Early this morning, I needed a break from gardening so the front steps offered a shady spot. From there I could watch the clouds building over the Bay while I sipped my lemonade. It is also from there that I could listen to the sweet sounds of the baby wrens peeping in the hanging basket just above my head. The tiny birds get so excited when they hear the slightest noise as they think Mama and Papa are bringing food. To me, there is nothing better that babes of any ilk.
The parent wrens had no problem entering the nest while I was just an arm's reach from the nest. They have grown accustomed to my presence and just disregard the idea that I might harm them. I delighted in seeing the birds flit in, pop a morsel in a gaping mouth and dart out again. The search for food was never-ending! As I watched, I became aware of just what the birds were proffering as foodstuffs. A few caterpillars, a few odd bugs and a lot of spiders. SPIDERS!!! It seems that wrens have a thing for spider meals. After about the fifth spider serving, it occurred to me that perhaps spiders were easy to find and easy to obtain. Every nook and cranny about the bayou has some sort of eight-legged critter lurking therein. Wrens being the busy, little hunters they are, have no problem snatching up the tidbits.
Obviously, spiders are nutritious. Otherwise, those feisty baby birds would not be growing so fast. Another week and they will be ready to fledge. Learning to fly will be the next big step in their survival training. With that comes the lessons on hunting...perhaps even hunting spiders. For now, however, the birds are snug in their nest as the storms are building. Mama Wren is a wise bird to build her nest by the front door!
Little Mama Wren is still sitting on her five eggs. She made her nest in the hanging basket next to the front door. As you know, I fretted over her during the recent storm and went out every hour to make sure her nest was still secure. My extra wiring did the job and she was not wobbled too much. All is well with her. She rarely leaves the nest now and Papa Wren occasionally brings her a fine morsel. He has been busy working the tomato plants and finds extra caterpillars for his ladylove.
Today saw me digging out an old gutter drain/wannabe pond. Forty feet or so of a gravel drain ended in a small pond at one time but has been filled with dirt for a while now. Years ago, the area was fitted with a pump making the drain resemble a running creek, The water cycled from the pool back up to the gutter drain. Birds loved the filtered running water causing this to be an ideal feature. I missed the bubbling "creek" so decided to reinstall the whole works. It was during a short break that my little Papa Wren took a notion to fuss at me. I had sat on the steps with my lemonade and he thought I was entirely too close to his soon-to-be family. For being such a tiny critter, he is quite feisty! The little fellow started fussing far up in a nearby tree but kept getting closer and closer. He wanted me gone...and now! Soon, three other wrens joined Papa. Each were chittering frantically at me to leave the area!
Through all of this, Little Mama sat quiet as a church mouse on her nest within an arm's reach. Not once did she give any sign that she was disturbed. I figured that if she let me add wires to her basket while she was sitting on the nest, she was good with me resting a bit on the steps. I assume that the others had no idea that she and I are quite friendly. After a bit, I headed back to work with my shovel and left the birds in peace. I am sure they will appreciate my efforts once the project is complete.
