Saturday

[nightdog_barks]

Peeked in this morning and ... the nest is empty. Empty as in the chick and the other eggs are gone. And by gone, I mean not there, disappeared, like they were never there.

So. I have no idea what happened. A quick Google turned up some info that sometimes male wrens will destroy their own eggs. We had a thundershower move through at about 1 a.m., but otherwise there was nothing unusual.

I'm not heartbroken; I do wonder what happened but will probably never know.
ETA that the general consensus is that a night predator, possibly a rat or a possum, robbed the nest. It's still possible, however, that the parents may try to reuse it. Yes, I'll be an optimist. *g*

Bright sun and a bit cooler at 69 degrees. Otherwise not much yet. Started reading Hallelujah Junction, the autobiography of the American composer John Adams, last night.

And thus endeth the wren saga. Won't touch the nest in case someone else wants to use it.

Comments

[taiga13.livejournal.com]

I've seen a snake climb a tree to get at a nest.
Well I know what I'll be having nightmares about tonight (shudder)
I'm so sorry you lost your babies. It's the cycle of life, carnivores need to eat too, but that's no comfort.
A quick Google search turned up that "cats, rats, opossums, woodpeckers, foxes, owls, raccoons, squirrels and various snakes" prey on wrens. Yes, woodpeckers! They've been seen snatching chicks from the nests, I was surprised to learn.

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

Heh, that's what I just said to Mr. N -- it's the whole circle of life thing.

I'm suspecting it was a rat, because we've seen them in our landscape timbers sometimes. I think if it was a possum, more stuff around the nest pot would've been disturbed, and we don't get cats in our backyard very often because of Chango.