Wrens
are preparing for their busiest season again.
Male
wrens, such as this one, are tireless in their task of bringing lots of tiny twigs to a comfortable cavity, hoping
that their mates will find it a good place to decorate and furnish with the softer linings for a proper nest.
He
might bring as many as 400 tiny sticks to construct a good sturdy foundation.
The
whole cycle of incubation through fledging takes only about a month-- leaving the parents time to raise two clutches
and, sometimes-- even three.
When 4
to 8 eggs hatch, both parents will bring insects for the young to eat, while they both continually clean the nest.
The
adult birds are between 4 and 5 inches long, have a short thin bill suitable for insect-grabbing, and typically hold
their tails upright. Unlike many other wide-ranging migratory songbirds, the male and female are very similar in their
earthy colors of brown, tan and grey with touches of black.
Their musical songs are complex. A bubbling series of whistles, tones and trills with a sharp "chek" at the end of some musical phrases is typical.
Wrens
are often known to return to the same nesting area year after year. They are one of about 50 species of birds in the
U.S. that will happily adapt to man-made birdhouses.
Sometimes the more decorative birdhouses, which are painted and adorned for the benefit of human sensibilities, are
less attractive to wild birds than plain weathered wood boxes.
This
one, a particularly attractive rustic style cottage, is both man-made and decorative, though it uses a lot of natural
materials. It seems to fulfill both the practical and aesthetic sensibilities of this Daddy Wren.
Linda Gast
www.hummingbirdmountain.com
www.mariposaspca.org
www.goldrushcam.com
