As you all know by now, I love to sit and watch the goings on in the garden on the weekends. This morning I was startled when two small brown birds flew straight towards the covered patio. They were Carolina Wrens.
As I watched, I realized they may be building a nest, so I grabbed the camera and went to sit outside (at the other end of the patio).
I took some very shaky video clips and managed to lift these still from the video. As usual, not the best quality, but you get the idea.
As I watched, I realized they may be building a nest, so I grabbed the camera and went to sit outside (at the other end of the patio).
I took some very shaky video clips and managed to lift these still from the video. As usual, not the best quality, but you get the idea.
One of the birds waits for a moment by the rain barrel with a mouth full of nesting material.
Wait - there's two of them...
This one did a curious little bobbing routine...
... before heading for the nesting site...
... made it! A few seconds to place the nesting materials in place and...
.... it pokes its head out again ...
... before heading off for more...
... but first, a quick rest. "Who are you looking at?"
... "On your marks, get set.... GO!"
After taking the video clips from which these stills were taken, I headed back indoors to leave them to it. I saw them through the window several times this morning, but for some unknown reason, they don't seem to be around now (8pm). I'm not sure if they will use the nest or whether it was just practice for the real thing elsewhere.
As I felt privileged earlier this week to watch the mockingbird feed its babies, I felt privileged to watch this pair building their nest. I wish them the best and hope that they and their insect-eating younguns stick around for summer pest control duties.
Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.
8 comments:
I hope they do decide to lay in your patio nest. Seems a bit of a dangerous place. To easy for cats or jays or even snakes to come by and steal the eggs. We once had a cardinal built a nest on top of a wrens nest in the same hanging basket.
As our nest gets bigger and bigger I am wondering if they will come back to lay their eggs there. It has to be the biggest wrens nest I have ever seen. Thank goodness the gate is rarely used.
You sure have been in on some fun critter activities. You have provided a nice place for the birds to enjoy living at.
Thank you for sharing some of what the birds are doing with us.
That's so cool that you caught a glimpse of the nest making!
Hi Jayne,Great piece of filming,I bet the wrens
will drive the cats crazy,as they sit on the
window sill.Dad
Wrens often build more than one nest. And they prefer covered porches...but they don't want the plant watered once they take residence (guess how I know that?).
The Bewick's wren babies have just flown from the birdhouse on our back porch. They were so shy about the building and the house is up so high, we didn't even see the babies until the last day when we lucked into the first flight.
Yes Kathleen, I heard they often build more than one nest. In this case, these birds haven't been back since they built the nest. It was fun to watch them build, but I'm sort of glad they chose another site -- I like our weekends on the patio and would have missed being able to sit out there!
my mom had a pair that wanted to be fed by her scattering bird seed on the rail of her deck. she would prop the screen door open for her dogs to go in and out as they pleased. if she was late with the bird seed or it ran out the male wren would hop to the door and fuss about it. he even got so bold as to hop inside the door and really let her have it! mother and he were friends for quite sometime and she nor the dogs bothered much at all! made himself right at home.
What a sweet story Carol. Thanks for sharing it -- I can just picture that little wren fussing at your mother, lol.
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