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Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Baby wrens and ducklings update

I bought some "Crunchies" for the ducklings so I don't have to worry about them choking anymore. For all I know, that could have been the cause of every duckling mortality here to date. They'll be 2 weeks old tomorrow and they're pretty much on their own. They follow the momma when they can, but more often than not, she's off playing with the adults and the ducklings are left to their own devices. The momma does sleep on them in the nest at night, so maybe that's all they need. The feed store said the crunchies are what you feed baby ducks so I'm happy to have something suitable for them.

I couldn't stand the suspense, so climbed to the wren nest box today. The babies (two) were so quiet and still, I thought they were dead, so started to clean out the box. Then they moved, so I stuffed all the nesting material back inside as best I could. Yikes! I guess they were just taking an afternoon siesta. This evening I sat and hoped to watch them getting fed but one adult kept coming in without food. After a few photos, I left so they could get on with their business.




































































While I was sitting near this nest box, I noticed activity in a nest box farther away. I think the male wren is working on a new nest, but it's possible there's another pair of Cactus Wrens feeding  young. Here's some information I found online regarding  Cactus Wrens that might be relevant.

"The male wren is kept very busy during breeding season. Not only is he busy building a second or third nest, but he also cares for the young in the first nest while the female is incubating the next clutch of eggs."


































I'll try to solve the mystery tomorrow without opening the box. To be continued....

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