Wren Choosing my Birdhouse

by Silvija L. Moess
(Elgin, IL. USA)

First Wrens Nesting in my Homemade Wren Birdhouse

I had built a birdhouse over the winter and installed it on this dead tree by my fence and lilac shrub.

I also had hung up one other smaller birdhouse, lower on a branch in my lilac shrub.

I wasn't expecting anything, so wasn't paying much attention.

Then early dawn I heard this constant repeating bird call, like a trill.

I was wondering what it was and looked out the window but couldn't see anything.


A couple of days later I was just doing some gardening when I noticed sticks coming out of the smaller birdhouse.

I was wondering how did the sticks get in there and moved on.

I just happened to look up as I was looking at my clematis vine which had twisted and vined itself across my fence and up the dead tree.

There I saw that my other birdhouse also had sticks coming out of it. I thought again, why the sticks?


I sat down for a while in my garden to just observe what was around when I noticed that trill bird call.

I saw that bird flitting from one place to another, repeating his call each time he went to a different perch.

I was curious so went online to Cornell's website and found what type of bird it was and read about his habitat.

Once I knew, I was sure to keep observing him especially when he was in my backyard calling for a mate.

I watched him put sticks into the birdhouse, which was amazing to see such a small creature be so dexterous!

Each dawn he would be out there calling for a mate, continuing all day until dusk.

It was nearly the end of July and he was still calling. I was wondering if he would ever find a mate.


Then one day I noticed that there was another wren with him. I thought finally!

I was watching and he was showing the birdhouse on the dead tree.

The female wren was about to go into that birdhouse when another female came and chased her away and went in instead. It was funny.

I Didn't know that female House Wrens could be so jealous. And so that little wren did get a mate after all, which made me happy.

Here is a haiku that I wrote about my wren:

Lilacs are blooming
And a wren sings his love song
While building her nest.



I wasn't able to photograph the wren as he was too fast and many times he was behind branches, etc. So I did a quick drawing.

Birds and Blooms	Pioneer Woman	People Magazine	First For Women