Carolina Wren nesting behavior? (1 Viewer)

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MamaMoosicorn

Member

• Mar 31, 2015

• #1

I live in south eastern VA. A Carolina Wren pair spent days working hard to build a nest in the bike trailer in our back yard. It's been two weeks since they finished it but the female hasn't laid any eggs in it. The pair comes by the nest a couple times a day and even go into it, but no eggs.

I'm a new birder so I'm not familiar with many bird behaviors but I've been doing some reading on the matter. Could the nest in my yard be a decoy nest? Have they deemed this nest unfit? Is my presence in the yard once or twice a day scaring then off? Is her ovulation just delayed, by the cold snap perhaps? Is there still a chance for a clutch of eggs?

My girls and I are bummed. Is there still hope?

 

Peter C.

...just zis guy, you know?

• Mar 31, 2015

• #2

I don't know about Carolinas specifically, but I have heard of some species that build a number of nests in different places, and then decide which one they will use, after. I've seen that phrase "decoy nest" in print, but not at all sure if anybody - well, any person - really knows what the reason for these extra nests is.

Could be that your pair are, in fact, sitting on eggs already, in some location they've managed to keep hidden from you.

 

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MamaMoosicorn

Member

• Apr 3, 2015

• #3

UPDATE!!!
I went out to do some gardening and took a peak in the nest and there was an egg! I didn't see either parent around though. Isn't the mother supposed to be sitting on it? I made my gardening session short so mommy bird would come back (that and a male carpenter bee was making me nervous).

It's been really warm the last few days and all the bugs are out and things are starting to bloom. Maybe her ovulation was just delayed and she finally laid now that food is much more available? I won't be out in the garden for the next few days so hopefully she'll feel confident to lay some more.

 

David in NC

Well-known member

• Apr 3, 2015

• #4

They are acting batty right now...keep having to run one out of my garage because they want to go in there when the door is open.

 

tril42

Suzanne Britton

• Apr 3, 2015

• #5

I think some birds only start sitting on eggs once all of them are laid, that way they all hatch around the same time. Don't know if it's that way with Carolina Wrens, though.

 

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MamaMoosicorn

Member

• Apr 6, 2015

• #6

The temperature dropped down to 37 deg (F) last night (near freezing). Still haven't seen the parents. Will the eggs still be okay?

 

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MamaMoosicorn

Member

• Apr 8, 2015

• #7

There were 5 eggs this morning and she was sitting on them this evening. She's so cute! I'm so excited! I'll stay out of my garden as much as possible but I do need to get my veggies into the ground. I hope she doesn't mind.

 

Last edited: Apr 8, 2015

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Terry - W6LMJ

New member

• May 24, 2015

• #8

Curious to know what happened to the nest of Wrens. I just had a clutch vacate their nest outside of my office. I have been watching them via an outdoor wireless weather camera HD. I posted the videos to Facebook. We video taped daily from time time we moved in and discovered four eggs until two days ago when they left the nest. Now I am watching to see if the nest is reused.