One nestling

[kborder]

Please help! I have one nestling remaining and it was being fed up until yesterday. I had two nests with young until this morning and remaining two fledged out of one of those nests early today

I only have maybe 2 dozen birds still here, and I've watched the one remaining nestling for approximately two hours this morning and no adults are feeding it!
Is the urge to migrate stronger than the urge to finish raising their young?
I'm so worried about this little guy and we leave for vacation Sunday morning! As I write this there are several flying around the boxes but no attention being paid to this guy hanging his head out and chirping
Help!!

[C.C.Martins]

How old is it? Parents will stop feeding them prior to fledge to get their weight down. Dont panic just yet, some are more ready to take the plunge than others.
If you are sure it is starving and based on its age you can plug the cavity (plug and string), lower the house and handle the chick and see if it is indeed starving...the brest bone will be pronounced. Perhaps consider supplemental feed at that point. If it is fine, and active put it back, raise it up, keep it plugged for a few minutes to keep it from premature fledging then pull the plug.
Hope this helps!
Tom

[kborder]

Thanks Tom, looks to be about ready to go, but doesn't come clear out on porch
Two eggs in that nest on 6-30, so about the right age if it hatched maybe a week or less after. It has made it this far so maybe that's the case with getting its weight down, but I also wonder if the parents are inexperienced. Saw ASY male take in large dragonfly couple of hours ago and went in and out of compartment twice before eating it himself!
I can't supplement for long, leaving early Sunday for vacation
Help me with crossing fingers and toes
Thanks, Kim

[ToyinPA]

I had one chick that had 2 siblings. One died. The other chick fledged & the parents left with it for 11 days. They did not come back to fed him at all or even check on him. They pretty much abandoned him for 11 whole days. He tried to fledge, but couldn't fly, ended up on the ground. He was very thin, keel bone sticking out like a sharp knife. I ended up putting him in another nest with 3 chicks about his age, just a few days younger. However once their chicks started to fledge they ignored him & refused to feed him. I ended up feeding him 3-4 times a day. He tried to fledge 7 times before his family came back. Each time we'd find him & put him back. Once he got soaked to the skin, fell off the balcony & got lost for 2 hours, in pouring rain, in our veggie garden. He was down to being here all alone, no other martins all day, only a few in at night. Finally his original family came back. I put him back in the nest with his parents. While they were here, late morning, I took him out of the nest, held him up so the parents could see I had him. Once he chirped they came diving at me. We tossed him, 3 times, before he made it to a patio roof, then a power line, then a house roof & finally high in the air. The parents stayed with him all day, brought him in for the night & the next night & then they were all gone. He was 40 days old the day he finally fledged. All he needed was his parents.

If there is a parent bringing in food, even tho not letting him eat it, they are trying to get him hungry enough to fledge. It can take a few to several days, of little to no food, before they get hungry enough to take the leap. As long as they are checking on him a couple times a day he should be OK.

Toy in PA

[C.C.Martins]

Kim ill bet it be gone when u get back and in a good way. If parents are coming by its a good sign, should be just fine.

[kborder]

Thanks everyone, I'm feeling a little better. Husband and I sat on porch for an hour this morning and saw no activity anywhere, nor its head sticking out. I was thinking it must have fledged and felt such relief.
BUT NO!
Just got home from town and his head is out and chirping for food. Don't have much time to monitor today due to getting ready to leave.
Hopefully I can enjoy my vacation like I should, but will probably awaken each day worrying about this little guy
I'm sure our last stragglers will have left when we return home and praying this guy gets to make the trip with them

[C.C.Martins]

Same thing happened here, one kept begging for food at the door, parents came and went without feeding them. then slowly seemed to just stop by and see if they were still there. I brought the house down and there were TWO left. Both healthy so I just put it all back. They did fledge, much to my relief...I suspect the same thing is going on there with you. sometimes (and its hard) is to just let the martins be martins.
Let us know.