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Carolina Wrens and others



Howdy,

Below my email you'll read about an encounter with Carolina Wrens a
friend shared with me, in response to Donna's earlier post.

After watching the titmice busy around the nest box in the back yard for
weeks, it sure is quiet back there now since the kids have fledged. I
haven't seen the kids at the feeders yet, but on two occasions I've seen
them high in the oak tree begging for food from their parents. It's been
fun watching a cardinal family the past two weeks--two fledglings being
fed by mom mostly, while dad is close by. There has been one immature
robin being fed by his dad, and yesterday I saw a Carolina Wren feeding
a begging fledgling.

I have a pair of catbirds and Brown Thrashers in the yard, but so far I
haven't seen signs of kids.

Gosh, still no hummers at our feeders! Usually one or two arrive in
early July.

Enjoy the nesting season! Happy birding! Karen Bearden
Raleigh, NC

      While I did not photograph or witness the fledging of my own
subspecies of
Carolina Wren, Thyrothorus
ludovicianus cyclohelmetus, it was interesting, if not inconvenient,
when a pair
decided to nest in a bicycle helmet hanging just inside my garage door.
(That
will teach me to leave the garage door open.)  I first noticed them when
I left
the basement door to the garage open - they flew in the door, up the
stairs, and
straight into the master bedroom.  After I got them to fly out an open
window, I
found out why they were hanging around the garage -- I went to put on
the
bicycle helmet and a wren flew out.  Inside were four small eggs.  Later
my wife
spent a couple of hours trying to figure out where the bird poop came
from in
the master bath...

This particular pair made no bones about filling my ear with grief, even
after I
made the decision to leave the garage door open for as long as it took
the
chicks to leave.  A local squirrel also got its earsful. I found it
difficult to
work in my garage workshop, mostly from concern over disturbing the
chicks with
my power tool racket.  While the chicks were in the nest, I had the
opportunity
to show them to my six-year-old boy, who was thrilled.  This weekend I
discovered they had flown the coop (or the garage, in this case), so I
lowered
the door and cleaned out the helmet.  For all that I appreciated their
enjoyment
of the well-protected luxury suite, next spring I keep the garage door
shut.

Regards,
David Kelly