..., or has it?
For many years I have had a wren build a nest in the window
which houses my air conditioner for the studio. I listen to the fluttering
wings as the nest gets built each year and I hear the peeps of the babes as
they eagerly eat the meals brought to them by their devoted parents. I watch the wren swell with pride and hear
him announce to anyone or anything that cares to listen, what a great dad he
is, what magnificent babies are in the nest. It is a rite of passage; the
building of the nest before the weather really changes and the ongoing
noise. Wrens are incredibly loud for
such a small bird.
Tom and Laura build bird nests one spring and we hung a few
in the yard for the sparrows and other small birds who grace our trees and
bushes. They eat my sister out of house
and home as she is the person of interest who gets the feeders filled. I stopped feeding birds years ago when I
realized I just was fattening them up for the greedy cats that lived here, too.
The wren, I have been told, courts many women and has more
than one wife. I can’t prove this, but I
have no reason to disbelieve it. Mr. Wren spends a lot of time after the nest
is ready convincing Mrs. Wren to choose the nest.
This year the fluttering started in early January. With this bizarre winter not really arriving,
all things outside were confused. By
mid-February when the sub- zero weather actually arrived, all activity stopped
at the air conditioner window and silence ensued for several weeks.
Suddenly today there is a flurry of activity, but it isn’t
wrens! I think a sparrow has gotten a
real estate license and has evicted the wrens.
I hear arguing and loud chattering and stamping feet on the air
conditioner and when I peek out, it is sparrows; dozens of them. I’m sure
sparrows have a right to nest as do wrens, they just aren’t as amusing to me.
It seems rather odd that so many sparrows are out there
arguing. Maybe sparrows court more than one woman or maybe this one just
brought all his friends around to check out his most excellent nest he confiscated
from the wren.
Hopefully Mr. Wren will find one of sweet little bird houses
and take up residence. I will miss his
boisterous announcement of the wee ones he is always so proud of.
