Gas Lamp Wren Brood

by Glenda. (updated October-21-2023)
(Colbert, GA)

Right off the corner of our deck is an old gas lamp - the kind many have by their driveways.

This one has not been used in years - it is not even hooked up.

One of the panes of glass is missing.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I noticed a pile of twigs and other material in the lamp.

Next, we noticed a couple of Carolina wrens hanging out.

It was fascinating to watch them sing - they quivered to the tips of their tails.

And LOUD - I would never have believed such a small bird could sing so loudly!

Then we saw them start to go in and out of the lamp - the pile of twigs was a nest!

Over the next couple of weeks, we'd see them appear to change shifts - in the early morning, and the evening.

One would fly in, and the other would fly out.

Almost two weeks ago, we started seeing them fly in and out almost constantly with food in their mouths.


They'd hop from the picnic table nearby to an old lawn mower handle, then to the rail of our deck, then from post to post, and finally into the nest.

It has been a fascinating process, watching the two tiny parents feed three tiny mouths - listening to the parents talk and sing, and to the babies squeak.

Today they spread their wings (in a manner of speaking). Of course, I was not there.

But my husband said one of the wrens came and sat on the rail of the deck near him, and sang and sang at the top of its’ lungs.

My husband felt he knew what the wren was saying to him. Then the babies started chirping.

Next, one at a time, they kind of fell out of the lamp – the first one managed to flap his wings, and land in a hardy hibiscus next to the lamp – a couple of feet off the ground.

The other one fell out, and managed to land softly – it didn’t fly quite as well. The parents had moved on to a wood pile nearby.

The babies managed to flap their wings, and “fly” from one branch to another and get close to where the parents were.

Later, after we talked, and I reminded him there were three – he looked in the nest and could see one more mouth.

A few minutes later, the last little wren in the nest almost fell to the outside bottom of the nest, caught itself, and then “jumped”.

It managed to land softly and then started trying to fly.

My husband had to leave for a while, but when he came back, all the wrens were gone.

And I missed it!