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seeking advice for nest close to home



Hello,

I have a few questions and hope someone can help me with them.  We have a
nest of Carolina wrens on our deck.  They are in a pot that is hanging under
the overhang attached to the roof of the house (right beside our noisy back
door!).  We are unsure as to how much (if at all) we should still use our
deck while the nest is still active, as we are very wary of disturbing the
wrens or interfering with their activities to and from the nest.  

We avoided using the deck the first few weeks as they were building the
nest, and for a bit after the eggs were laid.  About a week after the eggs
were laid we resumed use of our deck, always sitting as far away from the
nest as possible.   Less than a week later (June 11th) the babies were born,
and we continued to use our deck.  The parents, so far, do not seem
disturbed by our presence.  They are back and forth from the nest to our
woods all day, returning often to the nest with food in their beak(s).  Very
rarely do they give their alarm call when we are out on our deck (but
occasionally when it has happened we have immediately left the area).  In
fact, they often come very close to us (within arm's length) as they hop
about the deck.  Lately, after dropping food off at the nest, one or both of
them have made a habit of hopping along our deck ledge, stopping every few
seconds to sing it's pretty song before it continues across the ledge.
Sometimes it will even stop on the part of the ledge directly in front of
where I am sitting (15 inches or so in front of me to be exact), turn to
face me, and start singing.  Once after it did this it then hopped  in the
potted rose bush behind the chair I was sitting on and rustled about (the
bush was actually touching the back of my chair).  

From this I assume the parents are not too afraid of us, but I was wondering
about the babies when they get ready to leave the nest.  Will it interfere
with them leaving the nest if we are out there?  Would it be best to stay
clear of the deck completely during the time when they are getting ready to
leave the nest?  Or, when the time arrives, should we just wait for a clue
from the parents as to whether or not we are sitting too close?  And one
last question:  any suggestions on food to leave out for the parents to
hopefully feed the babies?  Mealworms perhaps?  What do they eat at this
young age (1 week and a half old)?

Thanks for your time, and any comments/suggestions would be appreciated!

M. Miller
Durham, NC

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