House wren
at a nest box
Q A pair of house
wrens has used my
nest box for the
last four years. But
this year the female
built a nest, laid
six eggs, incubated
them for seven
days and then left.
What happened?
Mindy Drexler
CANAL FULTON, OHIO
Kenn and Kimberly: In
general, wrens are dedicated
mothers. They may abandon a
nest that isn’t completely built,
or a disturbance may drive
them away when they’ve just
begun to lay eggs. But once
a female wren has laid a full
clutch of eggs and incubated
them for a week, it’s very
unusual for her to just abandon
them. It could happen if a long
spell of cold, wet weather made
it impossible for her to find
enough food. But in the case
you describe, sadly, it’s more
likely she died or was killed by a
predator before she would have
simply abandoned the eggs.