Frustrated Wren Fledglings

by Elizabeth
(Berryville, Virginia)

Follow-up to Bird Netting Failure...

I underestimated the development of the little guests tucked into their little nest under the bird netting on my strawberry tower.

Of course, I had planned to remove the netting to facilitate fledging in a few days, but was leaving it in place to reduce predatory dangers until then.

Yesterday morning, as I was leaving for work, I noticed a commotion under the netting, and to my astonishment, four fully feathered babies attempting to fledge were tangled in the netting. Panic!

Rushing into the house for kitchen shears, I grabbed my camera, but took time for only one photo, as these babies needed help fast!

My grown son answered my desperate call and joined me in the rescue. We freed one very determined baby almost immediately, a second fairly quickly. Both scuttled off, fluffing themselves and eventually flying, hopefully to where their worried mother was fussing in a nearby tree. But two more remained tangled and struggling.

I cut the most distressed one away, netting and all, and handed it to my son, who patiently snipped while I worked on freeing the last, very active baby, which kept retangling itself.

With that one finally freed, I joined my son in a desperate struggle for the fourth, netting wound under wings, limp and pitiful.

Determination all around prevailed, though, and with a final snip, the fourth baby also righted itself, fluffed a bit, and scuttled off, eventually to fly into a nearby tree, seemingly none the worse for wear...also true of us, though it was a very stressful operation, which I performed in full business dress--slacks, heels, and pearls.

An understanding supervisor forgave my tardiness, and all is well, though I miss the activity outside my window and have not yet spotted any of our special offspring in the garden.