Advise please on jenny wren nest in windchime

jaxxy00

Today just outside my back door i noticed all leaves on the floor which i wondered where they had come from as we have no trees. When i went back into the house and turned to shut the door i noticed a flutter in my windchime and thought it was a butterfly or something, then realised when it flew out it was a jenny wren.

We dont smoke in the house but outside the back door, n had noticed a jenny wren sitting on the post about 4 foot away earlier in the day. Well what it has done, is built a nest in the windchime which my daughter brought me back from spain and is a half coconut shell (facing downwards so you couldnt put anything into it) and then off the sides of it hang about 6 different lengths of bamboo.

You should have seen me run into the house so excited i couldnt get my words out to try tell them what i had found

What im worried about is it not being safe for the birds as it hasnt got a bottom and i have no idea at all how the nest is staying put in it. I would like to try and do something to help but dont know what. Any ideas?

Since finding it i have got an empty mealworm container and put a hole either side and used string to hang that on the wall and put meal worms, seed and my dogs fur in it (have seen the sparrows collect my dogs fur for nesting before, so had a bit off his tail today for the jenny wren. Hes a spaniel with plenty so doesnt miss it, and hes doing his bit for nature lol. )

Any ideas as soon as possible would be much appreciated as we noticed some leaves yesterday but much more today so its making lots of progress in just 2 days so i dont know what it will be getting up to tomorrow. Im just really worried there will be eggs going in there very soon.

Nomad_soul

Not any advice really, but i'm sure the birds know what they are doing, they are usually quite choosy where they nest. Lucky thing having them in your garden, they are such cute little birds, lovely to watch hopping about the garden. Keep us posted on their progress!

Kerry

jaxxy00

Thanks for quick reply. Other thing i might not have explained very well is that our back door is in the kitchen but the area directly out the back door is about 3 foot x 3 foot undercover(but not with a door on) and has a wall to the left that the windchime hangs on. The door is in use many times a day and my other worry is disturbing the birds. Are they likely to keep coming back?

I also have a dog that is in and out, which is why im worried if it has eggs and they fall out. We have ivy at the bottom of the garden and have seen wrens in there but never near the house. Will update as soon as any progress.

Well at least it will cut our smoking down, as i feel guilty when i want to go have one as i dont want to disturb them so leave it as long as possible, lol.

chelms38

Pity those nature tv shows on bbc2 aren't on as they would probably give you some advice.Maybe you could give the RSPCA a ring?

ixwood

Can you move it somewhere else?

Mr Wren makes several nests and Mrs Wren chooses one she likes, so maybe she'll have more sense!

jaxxy00

Ive been reading about that tonight, that they make several nests then the female decides which one. I would love her to choose the windchime for our benefit but i hope she doesnt for the benefit of them.

We have thought of moving it but dont want to risk it.

I havent thought of ringing rspca but did think of contacting rspb.

Ive seen him/her this afternnon hopping about round the shed and path getting bits n pieces to eat i think. So today ive put some more mealworms out and also some grated sheese (usually put this out for the robins).

Theres not much worry of them getting disturbed by having a smoke out the back at the moment, will be using the front, until that huge black spider finds somewhere else to live!!!! I dont like them but would definately not kill them. I would rather go and sleep in the car if theres one in the house than kill them. Ill never forget the night we sat watching t.v and saw something out corner of our eye come through the air vent and heard it hit the floor. We thought it was a mouse or something because of the size and the thud it made when it hit the floor. We were shocked when we saw it was a spider running across the floor and at the time had a wall unit that it went to run under but was too tall to get underneath. Never seen once that size before or since.

susyrosy

Some years ago, a wren built a nest in the ancient christmas wreath still hanging over my front door - once we realised, we stopped using the front door, apart from the postman, and visitors, and she laid and hatched and raised her brood. We used to watch from the corner of the house. Bit of shame - when the chicks were ready to fly, they all went - and that was it. Once they'd left, they'd left. So cute.

Susy

izzwizz_2

Don't try to move the nest - it will most likely be abandoned. Last year a wren built a nest on the light switch in an outbuilding. Despite the switch being used every day, the chicks were fine.

Welsh_Totster

Oh how lovely to watch! No chance of any photos? Id be interested to have a look!

buggalugs

Personally I wouldn't touch the nest, the birds knew you were there before so they must have been ok with it, I'd leave it and hope they use it

jaxxy00

I hope ive done these pictures right. The top one is a full size of the windchime hanging, as you can see the bottom is open and the leaves kept falling out although some remain. The second pic is a close up showing the nest and in the background you can see where i have hung the tub and put worms, seed and fur in it. The last pic is of the tv that we have the camera set up to that we put up yesterday so we can watch it without disturbing it. Its a proper wireless one for watching wildlife etc, it also has sound and we can hear it singing really clearly.

You can see at the bottom of the windchime where i have since put cellotape gently round the bottom in the hope that it stops it all falling out. I have been having my camera ready to hopefully get snap shot of the bird as it goes in or out and take a pic from the t.v. As yet though it has been too quick.

Im even finding myself now gently pulling on the cling film/foil dispenser in the kitchen in case it makes too much noise and disturbs the bird!! I know having a baby changes your life but having baby birds seem to even more We also have a extractor fan that is built in the kitchen that runs through the ceiling out above where the bird is and darent use that anymore in case it doesnt like it. Im right excited though and its like having a baby and cant wait, lol.

We stood watching the t.v today as we thought there were two flying in and out but there still seems to be just one. Its so quick going in and out you miss it having flown out then think you see another fly in when its actually the same one.

So does anyone know that if there ends up being two at a time in there, does that mean she has chosen that nest? Also how long before she will lay the eggs once chosen?