FOR THE BIRDS: Carolina wren nesting
They picked out the real estate and are decorating the nursery.
Carolina wrens, having chosen a hollowed gourd just outside my window, tag team now with beaks full of dried leaves to insulate their cozy abode.
They've been fussing for days, chattering, chirring, creating a ruckus, sending me scurrying to the window, suspecting a stray cat. Now, though, I understand. Maybe they couldn't agree on the location or the house size, but finally all seems settled. No more ruckus. They're moving in.
Carolina wrens, unlike house wrens, live here year-round. So Carolinas have a wing up, so to speak, on house wrens: They get first choice. They'll be well along with nest duties before those migrants arrive.
Unfortunately, that disadvantage seems to endow house wrens with an attitude. They'll try their best to evict early nesters and move in themselves.
Carolinas, however, at about three-quarters of an ounce, outweigh house wrens by almost double. Since Carolinas mate for life, the pair presents a formidable front. Carving out a territory on which they stay year-round, foraging and roaming the area together, they build a strong defense — including against the more warring house wren.
A pair has been with us for what seems like forever. Of course, a wren's average life span in the wild is about six years, so over our 50 years here, we've had multiple pairs. There's a reason. When we leave leaf litter in fall and maintain tangled vegetation, wood pile, brush piles, ample vines and no shortage of squirrel nests in which to poke around, whichever wren remains after the demise of its mate has no difficulty attracting a new mate to prime wren habitat. So it only seems they've been with us forever and gives me an illogical sense that the little cuties actually recognize me.
Carolinas forage primarily on insects and spiders. In winter I see them poking among rocks that shore up soil or surround yard features. They disappear under leaf litter, making leaves undulate as if by magic. They scour window crevices, tree bark, sidewalk cracks and feeder joints. Sometimes they add berries to their diets, and in winter they pick at suet and peanut butter.
One of the most endearing — or frustrating — characteristics of Carolina wrens is their choice of nest sites. Even though we offer carefully made nest boxes, all dimensions to strict specifications, they instead choose a hollowed gourd. Or — much to our carrier's frustration — the paper box. Or a discarded flowerpot or basket. Even my husband's nail-apron pocket. Or a propane-tank cover. Or inside the gas grill. Ah, no grilled steaks that year until babes fledged.
In my highly biased opinion, Carolina wrens are about as cute as birds come. That racing stripe across their faces gives them a distinctly classy look.
But it's the tail that does it. Cocked almost straight up while foraging, the bird takes on a devil-may-care attitude that just melts my heart. Sure, the male drops his tail while singing, but then the song melts my heart. I'm just a real sap when it comes to these reddish-brown bundles of energy that nudge me awake most mornings with their loud, cheerful song.
Now I'll have a front-row seat for wren family life, their gourd only six feet from my desk.
Contact Sharon Sorenson on her website at birdsintheyard.com, follow local day-to-day bird activity on Facebook at SharonSorensonBirdLady or email her at chshsoren@gmail.com.