Friday, June 27, 2008

And Still More Peeping

Every year we have wrens nesting on our porches, in our basement, under our eaves -- anywhere they can find a protected location. Dried grasses, mosses, ferns all go into the construction of these little nests -- and lots of hair -- from the dogs and from my own hairbrush. One little Jenny Wren has taken over a miniature zinc bucket, originally a country-style citronella candle, that hangs on our front porch, just beneath an outdoor speaker. And this morning I heard peeping.


Mama flies away whenever we walk out on the porch. So I lifted up my camera and shot blindly into the nest. The picture above isn't great but it does show an egg and a rather naked-looking hatchling or two.

I cane back about an hour later and got these: the babies have dried off and look a little less awful ---- and they're ready to be fed!


It's a precarious business, raising a brood on the front porch. We'll try to keep an eye on the cats when the babies are ready to fly and we'll hope that the resident blacknakes don't discover the nest. If they live, they'll be tough little birds, brought up on NPR and Bluegrass music, and used to paparazzi from their earliest hour.
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5 comments:

Kathryn Stripling Byer said...

These photos are great, Vicki, and I hope the blacksnakes don't spoil things. That happened to a bird's nest just outside our bedroom window. The mother was frantic, and we didn't "get" what was happening until it was too late.
Do you know Suzanne Stryk's wonderful art? (suzannestryk.com) She has a lot of nest and bird imagery in her paintings. You'd like it, I bet.

Vicki Lane said...

Wow! Stryk's website
http://www.suzannestryk.com/index.

is wonderful!! wish she could do the Miss Birdie cover -- how perfect would that be! (not gonna happen though. Bantam Dell like to use their own artists.)

Vicki Lane said...

CORRECTION!!

http://suzannestryk.com/

Susan M. Bell said...

Chicks yesterday and more chicks today. Bet your place is very noisy right now.

Vicki Lane said...

In a pleasant way. Besides, my friend Louise came and took away most of the chicks this afternoon -- we're down to only 13 and things are quieter, not to mention considerably less poopy.