Wrens - help please!

E39MSport

I have about 10 - 15 wrens (maybe more depending on severity of the weather ) roosting in some swallow nests in my porch.

Last night the cold got one of them. Found him dead on the ground.

What can I do to help these little guys. All other birds in and around the garden are catered for I think, even the crows.

Even if a food type is suggested (I read that cheese is good), how can I get it to them or help them find it?

Cheers for help,

Kess73

If you can get an extra nesting box up somewhere in that area, it would give them a more sheltered spot to roost in overnight.

The cold weather is hard on birds and it kills many of them, especially the smaller ones. Cold winters can devastate wren populations but when breeding season rolls around they tend to have a higher percentage of egg productivity than many other birds, so their numbers tend to get back to normal within a few years.


I have a little army of wrens that use one of my nesting boxes at the moment and every evening a line of them can be spotted heading into it.


As for what they eat, they tend to favour spiders and small insects, but will eat seed and sometimes suet. They are mostly a ground feeder that feeds under cover or close to walls etc,. but they will feed in the open too when there are less larger birds to nab all the food. Some of the groundfeed mixes that you can get in pet shops are quite liked by wrens.

If you are feeding the other birds in your garden, then I have no doubt that the wrens that use your garden to feed are getting some of what you leave out too.

Of all the wrens that are roosting by your porch, there will only be a few that actually feed in and around your garden, so the majority of them are coming from elsewhere to shelter in your swallow's nest.

E39MSport

Thanks Kess77.

I'll hang another box now. Got a few for Chrimbo.

You're right about them not feeding in the garden. 2 of them appear to do so and the rest all gather at roughly the same time when the resident starts to sing.

I'll put a bit of food out where I sometimes see them foraging.

Cheers,

Kess73

Hope they all make it, but if the weather gets as cold as it is meant to, and you get say a 50% survival rate, take heart in the fact that without your swallow nests and nesting box that nearly all may have died.


The wrens I have roosting here love the boxes with the 28mm holes, or blue tit sized, over the ones with the 32mm holes.

E39MSport

The one I put up has a larger hole than that I would say. They should be arriving in the next 10 - 15 minutes, I'll let you know. I've aimed a day/night camera at the box so will be able to confirm. I've also attachd a platform feeder to the wall near the box so they might come to that.

Ta,

E39MSport

Sadly, they didn't use the nest box.

I reckon over 20 birds showed up. There was competition for one of the swallow's nests and I'd say about 8 managed to get into it. I took a pic and will try to post later. Have to read the faq first.

Interestingly, the other nest in which the bird died was avoided. They seemed to inspect it but didn't use it.

The remaining birds scattered to the hedgerow before it got too dark. Will see what happens tonight.

Kess73

They will have to get used to the new box being there before using it, but with luck the cold will encourage one brave/curious wren to inspect it, and once one uses it, then the rest should follow.

You cannot do anymore than putting it out in a safe place for them.

746watts

put out some flahavans oatlets, small birds love them. I have wagtails, wrens and robins picking away on the patio. Larger birds aren't showing any interest.
If you have some lard or other fat, make balls of oatlets/nuts/fat and put into a mesh nut feeder.

E39MSport

Another one died last night

lightening

I am no expert, so experts, correct me if i am wrong, thanks.

Could you get meal worms in a tackle shop? They are grubs, fly larvae, fishermen use them for bait. They would have lots of nourishment, protein and fat that a small bird would need in weather like this.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I know before I start that this will sound heartless and it's not intended that way.
Peach et al. (1995) reported that Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) survival rates were lower in winters with longer periods of snow cover - no great surprise there really. Even in mild Winters, Wren survival is density dependent and most of each years young birds will die due to over population of an area, food shortages and weather..
You can help to a small degree by clearing snow from grass areas and providing oats, crushed or grated nuts and meal worms. There are "insect treat pellets" available but I've only seen them in the UK. As Wrens are not regular bird table visitors it's best to provide food on the ground and preferably under hedges or bushes where you may have seen them searching for food.
Losses are inevitable and such is nature.

Esroh

I not sure if this will help
This thread caught my eye as I was helping my Father move some old composting leaves yesterday and the local wren army invaded the place. I am used to seeing the robins fed near us when inthe garden but there were about 8 wren who seemed really happy. So maybe if you have a composte heap just turn over a few fork fulls to let them get at the grups

Kess73

lightening wrote: »

I am no expert, so experts, correct me if i am wrong, thanks.

Could you get meal worms in a tackle shop? They are grubs, fly larvae, fishermen use them for bait. They would have lots of nourishment, protein and fat that a small bird would need in weather like this.

Some bait shops sell mealworm as they make for good bait, but they are not fly larva. They are the larva of the mealworm beetle, which is a species of Darkling beetle.

You are better off buying your mealworm from a reputable petshop. Some tackleshops will try and sell you maggots, which are the larval stage of flies, to give to garden birds.

Don't go down this route and don't let anyone in a tackle shop convince you that it is ok to feed maggots to small garden birds. Maggots can carry many diseases that can be harmful and even fatal to the small birds due to the fact the maggot comsumes carrion.

Mealworm feed mostly on vegetation and as such are protein rich, and do not carry risk to the small birds. The only time you would not give mealworm to a bird is when the mealworm is dead and black in colour. It is fine to feed birds freeze dried mealworm as long as you either soak them in water first or have a water supply nearby for the birds to use.


Waxworm are another favourite of some small birds, and excellent as a treat for them, but mealworm are generally more cost effective for most people to use.