Nestling deaths-Mystery solved.

[desertbirds]

Approximately two months ago i had a nest of young Redbrows (a week off fledging) disappear without a trace, a friend suggested a snake but i wasnt convinced. I never found a trace of the four young ones. This weeks i had two nests of lessers due to fledge next week. One nest contained one young one and the other had 4 young. I came home on Wednesday night to find the nest with four covered in tiny ants and all four chicks dead. The other nest the chick had abandoned but the ants had got him as well. These are a tiny ant barely visible and obviously pretty dangerous in an aviary.Made me feel quite sick to think i had missed somethingn not to mention a total of 9 Nestlings suffering a cruel death.Another lesson learned along the way.
Really sucks that in all three nests the chicks were starting to feather up and i was confident they would be out soon.

[Buzzard-1]

disappear without a trace

With ants would there not have been a skeleton left behind? Besides that, it is a good thing in a way that you found the ant problem, Sorry about your loss though

[wagga]

Hopefully you can kill the ants off and prevent any more attacks. After the birds just survived the mouse plaque this is the last thing that need. On a positive note at least it was not a snake.

[desertbirds]

disappear without a trace

With ants would there not have been a skeleton left behind? Besides that, it is a good thing in a way that you found the ant problem, Sorry about your loss though

I hear what your saying Buzz, i have seen these ants further north and here in town only twice before. Guys that do fishing trips to certain areas where these ants occur put flour around the wheels of their cars and engel fridges have to be kept in trays of water (obviously not in the water but surrounded by a moat) These ants eat electrical wiring !!! Given they can eat through wiring im guessing a soft skeleton wouldnt cause a problem. Trust me i hunted everywhere for remains, if it was a sanke i dont see that it would fit back through the wire if it was full of redbrow chicks.

[Buzzard-1]

Given they can eat through wiring im guessing a soft skeleton wouldnt cause a problem.

I'm glad their not here!!!! Little black ant's are bad enough,but controllable.