This will be my last bird BLOG for awhile. I could go on and on, but you might just go, if you haven't already. Birds are so fascinating. They are incredible inventions made by the Great Inventor. Remember Noah sent out a raven to see if the water had receded. That was a most dependable bird. the Bible says: "It kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth." (Genesis 8:6-7) Next a dove would go. Finally it returned with an olive leaf in his beak. A week later the dove would go again. This time it did not return. The water had receded!
I am not writing about doves or ravens. This BLOG is about the WREN.
Most everyone has seen a pair of wrens up close. They are nearly always in pairs. There are several kinds of wrens. Let me quickly mention them. Bewick's Wren - A bird of the brush and brush country. It has a long tail that it flicks from side to side. House Wren - A small greyish brown wren of gardens and brushy woods. It is fairly secretive. Winter Wren - The smallest. Dark in browns. A short tail that is usually cocked up. It works the ground and crevices. Sedge Wren - Short beaked and short tailed. It likes damp, thick grasses. Not a good flyer. Marsh Wren - You guessed it! It hangs out in reeds and marsh vegetation. It is secretive Cactus Wren - This is the largest. It is bright and spectacled and rather bold. It builds in a nest in cactus! Can appear to be a thrasher. Rock Wren - A western bird. Hangs out in the rocks. Canyon Wren - Hangs out in canyons. Rufous colors. A long bill. Did you know there were that many wrens? I haven't mentioned my favorite until now - the Carolina Wren. This little guy with the white eyebrow and chocolate color likes to be around us humans. They will come to your patio and yard and bird houses and garage, and into your house if you will let them. They are always looking for a home. Wrens nest in unusual places. They love shoes and even boots left outside! They will investigate under the hood of your vehicle. We were camping with the RV years ago and as it sat for several days they decided the big tailpipe might be a nice home. I had to discourage that project. For all their nest building they don't have families that much. They are birds who build nests but never use them! Know any folks like that? Those who purchase a house on a lake, or stream, or beach and then discover they don't have time to enjoy the place. We see it all the time in Rockport. Wren-like nomads. I recently attended a funeral of a woman who was ninety-one. She lived her entire life in a single location. I have known others who made moving a profession. Ann and I have lived in seventeen different houses in our 51 years. Some moves by choice. Most involved work. Are you a wren-person? I think that's okay. I do wish Carolina Wrens would sell those places they build, but never use. They don't.They could at least rent them out. Sparrow often move in but pay no rent and don't mow their lawns.