The wren nest

Like many folks across the land, I have the pleasure of hosting a nesting Carolina Wren in one of my hanging baskets.

photo by Jason Heinen

The flowers are long since dead, but I prefer the birds anyway. Hanging baskets can make great nest locations for wrens, sparrows, finches, robins, and other birds. I guess the thick greenery is attractive to mother birds as a good hiding place for a nest, but there are two major material benefits for basket-nesters. First, these baskets tend to hang under eaves on porches, so they can be largely shielded from heavy rain, hail, or prolonged direct sunlight. Next, only the most intrepid of nest raiders can get to a hanging basket. (Though cowbirds can get to them just fine!)

Our wren started laying last week, and got down to the business of incubating on Saturday or Sunday, June 7th or 8th. I noticed on Sunday that her complete clutch is even more complete than the mother wren had left it: There are 5 Carolina Wren and 1 Brown-headed Cowbird egg in the nest. I’ll keep folks posted on how they turn out.