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Subject:

House Wrens Leave Nesting Box; 2nd Nest Underway - Baltimore City

From:

Elise Kreiss

Reply-To:

Maryland Birds & Birding

Date:

Sun, 20 Jun 2004 18:35:28 EDT

Four baby wrens left the back porch box Tuesday morning,
6/15/04.   We had the impression that it was the largest
one that went first, starting around 7:00 a.m.  Each
one that left afterwards had just a little more trouble getting aloft.
We suspect that the first to leave was the same one that
took experimental trips out just the evening before, clinging to
the side of the wren box and directly going back in (one time,
pecking its way back in).    Exiting, it flew straight out, according
to Paul.  I missed this flight.  The other three were all out
within about 30 minutes - the 2nd wren landing on the roof of the
wren box, and proceeding fairly smoothly from there,
the third flopping in the bushes, and the last falling directly to
the floor, with only a little lift to cushion it.

It was our impression on Monday evening that the adults
were visiting several times without food; and only
occasionally with food or to take a fecal sac. I wondered
if it was possible that the adult was being handed the
sac, as it barely put its head in.  After the last bird left
on Tuesday, I twice saw an adult check inside the box.

Sometime later last week we noticed that sticks were
accruing under another corner of the porch roof, only a
few feet from the wren box.   I've heard of male wrens
fixing up multiple nesting sites for the female to choose from;
but this is a bare few feet away, and appears to me to be
a serious effort.  He's doing some heavy advertising, too;
and a female was checking the stick nest out today as he sang.

Elise Kreiss
Baltimore City