I built this wren house from old chestnut boards from my grandfather-in-law's farm, and used his 1958 Pennsylvania license plate as the roof. (photo by Gary)
The house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) should be arriving any day now from their winter stay. They are a critter of edges, so I will encounter them along my typical rural road runs, along the C+O Canal, but not usually along the Appalachian Trail. They are not a deep woods critter.
One of the reAsons I love this tiny dynamo of feathers is that the males and the females are indistinguishable from one another, and share nest duties equally. And can they ever sing—a sweet, melodic burst of sound that seems too large to come from this tiny little bird. My Audubon Society field guide calls it “…a gurgling, bubbling, exuberant song….”
The bride and I eagerly await this time of year, to see who will be the first to say, "The wrens are back." Then we know that the earth, and us upon it, have sucessfully turned another year.
Photo credit here
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