY.  After about 20-30 minutes you should see the adults going to the nest.  Visits can be quick, so don't look away for too long.  If after an hour or more, you see absolutely no signs of the adults....then you may want to think about getting these birds to a local wildlife rehab.  You should not attempt to feed or care for themself..not only is this illegal but unless you have raised baby birds before..they will most likely die in your care.  Hopefully they are not abandoned...I have a feeling the parents are around and caring for them.

Look for a local rehab here if you need it:

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contactA...