Expert: Julia Booth - 7/30/2008

Question
There is a nest of baby wrins on my back porch.  I have been very careful about not disturbing them.  I have not seen the parents feeding them since yesterday morning.  They were hatched on Saturday.  Should I try to feed them?  I have been watching the parents since they built the nest.  They are usually in the nest every morning.  We close up the porch at night.  Last night we found a bright orange rat snake on the porch and removed it.  But the parents were not there last night or this morning or afternoon.  Shoud I try to feed them or just leave them alone?  We are not home in the day and the porch is open all day.  Do the parents of wild baby birds stay with them usually at night.  Please answer soon.

Answer
With wrens, usually both parents participate in the nesting -even in the building and then in the feeding of the young. They will fledge at about 11 days, meaning they will leave the nest.

The parents normally come and go rather frequently throughout the day in order to get food. The mother will sleep with the babies at night and the father nearby. She may stay there and he will bring food.

If for whatever reason, you think the parents might not have access to the porch -because you've closed it up or whatever, then that could be the reason you don't see them. They might also be wary of the snake. But Wrens generally are aggressive towards predators near their young and will make loud, harsh, scolding noises. You would have heard them. It would have been quite a racket.

I don't know what else to tell you. Birds do not voluntarily abandon a clutch of perfectly healthy young. There must be a reason.