When I looked up at the corner ledge on my back porch at dusk the other day and saw a tiny wren settled down there for the night, I got to thinking what amazing little creatures these little brown birds are.
The ledge where it roosts allows only an inch of foot hold for the bird but I suppose that’s all it takes for it to be able to comfortably sleep.
The vast majority of wrens we see in our part of the country are Carolina wrens. They’re everywhere and to be so tiny, their call is so loud and sharp you almost have to put your hands over your ears.
The internet describes them this way…”The Carolina wren is a common, non-migratory bird in eastern North America, identified by its reddish-brown plumage, buffy underparts and a prominent white eyebrow stripe. Known for its loud and musical song and ability to build nests in unusual places like boots and mailboxes, the insect-eating bird thrives in dense vegetation and suburban areas.”
Let’s talk about wrens’ nest building. I have had a couple of instances where wrens built nests in strange places; one where I was prevented from going fishing until the little ones hatched and were fledged under the seat of my bass boat.
The most unbelievable one, though, took place several years ago when I owned a little Honda CRV — you know the car that has a spare mounted on the rear.
One day I had an appointment to meet an angler for an interview over on Lake Bistineau so I headed out early that morning and spent the day fishing with him, getting photos and doing my interview.
Late that afternoon after returning home, I walked behind the car to hear strange rustling coming from the vicinity of the spare tire. I peeked over to see what it was and, to my surprise and consternation, there were five baby wrens fully feathered and ready to fledge peering back out me. I had taken these little babies on the ride of their life, unknown to me exposing them to a day with little bellies growling I’m sure wondering if mama and daddy had forgotten them.
Mama and daddy were 50 miles away wondering where the heck their babies and their nest had gone. Early that morning, the little ones were nestled in the nest behind a spare tire in my driveway but now everything had vamoosed. Likely as not, I had occasionally driven the babies to the post office and grocery store and the parents were confused for the hour I was gone. One hour is one thing but all day 50 miles away is something totally different.
The story has a happy ending because when I went and checked on the babies the next morning, the nest was empty; they may have fledged a bit early to keep from having to take another wild ride down the Interstate.
I have had wrens nest in a boot when I had left a pair on the porch. I have found their nests next to cushions on chairs on the porch. One of the most frustrating things is when we leave our garage door open for any length of time during spring only to find piles of pine straw in odd places, placed there by hard-headed little birds that didn’t realize that when the door is closed, they don’t have access to any babies that may be hatching there.
Carolina wrens are fun to have around the place. However, be on the lookout for nests in odd places, even behind spare tires on the back of your car.
Contact Glynn at glynnharris37@gmail.com
