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Re: seeking advice for nest close to home



Melanie - there is no reason to worry about your wrens.  Your recent experience
tells you that they are very adaptable and will go about their parenting as long
as you are aware of them and sensitive to their needs.  When the babies fledge,
they will do so vbery quickly and you will be fortunate to see them in their
first few hours away from the nest.

i've been a part of many 'geranium-fledged' wren families and have learned that
they will tolerate anything for the few hours you are on your deck; the rest of
the time, they have it to themselves and will get the job done.

Buy some mealworms and prepare yourself for some fun watching the parents feed
the fledglings for a week or two until they become teen-agers and leave home!

Tom Striker
Dunwoody, GA
tstriker@bellsouth.net

Melanie Miller wrote:

> 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
>
> ------- End of forwarded message -------