We have a nest of house sparrows that are likely almost a week old, but we have not seen the mother bird now in 2 full days. We are not outside every hour, but we noticed that she had not been leaving the nest so we checked the nest and she was not there. She has not been there anytime we have looked nor are we seeing her in the nearby rhododendron where she kept look-out when she did leave. She has not been away from the area for more than a few mins. in weeks.

When the weather got so hot this weekend we were worried about the nest because the birds were so young, and it is in a shrub which is in full sun all day long, tucked only 1-2 inches into the top of the shrub with no shade at all. The babies had no feathers, and we worried they would become dehydrated. We put our umbrella which is on a stand near the shrub to try to block some of the sun from shining directly onto the shrub. We did not see the mother bird Sat. afternoon when we erected the umbrella, nor Sunday at all. I have looked today and did not see her at all. The placement of the umbrella did not impede entry to and from the nest since she entered the nest from the side of the shrub, and there was plenty of clearance on top and all over the shrub. I have not seen the mother bird since Saturday morning.

Is it typical for a parent to be away from a nest for long periods or make such sporadic visits that they would not be noticed in the vicinity for hours at a time?
She was very attentive when she was sitting on the eggs and for the first few days of their life.

Any suggestions? We hate to see these 4 babies die and would be happy to try to save them if we knew what to do. When I was a child I saved some eastern blue jays babies by mixing up some kind of feed mash with water and putting it in their throats with my smallest finger, but I don't know what the "mash" was or how old those birds were when someone brought them to us. They were much larger for sure than these tiny little things. My father got the mix at a feed store, I believe.

Please email me ASAP. Time is critical.

Thanks.