Carolina Wren Family

Carolina Wrens are some of my very favorite birds. For such a small creature, they have lots of attitude, fearing nothing and scolding loudly as they chase away any potential danger. Ounce for ounce, they are the loudest birds in the woods or your back yard. A rich mahogany brown with a creamy white eyebrow makes them easy to recognize. We have had a pair (or several over the years) in our backyard for many years. Once they built a nest in a bicycle helmet on the shelf in the garage. We had to leave the window open a bit so the parents could get in and out when the door was shut.

We hung a gourd from the porch light by our kitchen door, and each summer, some small bird builds a nest and raises a family there. Last year, the House Wrens got there first. I never understood how they got those big twigs through the small hole. When the weather turned warm, we put some chairs on the patio and planned to enjoy our time there. But a pair of Carolina Wrens decided otherwise, scolding and flitting about to show us their displeasure. So we moved to the swing in the yard, and they could get back to the business of raising a family.

We had no idea that she had eggs in the gourd. Incubation is by female only, lasting 12-16 days and the male may feed female during incubation. Both parents bring food for nestlings. It's hard to tell which is mom and which is dad, since both sexes look alike. The young leave nest about 12-14 days after hatching. There may be 2 broods per year.

Not only do they feed the young, but they keep the nest clean by removing the fecal sacs produced by the young. Disposable diapers for birds!

Yesterday, the adults were very upset that our cat was outside and continued to scold after I put him inside, since they saw him through the kitchen door. I thought one of the babies might have fledged, since this third wren started hanging around. It sat on the same chair as the mom, and followed her around the patio, but made absolutely no noise. Very well feathered and flighted for a fledgling, I thought to myself. Where did this guy come from?

At first, she would enter the gourd to feed, then she started just leaning into the gourd to feed them. Getting bigger - they will be ready to fledge soon. This morning, I noticed a little baby beak sticking  out through the hole.

They were quiet today - quieter than any time in the last few weeks. Then the racket began and the cat went to look out the kitchen door again. There are the chicks! Only 2 of them, and so small! Carolina Wrens have a tail they usually cock straight up, but the chicks have almost no tail at all yet!

Yep, I'm a big guy now he says. I don't have to use diapers any more.

They didn't walk too well, given they have never had to walk at all before. You could see the dismay on his face when he got to the hose. How am I going to get over this!

Oh no! This big block is even bigger than the hose! How will I ever get to the top? I didn't see him, but a mighty leap go him to the top.

Dad followed them until both were safely hidden under the plants.

It's a never ending job keeping up with children. While they were in the nest, we just had to catch the bugs for them. Now we have to keep up with them and teach them to find their own bugs. Whew, I'm tired already.

Raising Wrens

This late in the summer, most songbirds in the backyard are finished raising their young. Earlier, a pair of Carolina Wrens built a nest in the gourd outside our kitchen door, but they decided to raise a brood elsewhere apparently. In the last week or so, however, I've noticed them on the patio making LOTS of noise, as these small brown birds can do. One captive male Carolina Wren sang nearly 3,000 times in a single day.

I'll never figure out how they can hold a bug firmly in the beak, and sing or scold at the same time.

They particularly like to sit on the chairs around the patio table while delivering dinner to the chicks. Are they calling to waken the babies? To make sure no predators are around?

When we eat at the patio table, they are very unhappy. The scold us from the trees, the fences, nearby bushes, trying their best to chase these monsters away from their children.

The chicks hear them, and are getting big enough to stretch up and extend their beaks outside the hole in the gourd. "Here Mom, we're ready. Bring the bug on a fast fly-by, and we'll catch it!"

Either one of the parents got brave or we moved far enough away for their comfort, and this one made a stop at the nest. Think how many trips it must take them to feed one bug to each chick each time! Yet those little birds will incubate the eggs for 12-16 days, and in another 10-16 days the chicks are ready to fledge.

These chicks must be nearing the end of their days in the nest gourd. Here's one brave little guy taking a look at the world before he has to jump out into it. I'll know they are gone when the parents stop making a racket on my patio chairs all day!

Fledging Wrens

Carolina Wren are wonderful little birds. They sing loudly and aren't afraid of anything. As posted earlier, a pair of Wrens took up residence in the gourd hanging outside our kitchen door this year.

During the last few weeks, they flew back and forth to the gourd, using the patio chairs as convenient perches.

Saturday evening we ate on the patio and noticed small chirps coming from the gourd. The next day, the parents made more noise than usual, with chirrs and scoldings, jumping from the chair to the table to the fence and back again.  Obviously, something was going on. Then I looked at the gourd from the shelter of our kitchen door, and saw two babies trying to decide if they should leave the nest. I hadn't expected to actually see the fledging, and boy was I excited!  I ran from kitchen to porch with camera in hand, trying to get photos that weren't too blurred by the dirty windows! With a tree nest, the chicks can "branch" or walk along the branches while they strengthen their wings by flapping. When they do try to fly, they can go short distances first. Cavity nesters don't have this option. Once they jump out, that's it. Their wings can't take them back up to the cavity, so you can understand the look of indecision on this little one's face.

Before I could press the shutter on my camera, he jumped down to the ground, looking around as if to say, "Well, I did it.  What next?"  His sibling jumped too, but I didn't get any good photos of him.

For a little guy who just took a long fall, he seems in good condition, and soon hopped back up to the step.  Note the short, almost non-existent tail feathers. "Oops! Did I do that?"

Then he flew/hopped to the top of the stepladder...

...back to the lawn chair...

...and finally out to the top of the swing in the yard, the last time I saw him. Dick said he found them near the log pile in the back of the yard.  They quickly knew to go to shelter.

One of the parents came to the gourd with a bug for the babies, and seemed surprised to find no one there!

But they continued to call encouragement to their brave children, while warning us big creatures to stay out of the way.  We carefully used the front door when we needed to go into the yard, so we  wouldn't accidentally step on one of the chicks, or get attacked by the parents.

Who else was watching this important step in a Wren's life?  Our cat Binx, of course.  Normally he's more interested in the chipmunks, but all this activity caught his eye.  He's the main reason we went out the front door, of course, since he's faster than anything if the porch door is open.

The parents continued to entice the chicks into the bushes at the back of the yard, calling and hopping from place to place.  Since the chicks reached their place of concealment and safety though, I haven't heard the parents nearly as much as in the last few weeks.  Maybe silence is safety for them too.

 

I turned a lot of individual photos into a Flash file. Let's see if I can get it to work!

Carolina Wrens in Kentucky

Carolina Wrens are the loudest little bird in our backyard.  They sing back and forth to each other at all hours of the day.  When they chatter and scold, you know you are in trouble! I have been noticing much more activity than usual, and here is the reason... they are starting to nest in the hollow gourd hanging outside the back door!

Wrens have nested several times before in our garage.  Once in an upturned bicycle helmet belonging to one of the kids (you can't ask for a more perfect nesting site), and once in a fruit basket hanging on the wall.  As long as we leave the window open a crack they can get in without any trouble.  The one time we actually closed that window, the loud calls alerted us to the problem.

The book says Carolina Wrens eat insects, and I hope they do, because we get plenty of bugs in the yard.  But I notice them chowing down on the suet and peanut feeders more often.  In fact, when I refilled the peanut feeder yesterday, the Wrens and Nuthatches were quite excited!

Some House Wrens built in the gourd the first year it was up, but I'm glad to see my favorite little birds moving in now. And, no, we don't have any snow.  I just pulled this one out of my collection.