I saved some wren nestlings.

by Lori
(Troy, Missouri)

We brought the boat home to clean and get ready for the season but as my husband was washing and cleaning the leaves off the boat, he pulled out a nest of Carolina wrens.

They had a few pin feathers but were mostly pink.

I was sure I wouldn't be able to save them but I did some research and dedicated the time it takes to raise these small energetic birds.

In the beginning, they were eating 25 to 30 times a day!

They are approaching freedom day now and I feel really proud and a little worried.

They mostly eat waxworms now that I feed them but they are pecking around for food and are developing different calls and songs.

They drink water on their own and nibble on peanut and mealworm suet. I think tomorrow is the day.

I'm hoping I can find an appropriate place in the state park for them with lots of underbrush for them to live and hunt for food.

I feel privileged to have had this opportunity and felt amazed at how quickly they mature.

Releasing the Fledgling Wrens

5/29/2020 was freedom day for these little guys!

I took them to the state park, found a brushy area, and released them.

They flew from limb to limb and looked around at their giant world.

They were eating on their own, only occasionally begging for food.

The very next day as I was sitting on the porch watching birds as I often do, a little Carolina Wren landed on the railing and sat for a few minutes.

I've never seen one in my back yard and I've been watching birds here for 20 years.

Now that state park is 8 miles from my home and I'm not pretending it was one of them, but I do see it as a sign that all is well.