Even on these snow-bound days of deep winter, if the sun comes out and lights up the ravines, the Carolina wren comes out to sing; a cheery counterpoint to the cold and ice of late January. It is only the last five years or so that our woods has been a consistent home for these birds; native to the south, we are just at the northwestern fringe of their territory, and in severe winters, they die off. With our recent milder winters, we are now regular beneficiaries of their singing prowess. They are slightly larger than our Jenny wrens, and of a richer brown, with a longer, down-turned bill, and a more prominent white supercilium (line above the eye). The Carolina wren's ringing call of
tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle, is now heard almost year around; I don't know if they are just preternaturally cheerful or if they are deluded; southerners transplanted to the north, who can't get out of their heads the idea that a sunny day in January means a happy trip to the beach.
Even on these snow-bound days of deep winter, if the sun comes out and lights up the ravines, the Carolina wren comes out to sing; a cheery counterpoint to the cold and ice of late January. It is only the last five years or so that our woods has been a consistent home for these birds; native to the south, we are just at the northwestern fringe of their territory, and in severe winters, they die off. With our recent milder winters, we are now regular beneficiaries of their singing prowess. They are slightly larger than our Jenny wrens, and of a richer brown, with a longer, down-turned bill, and a more prominent white supercilium (line above the eye). The Carolina wren's ringing call of tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle, is now heard almost year around; I don't know if they are just preternaturally cheerful or if they are deluded; southerners transplanted to the north, who can't get out of their heads the idea that a sunny day in January means a happy trip to the beach.
As hard as we try, we never get birds to come to the feeder. We get the sparrows. That's it...
ReplyDeleteI have had Carolina Wrens at my feeder for the second year. The photo is not the greatest but the bird can be identified.
ReplyDeleteedaleputt.blogspot.com
Well, that's a lot better than any picture I've gotten of the Carolina wren; I never have the camera about when they show up at the feeder; I mostly hear them off in the woods. I'm glad to see another Iowa garden blogger; I'll link you when I get a chance.
ReplyDeleteSissy... do you have any cover near the feeder? Songbirds aren't keen on being too much out in the open.
Don
Hey, where's the wren? I get it, it's one of those hidden picture puzzles...'Find the 10 animals hidden in the picture'. ;) I've given up trying to photograph birds. I have a 10x zoom digital camera and even bought a 1.7 tele converter to give me 17x zoom but the birds are skittish and move too quickly so I end up taking pictures of only the common ones at the bird feeder, cardinals, chickadees, finches & sparrows etc. I can occasionally hear nuthatches, my favorite bird, but can't get close enough to get a photo. I guess you'd have to build a blind near where the birds frequent to get a decent chance of getting a good shot.
ReplyDeleteKi... well, that's my trouble: no zoom at all (plus I'm too lazy to stalk them. The picture is of the ravine the bird is in... get out your magnifying glass.
ReplyDeleteDon
I posted a couple more pictures of the Carolina wren on my blog. I took these pictures from the comfort of my kitchen window. Thanks for linking to my blog! As soon as I figure out how to link to another's blog I will do the same.
ReplyDeleteDon, I saw a robin on my walk in to work on that nice 38 degree day, Friday, January 26th! I wonder if the poor thing is cussing today with it being 13 degrees!--Kim
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