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| It all started at the beginning of May when a wren started to build a nest in Box A. The twigs and white spots are typical of wren nests. |
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| At the same time, a nest was beginning in Box B. It looked like a bluebirds nest which is typified by the use of only one material in building the nest. |
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| Three weeks later, the nest in Box A had been lined with grass and feathers and had 6 eggs in it. Notice the cup toward the back, the sticks and white spider sac under the lining. All typical of a wren's nest. |
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| A couple of days later, the Box A nest had no eggs in it. Not a trace of the six eggs anywhere. ( I didn't get a picture of the empty nest.) |
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| Then I checked Box B and there was a dead wren in it. Ward removed both the bird and the nest. (I did not take a picture of the dead bird. This picture is of another house wren in the yard.) |
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| A few days later, a new nest was built in Box B like the old one. It was not a wren's nest, but it was filled with 7 wren eggs. Meanwhile, Box A continued to have an empty wren's nest. |
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| At least six out of the seven eggs in Box B hatched and fledged. The mother/father wren was very noisy anytime I approached the nest. |
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| Two weeks later Box A, with the wren's nest in it, has five new eggs. Currently, the mother is sitting on them. We'll see what happens. |
Were you able to keep track of all of that? Let's just say that for now, the wren's are winning. This drama was mild compared to what we watched last year. I won't go into it, but let's just say, bird wars are not for the faint of heart.
But Wait, There's More:
This may explain some of the things we saw last year and this year.
- A House Wren weighs about as much as two quarters, but it’s a fierce competitor for nest holes. Wrens will harass and peck at much larger birds, sometimes dragging eggs and young out of a nest site they want – even occasionally killing adult birds. In some areas they are the main source of nest failure for bluebirds, Tree Swallows, Prothonotary Warblers, and chickadees.
From All About Birds
Oh my. It certainly makes me happy not to have any obvious bird nests around here, I don't think I could take the drama of finding dead birdies all over the yard! I hope those babies make it but I'm sad for the bluebirds, dang it. I know it's "the circle of life" as Greg calls it but is there anything we humans can do to protect nests from such drama, do you know?
ReplyDeleteAs Greg said, it's the circle of life and ultimately, we can't do much. We do find several dead birds in the yard and it's no fun. Some are predators and some are from fights with other birds. I now think I understand what happened to the bluebird who was sitting on eggs last year in Box B. One day we found a couple of her eggs on the ground and the next day we found her.
DeleteI know that some people remove the nests of undesired birds like sparrows from the boxes to give the bluebirds a chance. However, in the past I've seen sparrows and bluebirds fight over boxes and they were evenly matched. But sparrows have taken over everywhere at the expense of some other birds.
Also, the holes of most nest boxes are a smaller size to keep some of the bigger birds out. There are some pretty elaborate things that people try to help the underdogs win. I going to give it more study.
Wow! I had no idea! I knew that cuckoos lay their eggs in other birds' nests for them to bring up (and the baby cuckoo bumps out the other nestlings), but didn't know that wrens steal nests!
ReplyDeleteCowbirds kick an egg out of nest and lay one of their own. Then they rely on surrogate parents to hatch and raise their young. The world of nature is fascinating.
DeleteOoh, it's a soap opera starring birds! I love watching the birds nest on our front wreath every spring. I think they are wrens but I'm not so good at identifying birds. We usually get 2 batches of eggs but I'm not sure if it's from the same mama and papa. I'm amazed at how much you know about their nest-building techniques.
ReplyDeleteI really don't know that much about nests, just a few that I see most years. A lot of birds will return to the same place to build their nests each year so it may be the same mama and papa.
DeleteWe fight with wrens every single spring. They area determined to build their nest on the blade of our porch ceiling fan, and we are equally determined they will not nest there. So far we are winning this years battle, but I expect the war will continue as it has for the last 6 years.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your war. As far as I can tell, you have to be a formidable opponent to win a war against a wren.
DeleteThe bird wars here are bloody and awful. Your bird drama could be a reality TV series.
ReplyDeleteThere's everything else on TV, so why not? Do you want to produce it? There definitely could be a reality series about cat rescue that you do and I think people would watch it. That might be a way to get funds. Now to find someone to do it.
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