Carolina wren nest (mystery eggs revealed)
Me: Okay, way back on April 16, I introduced you to these mystery eggs that were in a nest here at work.
You: Yes, we remember. You said you would show us the picture of the angry mama “tomorrow.”
Me: Um, yes, well, I did say that, didn’t I. Well… how bout, instead of waiting until tomorrow, um, I’ll go ahead and show you today! Does that work?
You: Bad joke. Do we have a choice?
Me: No, so let’s get on with the big show here. This (above) is the actual nest that those same eggs were found in!
You: I don’t think you’re supposed to end a sentence with a preposition, Dave.
Me: As I was saying, this is the actual nest. It was built into the door of a large metal storage container here at work. You can see the door handle there in the picture.
You: How do we know that’s a storage container door? The picture is too tight. And that doesn’t look like a bird nest, either. What if you just stuffed the pine straw and leaves in there yourself?
Me: Tough audience today. C’mon, we’ve got a rapport here now! I’m Dave, your friendly amateur bird lover! You know, Dave’s Bird Watching Blog!
You: Hmmm…maybe, but you’d think we’d get a picture of the whole storage container.
Me: Anyway, it is a real nest. Here’s what’s inside…two cute little birds!
You: There were three eggs in the old picture you showed us way back on April 16. Why aren’t there three baby birds?
Me: Maybe there are three, but we can only see these two here at the front. The nest is kind of like a deep tunnel.
You: Okay, but can you zoom in closer so we can see them better?
Me: Sure. Here you go!
You: Wow! Those really are birds in there. I guess you didn’t just stuff those leaves into the container door yourself after all. That one on the left looks like a porcupine…kind of prickly. What’s that on top of his head? It looks like little brown feathers! Can we get in any closer still?
Me: Glad you asked! Absolutely!
Someone else: Excuse me, I just found this site while Googling “bluebird eggs.” You have a nice blog, but are there any bluebirds in this post today?
Me: Hi! Not today, sorry. They’re still high up in the treetops with the new fledglings. I did see the male this morning though, sitting on the nestbox.
You: Surely you have a picture of that for us to see…
Me: Actually no. This post is about the mystery birds. Here’s that close-up for you.
You: Yikes! His eye is open! That’s a little scary there, Dave!
Me: Well, you asked for it…but it does give us a good look at the feathers. I’d say these nestlings are about nine or ten days old. So, are you ready for the big mystery to be revealed? To finally find out who these babies really are and who is the author and owner of the eggs? This is the moment you’ve been waiting for!
You: For almost a month, but Dave, um, the title of the blog says…
Me: Okay! Drumroll please!!! It’s a Carolina wren nest!!!
You: Never would have guessed.
Me: Here’s a picture of one of the parents that’s been fluttering around the nest and squawking at me.
You: That picture is a little far away and not quite as crisp. Is that the best one you could get for us?
Me: Well, yeah, but those little wrens are hopping and flying all over the place out there! They aren’t tame and trusting like the ones in my backyard.
You: Okay, that makes sense, but did you get any shots with their mouths open? That would have been really cool to see here.
Me: Ask and you shall recieve!
You: Nice, but you misspelled “receive” up there. It’s i before e except after c, remember? Better turn your spell checker on, chief.
Me: Oops. Good point. I’ll go back and fix that before this gets posted. Hey, want to get a closer look?
You: Oh no, that’s plenty close already.
Me: Come on, where’s your spirit of adventure? I’ll go ahead and show you what it would be like and then you can decide for yourself.
You: No, Dave! Wait!!!
You: Ugh! I feel like a mealworm! Dave, that’s way too close. You really shouldn’t put that in there.
Me: Sorry, but it is pretty interesting. Is that its larynx down in there?
You: Dave! What if people are eating! And really, this blog entry is getting quite long. Are we done yet?
Me: Well, I had thought about showing you a family picture. My wife had a birthday recently.
You: Yes! We love how you show us your family and those two cute boys you have! And it wouldn’t hurt to let us end on something pleasant…so we don’t feel like we’re about to be swallowed.
Me: Right, another excellent idea. Here you are.
You: Lovely! That’s much nicer to end on. Gotta run, Dave. Thanks!
Me: Bye! Don’t forget to leave a comment below! :-)
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Comments
hmmmm well, Dave..my Father always said if you want to have an intelligent conversation…talk to yourself. ;0
You are funny..I really enjoyed reading your little story and looking at all your cool pictures of your baby birdees..I must say you really are into the babies these days..but the best pic was the last..birds of a feather..nice to see the flock.
happy birthday Mrs. Dave..and hope you have many more!!
I have a Boston fern hanging on my back porch. We noticed that Carolina Wrens had built a nest in it and soon saw the chicks. Problem is we have an indoor/outdoor cat. We tore part of the screen up top so the parents could fly in and out and we could keep the cat out. The 2 chicks finally flew out of the nest and left. That was about 1 month ago.
Now, I notice there are 3 more chicks in the nest but I am afraid my cat killed at least one parent. The 3 little birds remain in the nest with their mouths perpetually open. I don’t know what to do. Can anyone give me suggestions on how to keep these little guys alive until they are ready to fly?
I’m so glad you have wrens and not some horrid birds. No doubt these will be eating from your hands soon. Happy Mother’s Day to your wife, the mother of those adorable boys.
Well, Dave, that was just pretty darn cute! The extreme close up made me just want to put something down that little ones throat. Very good shots!
Diane, the ones here at work keep their mouths open a lot even with both parents around, so the adults may still be alive. If you’re pretty sure no one is feeding them, you can buy some mealworms (go to Wild Birds Unlimited or your local bird store; you can also order them online more cheaply, but that may take too long) and try feeding them yourself. Just hold a mealworm by one end with some tweezers and dangle it into the chick’s mouth. This should work okay, but I’m not sure how much they need to eat each day…
Hi Dave! Those crazy Carolina wrens nest in the most peculiar places, don’t they? What a GREAT job you’ve done with those pictures – and that commentary? Ya took the words right out of my mouth ;-)
B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L family!!!
Dave – I don’t think you could’ve gotten any closer to that baby birds mouth unless you turned yourself into a mealworm!! LOL!! P.S. Love your little ones bib!!!
Hi Dave,
Very cool to see babies of carolina wren! Let’s hope life will be nice to them.
You have a very nice family!
Hi Dave, I enjoyed catching up on your posts… I know you are disappointed that the bluebirds are gone… But they’ll be back one or two more times!!!!!! Great video…
I think mine will be born about Thursday—so I’ll check the nest then… I’m so excited.
You all need to go to Ocean Isle sometime. It’s a beautiful place.
Loved seeing the Carolina Wren babies also. My friend Clara had Carolina Wrens nesting in her hanging basket.
Hope you have had a wonderful day… That baby is growing fast…Great pictures!!!
Hugs to all four of you,
Betsy
Hi Dave – I’m new to bird watching/nests. We have six Carolina Wren fledglings nested high in our garage (6-7 days old) . Mom and Dad are busy feeding all day – I’m exhausted just watching them! Can you advise on whether I should move the nest to lower ground? The nest is approx.9 feet above ground and once the fledglings attempt to fly they will hit cement.
Hi Again –
The fledglings left the nest today. I wasn’t around when it happened, but we can confirm two are hanging around the backyard.
We have a bird box nest on our upper deck. The c.wrens have been feeding (we think 3) for the past 10 days. This morning (6/12/09) we saw one leave and it came down onto our patio table, about 12″ away from us then left. This is the third year that the mother & father have been using our “box nest”. I will wait a few days then clean it out and the process will begin again (usually two time a year). We live in Dallas, PA.
Bought a beautiful 12 potted geranium and other flowers. Set it out on back porch. Few days later noticed hanging leaves were dying. Upon closer observation noticed in back dirt on floor. Yep, bird was building nest. One day had one egg and now have 4. Carolina Wren. Her nest goes like a tunnel not down but backwards. Told my 95 year old mother about the nest and she said don’t destroy the nest. Heck with the flowers. So getting to watch them up close and personal. Jordan, Ar.
Alice, sounds fun, and I agree with your mom…I’ll lose the plant and watch the birds every time! Carolina wrens are very fun and one of my favorite birds. They are loud though!
P.S. Sorry for the delay in posting your comment and a reply. We just got back from vacation. :-)
nice pictures of the carolina wren, just came from inside the front door watching a wren settle down to roost at top of one of the supporting post on the front porch was fun watching it settle down before taking to the roost
enjoyed the pics keep up the good work.
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That is the coolest post I have read in a long time.Way to go Dave.It is always a good idea to end on a pleasant note and your lovely family is the perfect way.Thanks for sharing your birds and your family.Hope you and your family have a GREAT weekend.
Blessings,Ruth