Giant tiny creatures indeed. They bring nothing but happy.
I 'have' a pair that share my space with me-There is a little sheltered corner on the south/east corner of my house/under my porch steps that they tend to call theirs in the cold months. Ironically those same steps are often home to my cat-they've worked it out. A few times a year one of these little friends comes inside and we dance around together until an exit is made. On one breath holding occassion my little friend was wedged between the window proper and the storm-a testament to their ability to shrink down their little packages to almost nothing. Thankfully, escape was made without injury.
I am happy to be a 'broken record' in my wonder at the flyers -no matter how many times i see them -raptors way up there on a good current-just feeling it-imagine the rush of being able to do that with no tools but your body!
Oh, yours are decidedly more adventurous than ours. Maybe they mirror the families they live near? Thanks for sharing in the bird-joy, Kate. The idea of being able to fly without the need for contraptions -- well, it certainly captivates me, and I suppose everyone, to some degree, since the dawn of humanity! Thanks for sharing your wonderful stories, Kate.
And it seems to me, the smaller the bird the cheekier they are and the more front they have.
I'm a late comer to birds - still learning what's what in our garden, but I now have a birdfeeder and have seen 6 species around it and on the ground pecking at the overflow.
I want more feeders and a raised bird-bath where the critters will be safe.
One advantage of the Terrier going blind has been his reduced interest in chasing birds.
I was so interested in your wren that I googled audio of his song - goodness, it's stunning! I would adore him in my garden!
Now that you mention it, I intended to include a link to an audio recording. Guess that slipped off the radar! Maybe I'll go back to edit that in. 😊 Carolina wrens have been migrating farther north for the last century or so. They're now found across most of the Eastern U.S. Though not especially well equipped for harsh winters, they evidently don't "know how" to migrate south again once they've relocated. So interesting!
You have so many amazing birds in Australia that are unique to that continent. I remember marveling at the colors, SIZES, and sounds during our visit last spring (our fall). Just wonderful!
What a wonderful post about a beautiful bird! Our native British wren has a name disproportionate to its size - which is about the same as a walnut - it's called Troglodytes troglodytes. They're one of my favourite birds - they're common but shy, so I rarely see one. It makes my day when I do!
Oh! I looked it up -- what a cutie! If I remember correctly, troglodytes means "cave dweller." Wonder why they'd saddle your poor little walnut with a double dose of that?! We have many wren species here, including this friend, who looks quite a lot like yours.
Our "Winter Wren" (Troglodytes hiemalis) has only quite recently been split from Troglodytes troglodytes ... they used to be considered to be the same species. The House Wren ( (Troglodytes aedon) has always been separate but quite similar.
I agree with Prue Batton that the smaller the birds, the cheekier they are. So much fun to see my favorite sub stack writers all commenting!!!
My pair of wrens chose to build atop a motion sensor light this year . Must have been like living under a disco ball! They would scold us entering or exiting the back door or if we had a fire in the fire pit on cool evenings. The neighborhood captors don't seem to bother them the same way they go after the jays and cardinals. .
Oh, gosh, thanks, Lindsay. And I especially appreciate the validation for the audio part. I don't think I have the sound quality nailed down, but if it's useful for even a few folks (which, anecdotally, it seems to be) I'm pleased!
What a good writing companion, your Rush rusher! When I played his Chuck Berry video, it gave a good shock to the cat dozing comfortably on the Christmas tree skirt at my feet. Took a few minutes to assure the cat we did not have a bird trapped in the house. Thank you for the amusement. 😂
Giant tiny creatures indeed. They bring nothing but happy.
I 'have' a pair that share my space with me-There is a little sheltered corner on the south/east corner of my house/under my porch steps that they tend to call theirs in the cold months. Ironically those same steps are often home to my cat-they've worked it out. A few times a year one of these little friends comes inside and we dance around together until an exit is made. On one breath holding occassion my little friend was wedged between the window proper and the storm-a testament to their ability to shrink down their little packages to almost nothing. Thankfully, escape was made without injury.
I am happy to be a 'broken record' in my wonder at the flyers -no matter how many times i see them -raptors way up there on a good current-just feeling it-imagine the rush of being able to do that with no tools but your body!
Oh, yours are decidedly more adventurous than ours. Maybe they mirror the families they live near? Thanks for sharing in the bird-joy, Kate. The idea of being able to fly without the need for contraptions -- well, it certainly captivates me, and I suppose everyone, to some degree, since the dawn of humanity! Thanks for sharing your wonderful stories, Kate.
How beautiful.
And it seems to me, the smaller the bird the cheekier they are and the more front they have.
I'm a late comer to birds - still learning what's what in our garden, but I now have a birdfeeder and have seen 6 species around it and on the ground pecking at the overflow.
I want more feeders and a raised bird-bath where the critters will be safe.
One advantage of the Terrier going blind has been his reduced interest in chasing birds.
I was so interested in your wren that I googled audio of his song - goodness, it's stunning! I would adore him in my garden!
Now that you mention it, I intended to include a link to an audio recording. Guess that slipped off the radar! Maybe I'll go back to edit that in. 😊 Carolina wrens have been migrating farther north for the last century or so. They're now found across most of the Eastern U.S. Though not especially well equipped for harsh winters, they evidently don't "know how" to migrate south again once they've relocated. So interesting!
You have so many amazing birds in Australia that are unique to that continent. I remember marveling at the colors, SIZES, and sounds during our visit last spring (our fall). Just wonderful!
What a wonderful post about a beautiful bird! Our native British wren has a name disproportionate to its size - which is about the same as a walnut - it's called Troglodytes troglodytes. They're one of my favourite birds - they're common but shy, so I rarely see one. It makes my day when I do!
Oh! I looked it up -- what a cutie! If I remember correctly, troglodytes means "cave dweller." Wonder why they'd saddle your poor little walnut with a double dose of that?! We have many wren species here, including this friend, who looks quite a lot like yours.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/House_Wren/overview
Ooooh yes, I'd say the house wren looks very like ours - thanks so much for the link, Elizabeth!
Our "Winter Wren" (Troglodytes hiemalis) has only quite recently been split from Troglodytes troglodytes ... they used to be considered to be the same species. The House Wren ( (Troglodytes aedon) has always been separate but quite similar.
Oh, that's fascinating, Richard - thank you so much for this information!
I agree with Prue Batton that the smaller the birds, the cheekier they are. So much fun to see my favorite sub stack writers all commenting!!!
My pair of wrens chose to build atop a motion sensor light this year . Must have been like living under a disco ball! They would scold us entering or exiting the back door or if we had a fire in the fire pit on cool evenings. The neighborhood captors don't seem to bother them the same way they go after the jays and cardinals. .
Such fun!
Ha! I've got Chuck Berry and you've got disco wrens! I guess the ground feeding birds are more vulnerable to predators? Terrible, terrible kitties.
I love having this wonderful group of voices in the comments, Susan, including yours!
loved this story, and thank you for the inspiration to record my voice! Such a lovely touch.
Oh, gosh, thanks, Lindsay. And I especially appreciate the validation for the audio part. I don't think I have the sound quality nailed down, but if it's useful for even a few folks (which, anecdotally, it seems to be) I'm pleased!
What a good writing companion, your Rush rusher! When I played his Chuck Berry video, it gave a good shock to the cat dozing comfortably on the Christmas tree skirt at my feet. Took a few minutes to assure the cat we did not have a bird trapped in the house. Thank you for the amusement. 😂
Another fan of the Carolina Wren ... there is one on the deck shouting at me right now just west of Montreal. I enjoyed your account - thanks.