A pair of wrens made a nest in my daughter's tree and began the cycle of motherhood (and fatherhood - daddy wrens take a very active role) in the bird kingdom. I was curious about the patterns of this little bird with its cheery twirping and so I looked it up. The male wren builds the nest where the female will sit on her eggs until they hatch. He may make several nests and she will choose which one suits her best. After all she is going to have a long time sitting there - the nest should be one that she likes! After she has chosen one she will finish it out and make a small depression to line with grass and pine needles for the egg laying. After she's happy with her home she will lay one egg each day until she has laid about 5 to 7 eggs. Then she will patiently sit on them for 12 - 15 days until they hatch. Her mate will bring her food and she will sometimes leave herself for short flights to get food. After the eggs hatch, both the momma and the dad will feed the babies. They are very devoted parents. The diet of the wren is almost totally insects so they can be very good for your spring garden.
Wrens are not bothered by passing humans but they can get very bossy if you get too close and many a pet has experienced an angry dive bomb from a wren. While good for the garden they can drive other birds away and can be very territorial and aggressive for their size.
After the eggs hatch, the babies stay in the nest for another 16-17 days until they are ready to try their wings. After these babies have left, the parent wrens may have a second nesting later in the summer as their breeding season runs from March to July. When fall comes these tiny birds will head south to spend the winter.
Every spring I love the songs of birds, the sights of the nesting mommas and, if I'm lucky, the experience of seeing the fledgling baby birds as they leave the nest. Most of the time, they seem to do it when I'm not around; just one day they are gone. It is cheery and it reassures me that the life of the natural species will go on year after year and our world will be blessed by it.
Wrens are not bothered by passing humans but they can get very bossy if you get too close and many a pet has experienced an angry dive bomb from a wren. While good for the garden they can drive other birds away and can be very territorial and aggressive for their size.
After the eggs hatch, the babies stay in the nest for another 16-17 days until they are ready to try their wings. After these babies have left, the parent wrens may have a second nesting later in the summer as their breeding season runs from March to July. When fall comes these tiny birds will head south to spend the winter.
Every spring I love the songs of birds, the sights of the nesting mommas and, if I'm lucky, the experience of seeing the fledgling baby birds as they leave the nest. Most of the time, they seem to do it when I'm not around; just one day they are gone. It is cheery and it reassures me that the life of the natural species will go on year after year and our world will be blessed by it.
 |  |
RSS Feed