After all of the drama our last couple of days with the chicks were quiet. They were starting to look like real birds and the mother wren started hanging around the nest. We thought that she was wary of our presence or our pizza box devices but then speculated that she was sticking around in case one of her chicks fell again or tried to fly from the nest.
On Wednesday, June 1, exactly 14 days old, the chicks fledged. It started in the morning with the mom hanging around the nest a lot and making a lot of noise. Lauren thought that she was encouraging the chicks to come out of the nest and turned out she was right. After Lauren left for work I opened the screen door and took down the crow shield. This was exactly what they needed since as I slid the screen closed one of the chicks hopped out onto the top of the nest. The rest of the chicks soon followed suit and their mom and dad became very excited and active- making a racket and flying between the nest and the tree. They even tried to lure the chicks to the tree by bringing big bugs right in front of the chicks and then flying to the nearby tree branch.
After much trepidation one of the chicks made a successful flight to the tree branch! The other chicks were less optimistic and jumped around on the top of the hanging basket, railing, and screen. After some mis-flights and one rescue by me all the chicks safely ended up in a thick bush on the ground floor below our window. The chicks were certainly not proficient fliers and had trouble gaining elevation on their flights. They also struggled learning what they could use as a perch. Regardless, it was amazing watching these little birds take flight for the first time. Nothing like a 30' fall to concrete to encourage a successful first flight. Despite a lack of agility in the air, they were all able to keep fairly level and flap their wings enough to at least significantly slow their decent.
I checked on the bush an hour later and the whole family had migrated to a tree about 20 feet away, though not all the chicks were able to fly up into the lowest branches. I went on a bike ride and when I returned the family was gone. By following the parents' song I located the family in thick bushes on the other side of the parking lot. I could only visually locate one chick but due to the racket the parents made on my approach I am sure the others were there as well. Another couple of hours later and the wrens were nowhere to be found. That evening Lauren came home to a very empty nest. We have not seen or heard 'our' wrens in the week since they fledged. We can only hope they are doing their bird thing in our back woods and the same mated-pair will come back next year to raise another brood of chicks.
The final pics of the wrens, with more here:
On Wednesday, June 1, exactly 14 days old, the chicks fledged. It started in the morning with the mom hanging around the nest a lot and making a lot of noise. Lauren thought that she was encouraging the chicks to come out of the nest and turned out she was right. After Lauren left for work I opened the screen door and took down the crow shield. This was exactly what they needed since as I slid the screen closed one of the chicks hopped out onto the top of the nest. The rest of the chicks soon followed suit and their mom and dad became very excited and active- making a racket and flying between the nest and the tree. They even tried to lure the chicks to the tree by bringing big bugs right in front of the chicks and then flying to the nearby tree branch.
After much trepidation one of the chicks made a successful flight to the tree branch! The other chicks were less optimistic and jumped around on the top of the hanging basket, railing, and screen. After some mis-flights and one rescue by me all the chicks safely ended up in a thick bush on the ground floor below our window. The chicks were certainly not proficient fliers and had trouble gaining elevation on their flights. They also struggled learning what they could use as a perch. Regardless, it was amazing watching these little birds take flight for the first time. Nothing like a 30' fall to concrete to encourage a successful first flight. Despite a lack of agility in the air, they were all able to keep fairly level and flap their wings enough to at least significantly slow their decent.
I checked on the bush an hour later and the whole family had migrated to a tree about 20 feet away, though not all the chicks were able to fly up into the lowest branches. I went on a bike ride and when I returned the family was gone. By following the parents' song I located the family in thick bushes on the other side of the parking lot. I could only visually locate one chick but due to the racket the parents made on my approach I am sure the others were there as well. Another couple of hours later and the wrens were nowhere to be found. That evening Lauren came home to a very empty nest. We have not seen or heard 'our' wrens in the week since they fledged. We can only hope they are doing their bird thing in our back woods and the same mated-pair will come back next year to raise another brood of chicks.
The final pics of the wrens, with more here:
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