newtonj111
New member
Hi all,
First time poster, so bear with me. I've been an enthusiastic backyard birder for decades and I always have a selection of season feeders up year round and as a family we enjoying watching the crowds come and go. But this year, for the first time, we put up a nest box. Got a pair of house wrens (which I loved because I'd never had them before). Mom and dad were great parents, built a cozy nest, and had their babies. We loved watching this take place. At first the babies were barely audible but they got louder and louder every day. We could never see then, they were too far into the box, and we gave them space. The parents were run ragged and were constantly bringing various worms and bugs to the young ones who were clearly loud and enthusiastic eaters. We were really looking forward to seeing the babies when they finally appeared.
But yesterday, my husband found the two nestlings on the ground under the box, dead. The parents have abandoned the nest and after seeing them every 10 minutes for weeks, they're now nowhere to be seen. I am super bummed out by this, and I may never know what went wrong, but I want to make sure it wasn't something that we did in our ignorance.
The nest box was hung on a solid and stable fence post in my garden, about ten feet from my feeders (not knowing that I'd get birds that didn't eat seed or suet). But being in my garden, we were in the area. I watered and planted with feet of the nest box. We cut the grass in the area, so we made noise. We ate on the patio, fifteen feet away. We had our dog and cats out in the yard (dog was uninterested, the cats were in harnesses and on leashes and never got close). Occasionally the parents would come and sit on the fence and yell at the animals, but would always continue to feed their young because no one got near them. I never saw any predators in the area. Everything seemed fine until it wasn't? Did we cause this somehow? My husband said they looked like they were only a few days away from coming out of the box to try flying. Did they just try to do that too early? Did they somehow get ejected from the box by their parents or a predator?
And when something like this happens, do parents ever return to attempt a second clutch in the year? Would they reuse the next box or should I be cleaning it out (pretty sure it doesn't open so that will be interesting) so someone can start fresh again?
As I said, I'm really disappointed by the loss of these little nestlings. I'd just like to see whoever gets in there next is successful. Sorry for all the questions, and many thanks for your insight.
First time poster, so bear with me. I've been an enthusiastic backyard birder for decades and I always have a selection of season feeders up year round and as a family we enjoying watching the crowds come and go. But this year, for the first time, we put up a nest box. Got a pair of house wrens (which I loved because I'd never had them before). Mom and dad were great parents, built a cozy nest, and had their babies. We loved watching this take place. At first the babies were barely audible but they got louder and louder every day. We could never see then, they were too far into the box, and we gave them space. The parents were run ragged and were constantly bringing various worms and bugs to the young ones who were clearly loud and enthusiastic eaters. We were really looking forward to seeing the babies when they finally appeared.
But yesterday, my husband found the two nestlings on the ground under the box, dead. The parents have abandoned the nest and after seeing them every 10 minutes for weeks, they're now nowhere to be seen. I am super bummed out by this, and I may never know what went wrong, but I want to make sure it wasn't something that we did in our ignorance.
The nest box was hung on a solid and stable fence post in my garden, about ten feet from my feeders (not knowing that I'd get birds that didn't eat seed or suet). But being in my garden, we were in the area. I watered and planted with feet of the nest box. We cut the grass in the area, so we made noise. We ate on the patio, fifteen feet away. We had our dog and cats out in the yard (dog was uninterested, the cats were in harnesses and on leashes and never got close). Occasionally the parents would come and sit on the fence and yell at the animals, but would always continue to feed their young because no one got near them. I never saw any predators in the area. Everything seemed fine until it wasn't? Did we cause this somehow? My husband said they looked like they were only a few days away from coming out of the box to try flying. Did they just try to do that too early? Did they somehow get ejected from the box by their parents or a predator?
And when something like this happens, do parents ever return to attempt a second clutch in the year? Would they reuse the next box or should I be cleaning it out (pretty sure it doesn't open so that will be interesting) so someone can start fresh again?
As I said, I'm really disappointed by the loss of these little nestlings. I'd just like to see whoever gets in there next is successful. Sorry for all the questions, and many thanks for your insight.
