Help!!!House finches abandoned 5 babies (1 Viewer)

[rmoore7167]

Hi this is my first post on this site. Im not real good at bird Ident but pretty sure their house finches. Every year the same nest gets rebuilt. Its right outside our patio door and love to watch, Last year took a series of pics from eggs all the way to the day(we assume) they flew off.
The chicks are about 10-15 days old. Both mom and dad have been diligent taking care of. But today, I havent seen either of them. I hate to see the little ones die. Unfortunately, we travel a bit so difficult to take them in. IF thats even possible. IS there something i can do or just let nature take its course? Is it common for them to abandon? Did we do something? We've looked in nest, but never touched.....hope it wasnt us. Id feel horrible

 

[KC Foggin]

Hello and welcome to BirdForum from those of us on staff here at BirdForum.

Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do. Is there a cat in the area that might have frightened the parents away? I would try to stay as far away from the nest as possible. Your presence can leave a scent which will draw other wild creatures in. Also, some birds will not tolerate any kind of intrusion even if you don't touch anything. Give it the night and hopefully one or both will return to the nest. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[rmoore7167]

Ok will try that..... Thanks. Cross my fingers!!

 

[shelley810]

Hi this is my first post on this site. Im not real good at bird Ident but pretty sure their house finches. Every year the same nest gets rebuilt. Its right outside our patio door and love to watch, Last year took a series of pics from eggs all the way to the day(we assume) they flew off.
The chicks are about 10-15 days old. Both mom and dad have been diligent taking care of. But today, I havent seen either of them. I hate to see the little ones die. Unfortunately, we travel a bit so difficult to take them in. IF thats even possible. IS there something i can do or just let nature take its course? Is it common for them to abandon? Did we do something? We've looked in nest, but never touched.....hope it wasnt us. Id feel horrible

Are you certain, mom and dad aren't around? House finch chicks develop remarkably fast and are often out of the nest at 2 weeks....which is darn close in age to yours. My guess, is that parents are wanting young to fledge and are calling them out. I agree with KC, right now you really can't do a whole lot, and what you might WANT to do could be the wrong kind of interference. Wait out the night and see what you have/don't have in the nest tomorrow.
shelley

 

[humminbird]

I think Shelley is probably right on track. Working in an area that deals with bird rehabilitation daily, we often hear from rehabilitators who are frustrated by the number of birds that they get that should never have come in to rehab - they were birds people assumed were abandoned when what actually happened was mom and dad were trying to encourage the young to fly.
Give them room, but keep your eyes on them. If there has been no visit from the adults in 24 hours, I would contact a licensed bird rehabilitator.
Bird rehabilitators are volunteers who have learned to handle these birds in a way that will allow them to be released into the wild. For the safety of the birds, please comply with the law and don't take these birds in yourself.

Mark
Bastrop, TX