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We have a sweet little wren couple nesting inmy hanging basket! We scared each other as
I watered the flowers and out flew Mrs Wren!
So, I'm now announcing my coming and watering
from the other end and she doesn't seem to mind.
The Mister always teases me that the backyard
birds know my voice and come when I call them. :)
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I love wrens! It's that perky little tail and that hugesong that comes from that tiny body! And it's just
the sweet way they court and nest. I've talked about
the habits of the wrens before, but I must again in
honor of the cute little couple on my back porch!
~~~~
The male wren builds several nests before
even meeting his mate ~ he can build up to ten nests,
each consisting of around 400 tiny twigs!
It takes him days, but he is a scrappy little guy and
hard working, singing the whole time!
Then he calls for a mate to come ~ calls and calls ~
so loudly that it is amusing to watch all that sound
coming from such a tiny bird!
~~~~
We got to witness this last year and it is amazing!
He calls and calls! We were beginning to feel sorry
for the little guy as no lady wren came for days.
Then ~ finally! The female comes! Instantly, his
calling becomes this sweet, soft, courting song!
A lovely little tune! He coos and takes her around
to see the nests that he has built for her!
~~~~
She inspects the nests, picks a favorite and begins
to tear it apart! She tears it all apart and
arranges it how she wants ~ and he helps her ~
the two of them working together until it's finished!
Then the female adds her own special
touches ~ softness of grass, hair and feathers.
Now it's ready to start a family!
~~~~
I smile every time I think of that bird couple!
And what a sweet little guy to let her
redecorate after he worked so hard!
He gives the part that makes it structurely sound and
she adds the beauty and softness for the coming brood.
Isn't that just the sweetest thing?
That is one glorious hanging basket! And ample room for a nest, too. We have wrens, and you're right, they can be pretty loud for being so small.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Willow on the hanging basket...and I smile everytime I read about your love affair with God's sweet small creatures.
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful descriptions you gave of wrens and their coutship, Betsy. I don't think I've ever seen one. We see mainly sparrows, starlings and morning doves at our bird feeder, and an occasional cardinal.
ReplyDeleteI love this...the wren couple and their mating habits...their home in your basket...such amazing little creatures...
ReplyDeleteWe have a bird in our forest that makes a sound that is like a baby crying or a cat mewing...it is soulful and sad...it does it in the evening...I can see it in the tree, but not enough to identify it...wish their was a website that had the "calls" of birds to ID them!
That bird is beautiful !! Did you take that photo ?? And I have to say, if I was a wren, I'd be living in that basket too ... it's so pretty !!
ReplyDeleteJill ~ it's a Catbird that you are hearing! Really! Their call sounds like a meow.
ReplyDeleteI love wrens... must be some of the South Carolina blood in me, the wren is the state bird. They are adorable little birds with the sweetest habits. We had a baby one that roosted in a corner of our front porch gable at our old house. We called him Clive. He eventually grew up and flew away to find a lady friend.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful basket, I don't blame him for choosing it for a home!
ReplyDeletedrama of the bird kind is so much fun to follow...i always become so attached!
ReplyDeleteHi Betsy,
ReplyDeleteI am shamelessly promoting a project at my website for everyone to see.
Just click on my name and then I will also ask if you will join me to shamelessly join in and promote it too. The more who join, the more shamelessness for us all. This should be fun for everyone and we are doing something good.
God bless.
That's a great basket, but the wren family makes it even better. How adorable! I love how you've watched them and learned about them. I found this very fascinating.
ReplyDeleteOne time I was laying down on a bench in a small park in the middle of a greenbelt by my house in Seattle. There was a tree branch that came low, right over my head. As I layed there, a wren came down that low hanging branch, right in front of my head, and seemed curious about my face. It was one of the most memorable things that's ever happened to me.
Such a sweet post, Betsy. I adore birds (both my parents and grandparents are/were bird fanatics) and I enjoy all your postings about our fine feathered friends.
ReplyDeleteJill, you can go to www.enature.com/birding/audio.asp for bird calls.
I'll have to show this to my grandparents and my mom! They have a similar basket hanging on their kitchen porch. Just the same as you, my mom was watering and out sprang the bird! She thought maybe it was just perching and she scared it away but later they saw it come back again and again. A few nights ago I was there and they were telling me about it. I was curious so I went out and started carefully moving parts of the plant to see if I could spot a nest. I nearly had my nose in the basket and the bird SHOT out of the basket! We both screamed like little girls. Then we were scolded firmly by the bird from the nearby apple tree. The whole thing is still making me laugh.
ReplyDeleteJen ~ yes, you will have to tell them! Funny that we did the exact same thing!
ReplyDeleteJust seeing you here made my day! :)
As I grow older each year my interest in birds increases. I remember my grandma being a bird watcher and I just thought...how boring!!
ReplyDeletehee hee
my hubbie and i courted exactly like your pair of wrens, right down to the redecorating by me and all the sweet overtures by him. smile!
ReplyDeletewrens are one of my favorite birds as well along with chickadees who supposedly mate for life.
Anna ~ that is a really cool story! I can see why it has stuck with you. Things like that only happen once in a life time and it's so fun to cherish the memory!
ReplyDeleteWe had a very heavy rain last night and I thought the wrens must be so happy to be dry..in the basket hanging just under the eaves!
Love your observations about the wren couple! I am fascinated by animal behavior as well. Sometimes it kind of bums me out that animals seem to do some things (loyalty, hard work) better than a lot of humans ...
ReplyDeleteSusan
Aren't birds fascinating creatures? Lovely post. And lovely hanging basket. Wow!
ReplyDelete(PS-Thanks for the visit. MG is a lovely friend to have in common.)
Yes, taht really is the sweetest thign. I had no idea.
ReplyDelete"She tears it all apart and arranges it how she wants ~ and he helps her ~ the two of them working together until it's finished!"
--Whoa. Can you say, "humble bird"?!! LOL. Now that is what i say is true love. :)
That's sweet! I love wrens too. We have a recent picture that Hubby took and the bird was posing with it's tail perked straight up, kind of like the dogs do in those dog shows. So cute!
ReplyDelete