Birding/Finch Nest

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Expert: - 4/20/2009


Question
I have a mother finch that builds a nest on the inside eve of my front porch every year (this is the fourth year).  Every year I love watching the babies grow up and leave the nest!  There has never been a problem until this year.  This year she built her nest and laid her eggs. The babies were probably ten days old, their eyes had just opened and their big feathers were just coming in.  I left the house in the morning and peeked at them and they were fine.  I came home that night and the they were all dead.  It looked like they had been tossed around a bit and two of them had tiny pinhole marks around their head and neck.  Do you know what might have happened to them?

Answer
Sounds like a predator got to them. Could be a wasp, a mouse, a wren, a jay, or something else. If their eyes were just opening, they were probably more like 5-7 days old. That's sad, but it happens. Mortality of young birds is very high, which most people do not appreciate. Thanks for your concern.

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Roger Lederer

Expertise

Any and all about WILD birds - the science of ornithology. Information about birdwatching, ecology, conservation, migration, behavior, banding, rehabilitation, feeding, songs, binoculars, identification, and careers in ornithology. No questions about pet or caged birds, please.

Experience

Have a PhD and over forty years as a professional ornithologist - research, teaching, author, speaker, webmaster of Ornithology.com . Have written thirty scientific papers, three bird field guides, a textbook in ecology and two recent books entitled "Amazing Birds" and "Birds of New England". Have traveled to over 90 countries watching birds.

Education/Credentials
PhD in Zoology/Ornithology; Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences; former Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at California State University, Chico

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