When the little sticks were all in a pile on the ground below...what do you think she did? She started putting them all back in her little house. She must be a neat freak...wanting everything just so. A fussy little bird...chattering and scolding me when I garden near this house. She sits above me, on a branch, and gives me the "evil birdy eye." Sometimes I just go on and garden somewhere else and then there are times when I say..."Jenny, this is my yard and you live here rent free...all you have to do for me is to sing."
This morning, at breakfast, I noticed that another wren...Jenny ll...was inspecting the house on the clothes pole...just above the new clematis vine. She was going in and out, looking things over. Then she started cleaning. Coming out of the house with debris as big as she, in her mouth. She would drop it to the ground...some got caught in the clematis. It had been inhabited by sparrows and she thinks that they are messy little birds. She would work and then sit on the ledge and sing her little song. Then she went back to the job at hand. When I came out with the camera, she was frightened away, but she came back quickly as there was work to be done. She gave me a little dirty look and went on with her job.
After a while...her job almost done, she took a break and sat on the roof of her new home. She looked like she was telling everyone that this was her domain...don't mess with me. Now, the sparrows have lived there for a long time. They go in and out during the winter. They stay here and put up with the cold and snow....no migrating for this tough little bird. They aren't fair "weather friends." I'm looking forward to watching how things progress when the sparrows come home and find all their belongings tossed on the ground. What will happen between the sparrows and Jenny Wren? 
I'll keep watch and let you know tomorrow :)Balisha
If you want to watch two little Wrens at work...building a home go to...
http://birdsandbloomsblog.com/2011/06/09/video-a-pair-of-house-wrens/#comment-2446
http://birdsandbloomsblog.com/2011/06/09/video-a-pair-of-house-wrens/#comment-2446
I really enjoyed watching. Balisha
3 comments:
How interesting! My bird houses are unoccupied. It may be because of Missy Kitty. I call her killer kitty.
I fear the sparrows will win unless you affix something over the hold so that the opening is about 1 1/8" in diameter. Last summer, even with that tiny opening, the sparrows never stopped trying to invade, but the little wrens are pretty tough when it comes to protecting their house.
I am currently trying to de-sparrow my yard. They ran the blue birds off last year and that was the last straw for me. They are not native to the US and can only be described as pests. I am trying to turn my yard into a little bird and butterfly sanctuary and it just can't be done with sparrows and blackbirds. I've removed or blocked all the houses where sparrows have nested and am on the lookout to tear down any nests they build. Now, if I could get my neighbor to stop throwing out gallons of corn for the squirrels maybe the the blackbirds would be less plentiful.
Good luck with your sweet little wrens!
I fear the sparrows will win unless you attach something to the hole so that the opening is 1" to 1 1/8" in diameter. My wrens do well in the tiniest little house imaginable AND the sparrows can't get it. BUT that didn't stop them from trying all summer last year. The year before the sparrows invaded and ran off my bluebirds--the ultimate sin. So now I'm working on de-sparrowing my yard entirely and I'm being rather ruthless but the other birds are beginning to return.
Good luck!
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