Wrens Nesting In Mailbox

by Libby Levin
(Norfolk, VA)

What do you do when you find birds nesting in your mailbox? Libby shares her story and what she did after finding a pair of Carolina Wrens building a nest inside her's.

Discovering Birds Nest Building

Upon opening my mailbox one morning, I noticed a lot of leaves and pine straw and thought it had been blown in from a bad storm the night before.

I removed it and low and behold, more appeared the next day.

I realized that this was not debris from the wind so I left it in the mailbox.

The next morning there was a cute Carolina Wren with a mouthful of leaves, etc. waiting on the deck rail and inside the mailbox was another who was already arranging the furniture!

I quickly decided that I had to take immediate precautions to protect the nesting event, and that would be to prevent mail from being put in the box.

I made signs on the computer to alert the postman and also put up a temporary "alternate" mailbox on the other side of the door and marked it "mailbox."

So far, with a few exceptions, the mail personnel have been compliant.

I have not seen any eggs yet, but I am hoping that this will take place.

I have a feeder not far from this area which is always very active with various species of birds and many Carolina Wrens, as well.

Have never seen them before this Spring.

It is interesting that this wren likes to sweep out the seeds at the feeder more than eat them there, and then they and all their friends have a party on the ground to eat them.

The negative side is that it empties the feeder much too quickly, so I think I will put up a sign for them to be more conservative!

Those newspaper/magazine boxes are often used by nesting birds. Feel free to comment about your birds below.

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Wrens Nesting in My Mint Planter - Almost Built a Whole Nest!
by: Keri Ott

I have flower boxes on my deck, and one is filled with mint.

I started noticing birds flying in and out of the planter, and when I took a closer look, I saw that they were building a nest inside!

At first, I thought it was just scattered leaves, but as I pulled some out, I realized Carolina Wrens were constructing their nest right outside my sliding glass door.

I always assumed birds would choose trees or hidden spots, but these little wrens decided my mint planter was the perfect home.

It's fascinating to watch their progress-they've almost finished building the nest, and it's getting thicker by the minute.

Who knew wrens would choose such unexpected places to raise their young, just like when they nest inside a mailbox!

Wren Built a Nest in a Pair of Jeans on the Clothesline!
by: Anonymous

Years ago, I hung my husband's jeans on the clothesline to dry.

Later that evening, when I went out to bring them inside, I discovered that a Carolina Wren had built a nest right inside the back pocket!

Instead of disturbing it, I left the jeans hanging so the little bird could finish her nest.

It was such a surprise to see a wren nesting in such an unusual place, kind of like when wrens take over a mailbox!

Birds sure find the strangest and most unexpected nesting spots!

Carolina Wren Battles the Mailman for Nesting Rights in My Mailbox
by: Barb in Charlotte

For several days, I kept hearing a faint "clink" sound coming from my front porch mailbox. At first, I thought it was just the mail being delivered, but something seemed odd—my mailman is usually on the phone while making his rounds, and these sounds were happening at different times.

Then, I started noticing bits of twigs and debris at the bottom of the mailbox. I assumed it was just wind-blown trash—until I looked closer. There it was—a fully formed bird’s nest, and inside it, a single speckled salmon-colored egg!

I couldn't believe it, a Carolina Wren had turned my mailbox into a bird nursery!

Since it's already June, I thought it was a little late for nesting, but I put up a note asking the mailman to drop my mail in a nearby flower pot instead.

I did notice some ants crawling over the egg, hopefully, they won’t be a problem.

If all goes well, I’ll have a baby wren hatching in my mailbox before the end of June!

Wrens Nesting in My Mailbox—So Adorable
by: Cindy

That's such an adorable story! It must be so much fun watching the Carolina Wrens turn your mailbox into their nesting spot.

I bet the mail carrier was happy to deliver your mail somewhere else for a while!

Here in the High Desert of Southern California, we have Cactus Wrens, Rock Wrens, and Canyon Wrens, and they always seem to choose the strangest places to build their nests.

Out of the three, the Cactus Wren is the boldest and often picks unexpected spots, kind of like how your Carolina Wrens decided the mailbox was a perfect home!

Enjoy watching your feathered tenants raise their little ones!

Nesting in a Mailbox – Can’t Wait to See the Babies
by: Rayna

That's just too cute! Thank you for protecting their home and letting the wrens nest inside your mailbox without disturbing them.

I can't wait to see pictures of the eggs and baby birds when they hatch!

Carolina Wrens sure know how to pick unusual nesting spots.

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