I have a problem with rescuing some sparrows that nested in my air conditioner. They nested between the window sill under the AC unit. Between the constant chattering noise (it's the AC in my home office) and worries about them getting cooked from the heat of the AC unit when it's on, I decided to move them. There's a tree right outside the window, so I got a wooden parakeet bird box and carefully moved the nest into the box. There are 5-6 baby birds in there. Maybe a few weeks old.
Then I thought maybe the box was too far, and an hour later I put it outside the AC unit off to the side, so that when the mother comes by to see her babies, she'd see the box with the entry facing her.
Problem is, I have no idea whether she's been back since yesterday afternoon, and I'm worried sick that the babies might die. Worse yet, when I called an animal rescue place, they said it sounded like sparrows and that sparrows in Illinois are considered "nuisances" like mice and that nobody would rescue them. I gave them a colorful piece of my mind. They're babies!
So...what can I do? I want to know how to tell if the mother is coming back without having to wait to find a bunch of dead baby birds to know she hasn't. I'm not sure I could feed them myself, and I'd be pretty scared that I'd hurt them trying. So...any advice?