We have several nesting boxes in our yard for the wrens & this year they chose the one my husband (Dan) built that has a front porch.
We can sit on our front screened in porch & watch the little guy in action. He is definitely a singer & serenades us for as long as we choose to listen.
He busily picks up sticks, mostly under our cedar trees and somehow manages to get even the long ones in the nesting box.
He holds the sticks in his beak & slowly & meticulously works his beak as close to one end as he can, without dropping the stick, until it fits through the hole.
He always finds time to sing & constantly looks around in case a female happens to be in the vicinity.
He scurries around in search of insects, because building a nest is hard work & takes a lot of his energy.
Sometimes the robins that like to build their nests in our vines on the telephone pole, seem to get a little irritated with how happy he is & singing all the time, but he just takes it in stride & continues his quest.
A few years ago, we think it was his first time building a nest, because he was having all kinds of problems, so we helped him out a little & broke up some sticks & placed them in the hole for him.
He seemed to appreciate it & went in the nesting box, was there for awhile, came out sang for awhile & then continued placing sticks in the hole.
A female finally came checked out the nesting box and must have liked it, because they raised a family & we were fortunate to watch the little ones leave the nest that year. What a sight!
We have just the right combination in our yard to attract many birds---shrubs, lots of different trees (including a small grove of cedar trees), bird feeders, bird baths, rock garden (which they love) & many different bird houses.
We feed the birds all year long & patiently wait for the arrival of the ones that leave in the winter.
We love all our birds, but especially our little wrens. People who don't watch & appreciate the birds are really missing a lot.
This is a great story Diane!! I've always loved bird watching..... even more so as I've gotten older. I'm not a fan of the squirrels tho.; but an older friend of mine said they need food too! So when I buy more bird seed, I know I'm feeding the squirrels too.
Informative by: Denise
Thanks for this story. I too tried to help with the building, but only left sticks and string nearby.
Next time, I will follow suit and place some in the nest as you did. Always a pleasure to watch, and be a part of nature's events.
enjoy them too.. by: jd
I enjoy the birds and squirrels too, we just had our first experience with the wrens.
We have a shed that is still open in the top, I had hung a plastic store bag up with a lot of mardi gras beads and we noticed the little birds perching up on the top ledge fussing at us near it.
I thought they were after the spilled birdseed.
We finally saw sticks on the edge of the bag and the birds going in.
In a few days, a baby fledgling was running around in the yard and Mom n Pop was trying to coax him to fly.
We could see in a bit the nest was abandoned so we checked it and there were 4 more eggs, cold.
Don't know why only one hatched, I hope he made it and they try again later, we plan to build some houses too and encourage them.
birdie friends =) by: Kat
This is really cool! Thanks for sharing your story! There's nothing more magical than witnessing and partaking in the circle of life!
Wren by: Cyndi
Great story Diane, thanks for sharing!
How cute! by: Dawn and Rick
We really enjoyed reading your story.Everyone should stop and enjoy the wild birds,they are so fun to watch and listen to!
Birds by: destiny
I love this story!
by: Dez
this is a nice story especially the part were you helped him. Keep an eye on him.
How neat by: Nancy
What a nice story! I agree, anyone that doesn't enjoy bird-watching is really missing out. I loved reading this!! :) :)
Wrens by: Marianne
What a charming story. Your little Wren is lucky to have you and you to have him.
I am new to bird feeding, but I love it, and your story motivates me even more.
