THE WREN STORY

This photo was made less than a minute before #2 left the nest for good. The little guy was called by the parents and when it had its feet out of the hole, I knew the fledgling would not return.

I’m sorry, it happened already five days ago, but life stood in the way and as you probably figured out by my recent blog posts, other events here in the woods above the Little Maquoketa Valley have been worth to share with you as well. Our young House Wrens left their nest box last week and even if we watch this since seventeen years now every summer, it’s always a good reason to celebrate the wonders of nature.

First landing place was between a patch of iris flowers that just were done blooming.

Oh, I can hold on to a tree! The parents watch every step and don’t let any other bird even come close to their offspring.

After two wrens had left the nest the parents kept feeding two more in the bird box. They did not leave until the nest morning.

Live goes on, while all of the above still happened, the male House Wren sent out enticing calls to attract the same or another female for a next round of breeding. However, his eyes were also kept on the offspring of the first brood.

NOISY GANG

I realized the chirping noise coming from one of the nest boxes in our front yard is a lot louder than usual as soon the first light of the day appears early in the morning. It’s the place where the House Wrens currently feed their second brood. Well, both nest chambers, first and second floor, have a nest and it looks like that two females and one male House Wren feed the offspring in both nests. As my photo proofs, the size of the meals gets quite big already and pretty soon it will be quiet around here again. 

We had wrens nesting every summer since Joan and I lived here. Providing opportunities to built a nest became mandatory for us and we have never been disappointed yet. It is a wonderful way to enrich your life! The House Wrens eat insects, lots of them, but there is not much we can do to support these efforts. Hanging nest boxes around our house has helped to make some birds coming back here after the winter every year. Each species that may use a bird house may have different requirements regarding the size of the box or how big the diameter of the hole has to be. Have a look what is in your backyard or on your balcony, study about the birds you see, and draw your conclusions. It’s easy, you can do that too!!