wrescue

E39MSport

OH popped her head out of the window earlier just as the wrens were coming into the porch to settle in the swallow nests.

She noticed a strange hole in the snow and went out to inspect.

At the end of the hole in almost a foot of snow was a soaked and almost lifeless wren.

Poor thing. It has recovered now and is in a box in our darkened utility room.

I've put a few pieces of brie in the box with it. Not sure if it has accepted it.

What's the best thing to do for this lucky little creature?

Much appreciated.

EDIT: - We'll be placing cheese around the hedges tomorrow to try to help these beauties.

Feargal as Luimneach

E39MSport wrote: »

OH popped her head out of the window earlier just as the wrens were coming into the porch to settle in the swallow nests.

She noticed a strange hole in the snow and went out to inspect.

At the end of the hole in almost a foot of snow was a soaked and almost lifeless wren.

Poor thing. It has recovered now and is in a box in our darkened utility room.

I've put a few pieces of brie in the box with it. Not sure if it has accepted it.

What's the best thing to do for this lucky little creature?

Much appreciated.

EDIT: - We'll be placing cheese around the hedges tomorrow to try to help these beauties.

Get some mealworms. If they are dried, soak them in warm water first. The best stuff would be live mealworms from an angling shop.
Hope he makes it!

Put in a small saucer of warm water (add a small bit of glucose/sugar). He's probably dehydrated as well.

Kess73

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

Get some mealworms. If they are dried, soak them in warm water first. The best stuff would be live mealworms from an angling shop.
Hope he makes it!

Put in a small saucer of warm water (add a small bit of glucose/sugar). He's probably dehydrated as well.

The OP might be better off getting mealworm from a pet shop, as not all angling stores stock mealworm, and a few that I know try to tell people that feeding maggots to birds is just as good.

Maggots are great for fishing, but bad for birds to eat due to what a maggot's diet generally is compared to what the diet of a melaworm consists of.

.

E39MSport

We had about 20 wrens in the porch last night.

Every evening of the freeze bar one there has been one or more wrens in trouble at the front of the house near to where they roost in the porch.

Typically we'll find one lying under the car or in the snow about to give up the ghost. Very strange. Looks like shere exhaustion or cold or both.

I can't imagine how many are dying out there. It's very sad.

I've acquired a 250 watt heat lamp from Ted Johnsons and plan to use it to maintain some heat in the porch but I'm worried the birds might land on it.

They don't seem too keen on cheese either. Trouble with trying to feed then is that I have no idea where they are coming from in the wider area. I have certainly never seen that may wrens out in the open. They have no interest in eating once they arrive to roost - it's normally quite dark as they scramble for space.

I'm going to put up some nest boxes in the porch too today to see if they use them. That would give them better shelter.

All I can do is try to make it easier for them I guess.

donal2000

Fair play to you for doing what you have done.

Are the wrens visible in the porch when they roost?

Have the wrens you found close to death survived ok?

E39MSport

Hi.
Yes, they all were fine the next morning after an overnight convalesce indoors and a bit of sustenance.

They are indeed visible. The artificial swallows nests are deeper than natural ones and so you see less of them but last year you could see their tails over the top of the nests. I have a pic somewhere I'll dig out.

Feargal as Luimneach

E39MSport wrote: »

Hi.
Yes, they all were fine the next morning after an overnight convalesce indoors and a bit of sustenance.

They are indeed visible. The artificial swallows nests are deeper than natural ones and so you see less of them but last year you could see their tails over the top of the nests. I have a pic somewhere I'll dig out.

Nice work:)