15 years later

This is quite exciting – it looks as if a pair of Carolina Wrens are building a nest in an accessible (to us) site after an interval of some 15 years.

We were taking our morning constitutional when we happened to observe the pair buzzing back and forth with nesting materials and a couple of hours later they are still at it. Quite a superb birthday present for J.

A pair bond may form between a male and a female at any time of the year, and the pair then stay together for life and on their territory year-round. They forage and move around the territory together.

Near buildings, they are versatile nesters, making use of discarded flowerpots, mailboxes, propane-tank covers, and a variety of other items. Nests have even been found in old coat pockets and boots.

Males, like most Wren species, usually build multiple nest starts, and the female makes the final selection. We are rather hoping that this site will be the one chosen – which is possible as once the female has approved the both the male and female birds complete the nest together and we have certainly seen two birds working at this location. About 15 years ago a brood was fledged from this site. One member of the pair generally stays at the site while the other gathers material.

We shall see …