Hi Tweeters, My wife and I have been watching--from a distance of course--a
birdhouse in our back yard where a couple of Bewick's wrens have been
feeding a new batch of chicks. Three or four heads would pop up every time
mom or dad came in by their deceptive routes with a morsel. Then yesterday
morning, suddenly, all activity stopped. I saw one of the parents--an adult
wren at least--visit the birdhouse, look in the hole and leave. That was
it. Later in the day, after seeing no activity at all, I ventured a closer
inspection. The box was empty. The foliage is rather thick near the
birdhouse but there were no comings and goings of wrens in the area. We
believe the chicks might have been ready to go. Their heads looked
gray--probably feathered. But how far could they have gone on the first day
out of the nest? Do they fly great distances right away? Or would they
have been feet away, roosting on a hidden branch. If they were nearby, why
couldn't we see the parents flying in with food? Or is it possible, that
something took all three or four of the chicks overnight? Any tweeters with
coments or suggestions of answers?

Paul Meyer
Seattle