Not One but TWO Wren Families

Monday again, time to get out my MasterWorks hat and webmaster tools and get busy. Reminding me that the first thing on the list is to report on the birds, "Mr. Music" is seranading me at the kitchen window. Mr. Music is the father of the family I wrote about last time. Believe it or not, in two short weeks, he and Mrs. Music sent off their first set of babies and are already setting on a second batch of eggs. The picture at the left shows Mom feeding one of the babies after a cool maneuver we had never seen before that I call "the handoff". One parent would fly by with a bug, and while in full flight hand it off to the other one that would be stationed at the hole. The bug then got passed off to a seemingly always-hungry baby.

On Saturday June 21 we woke up to find all was quiet at the house and we knew the babies had finally taken off on their maiden flights and were learning to find food on their own. The following day, as John walked to his shop he spotted what he though might be Mr. Music entering the birdhouse on on our back porch. After closer observation we discovered that the house contained another whole family of wrens. This batch was still in the feeding stage and as of this morning are all still occupying this sunny location.

Next week: Bluebirds Find "Apartments" for their Babies

Wrens - Today's Activities at the Nest

As the webmaster for my husband John's bronze and sculpture repair business, MasterWorks Studios website, every Monday I sit down to take a look at what needs to be done in the day ahead. Before I take this seat however, a few other things must be taken care of! These tasks include feeding our three dogs Chip, Birdie and Buster, our two parrots Donovan and Missie, seeing John off to the studio, watering the garden and tending to our outside birdfeeders. This time of year the rounds also include checking in on all the nesters on the property.

Today my attention is drawn to a wren family right outside our kitchen window. Mom and Dad have been feeding for over a week now and we can hear baby racket each time one approaches with a fresh green worm or other tasty morsel. The parents picked a great location - this little house made from Louisianna cypress and decorated with Gulf barnacles is 20' from our winter woodpile which hosts an endless supply of meals for the growing family. The little parents do not seem to get a bit of rest during the day! At least the babies are all inside the house for now. I always think about how nerve wrecking it must be when the babies first jump out, are discovering the "world" for the first time and the parents must keep track of them all going different directions. What a miracle they perform. When will the adventure start for this sweet little family? John thinks he saw a baby face peep out yesterday so their time to leave the nest must be approaching. Stay tuned!