Discovering a Wren's Nest on My Deck

[Moonbear]

I have a nest of wrens. It was a nice warm day today, so I was sitting outside reading on the deck after work and noticed a wren carrying a bug over to a corner of my deck where I have a bunch of gardening supplies stacked up. Then I saw the grass/straw sticking out of the watering can that's lying on its side on top of a small table but under a larger one. So, after it flew away, I went over to peek. Yep, I've got a few little baby wrens nested in my watering can. I've never seen a wren's nest up close...wow, what an elaborate ordeal!

I can't see inside well to see the babies, mostly can just see little beaks sticking up. I tried getting a photo, but couldn't get enough light inside to get a photo to come out (and no way to stabilize my hand to take a longer exposure photo either). So, no pictures. If I sit quietly again tomorrow, I might have more luck getting photos of mom and dad. I looked up the fledging age for Carolina wrens (that's what I think they are...they have a white bar over the eyes...definitely wrens), and it's about 2 weeks...then a little more time for them to be fully independent of mom and dad. Phew! They should be fully fledged and on their own by the time I need to move the patio furniture and gardening supplies, so will be able to safely clean out their nest. I can't wait to watch them fledging!

 

[Astronuc]

We had a pair of wrens who nested in a flower hanging basket. We kept seeing them around the porch, and visiting the basket, but it wasn't until the babies started chirping that we found the nest. We were present when the babies took first flight, and we watched the parents standby while the little ones flew to the ground then tried to get airborne.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Careful, Moonie. They might imprint on you. :)

Do they look like this little Carolina Wren?

 

[hypatia]

Aww, water can babies, that's so cute. I love watching baby birds. Good luck with the photos.

 

[lisab]

Ah, nothing like watching birds raise their young...such a sweet sight.

At our old house we had barn swallows living in our barn (uh, well, of course...by default!). The babies would fledge and the family would fly, fly, fly all around the yard all day, chirping in joy (ok, I totally understand that's anthropomorphic!).

Sometimes they would fledge a second set of babies. So wonderful, watching them grow and fledge.

 

[Moonbear]

Careful, Moonie. They might imprint on you. :)

Do they look like this little Carolina Wren?

I think they're fairly newly hatched. I can't see much of them yet, but that's partly what makes me think they're still tiny. If they had poofy feathers, I think they'd be more visible. The bar over the eye is similar to what the parents have, though. House wrens don't have the bar.

I was also surprised that the parents didn't seem to mind Ember outside with me today (I had her on her harness and leash, and when I spotted the nest, shortened it a bit so she couldn't reach it). There were a couple low swoops near her on the first pass, but then they decided to ignore her and carry on (of course, for all the chattering she does when inside, she seemed to have no interest in the birds once outside...I think she was busy trying to find out where the rabbit hides).

 

[Dadface]

We have a Robin and usually within ten minutes of me going into the garden he comes real close and follows me around.Because of my digging ,planting, weeding etc he is getting an easy supply of insects for his dinner.I keep telling him he's lazy and needs to do more of the work himself but he won't listen.My little friend is turning into a fat Robin.

 

[hypatia]

We have a few baby finches trying their best to eat seeds from my feeder. Every time I get the camera, they take off. Bright yellow, they are so cute.
I love baby Robins too Dadface, and well yes, even big Robins.

 

[Danger]

I've got a few little baby wrens nested in my watering can.

That's very convenient. Just flip it right-side-up, throw it on the stove, and you've got bird's-nest soup... with added protein.

 

[Moonbear]

That's very convenient. Just flip it right-side-up, throw it on the stove, and you've got bird's-nest soup... with added protein.

:yuck: I never understood why anyone would want to eat soup made out of a bird's nest. I used to think it was just a name, and when I found out that, no, it really is made with birds' nest...ick! Apparently, wren's nests are known for having lots of predatory spider nests in them...after the baby birds vacate the nest, the spiders eat the mites left behind. So, yeah, mites, spider eggs and baby bird poop...yummy!

 

[hypatia]

Its the salty spit from the birds that they use to hold the nest together, that they seek when making the soup. Yep, bird spit soup. Now that's good eats!:yuck:

 

[NeoDevin]

:yuck: I never understood why anyone would want to eat soup made out of a bird's nest.

Its the salty spit from the birds that they use to hold the nest together, that they seek when making the soup. Yep, bird spit soup. Now that's good eats!:yuck:

It's actually made from the nests of cave swifts, who build their nests entirely out of spit (and not just held together by spit).

 

[Danger]

When I was working at the cowboy bar, our cooks were Chinese. There were always Chinese dishes as well as the western menu.
One day our special was egg-drop soup. A fairly sophisticated couple came in for lunch and I seated them as usual. Unfortunately, I had a brain-fart and got confused with bird's nest soup. I therefore proudly announced that our special was 'bird-drop soup'.
The woman's eyes got kind of big and she said 'What?!. It took me at least 10 seconds to realize what I'd said, then I couldn't stop laughing my guts out for a couple of minutes. Luckily, they were patient.

 

[Moonbear]

I therefore proudly announced that our special was 'bird-drop soup'.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: Probably close enough. :rofl:

 

[turbo]

We have phoebes nesting under our back deck again. Last year, I got to photograph a baby on his first real flight. Total gain in altitude - probably 1 foot from a header under the deck to just on top of it. It's parents managed to coax it into a nearby tree where they could park the baby while shuttling food to it.

 

[tribdog]

Why didn't anyone tell me moonbear was back?

 

[chemisttree]

Trib,
Moonbear's back...

Did you hear that Obama won the election?

 

[turbo]

Why didn't anyone tell me moonbear was back?

Shhh! She came back because she thought you were gone.

 

[Borek]

Speaking of birds:

http://www.hancockwildlifechannel.org/staticpages/index.php/20090302200021473

Speaking of Trib:

Hi

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

I just found a little humming bird stuck in the garage at work. It just keeps flying back and forth up inbetween the beams and can't figure out how to get out.
I've tried to shoo it but its not working. Even if I could reach it would probably pop its little heart if I grabbed it.

 

[GeorginaS]

That's an amazing photograph, turbo.

And, awwww, Moonbear. You have baby birds. :)

 

[turbo]

That's an amazing photograph, turbo.

Thanks. (S)he stood there looking me over, while the parents were freaking out in nearby trees. If all my "models" were so cute and cooperative...

 

[tribdog]

I just found a little humming bird stuck in the garage at work. It just keeps flying back and forth up inbetween the beams and can't figure out how to get out.
I've tried to shoo it but its not working. Even if I could reach it would probably pop its little heart if I grabbed it.

Either give it a heart attack or give it 5 minutes to starve to death.

 

[turbo]

Either give it a heart attack or give it 5 minutes to starve to death.

I found a small hummingbird dead in my garage one day last summer. Presumably, its mother "parked" it in there in a safe location near the feeders and flowers so she could feed it, and I had closed the overhead door without noticing the little one. 5 minutes? Don't know about that, but overnight was plenty of time to kill him.

 

[Math Is Hard]

I saw a baby crow this morning.

 

[WhoWee]

I have a Woodpecker and a Cardinal feuding over the tree outside my office window...neither wants to share...and it's a big tree.

 

[Redbelly98]

Go Woodpecker!

 

[Danger]

Go Woodpecker!

A tad biased, are we?

 

[OmCheeto]

I was looking to clean out my birdbath the other morning and found a small fowl egg in the bottom. I was like, "What am I running here? A birdy abortion clinic!" Ahhhhhhhh!