Tuesday, June 9, 2009

My friend the wren...



I have the cutest little wren in my garden singing his heart out all day. I just learned that they make a bunch of nests to woo their female and she gets to choose which one she wants. This little guy has been filling this white birdhouse up for the last 2 springs but his lady friend never chooses it to have her babies. I was happy I was able to get a few photos of him today - one in flight, one with a bug and one singing. I learned that wrens aren't very interested in feeders but they are really good to have in your yard because they love to catch insects.





Also saw this gorgeous black dragonfly/damsel fly type critter. So glad I was able to take a photo!



And I know you would enjoy seeing that I captured my most recent nemesis - groundhog #2. This one was much smaller than the last, must be the female. She moved in two weeks after I caught the last one and has since eaten two bachelor's buttons, sugar baby watermelon plant, gladiolas, several lettuce plants, a hot pepper plant, 3 broccoli plants, a baby blueberry bush and the tops all almost all my zinnias. Of course the rabbit in the last post may have been her partner in crime. We shall see!

18 comments:

Blackfeatherfarm said...

Great post, the wrens are one of my favorites. Thanks for going to the trouble to catch that pest instead of just exterminating him like a lot of people would have done !

Melody Lea Lamb said...

Jennifer, what a busy little backyard world you have going on! The Wren is so sweet, I adore their song...it makes me all giggly inside when I hear it for the first time in the spring. The Damsel Fly/Dragon Fly is very cool and that Ground Hog looks like she knows she's busted! :)

Jennifer MacNeill said...

Thanks for the comments:) I forgot to write that no groundhogs were harmed in my yard. I took them to a large park / wildlife center that has a huge groundhog population. Truth be told I did want to wring their little necks when they ate my broccoli!

Cheryl Kugler, Artist said...

As always, nice pics! Maybe Ms. Groundhog will meet back up with her "Mister" in the wildlife park. My hubby and I always love when the wrens return. We love their sweet music. And, have had a few build nests on our front door wreath...next thing you know they flutter into the house when you forget they are there and accidentally open the door. It's quite an ordeal to shoo them back outside. The cats sure enjoy the indoor chase though! >^..^<
Cheryl
www.cherylkugler.com

dellartist said...

Wonderful photos and fascinating information about wrens and their houses. I never knew that Mrs. Wren gets her choice of houses. I was afraid the poor little guy in our backyard wasn't finding a mate. Maybe the lady just wanted a different house.

Gail H. Ragsdale said...

I love wrens! Yours is much darker than ours!

Kathleen Coy said...

Aw, love the wren! That is interesting about the nests. My wrens seem to have picked their house for the year, yay!
Congrats on #2. Maybe your garden will be safe now?

Zan Asha said...

Beautiful pics of everything--birds and dragon/damselfly...

Oh dear--wow, those groundhogs seem to have an appetite--they should be thankful they crossed paths with you as opposed to some gardener hellbent on just having them killed..they will never know the kindness you bestowed on them--good for you Jen!

Kathleen said...

Very fun ~ what a lovely guest your wren must be - haha - in contrast to your pesky little groundhog! I find dragonflies to be fascinating. Thanks for the great pictures =)

lovemyponies said...

I love your blog!
The photos are great!
You are interesting and funny!
I look forward to reading your posts - they make me smile!
Thank you:)

Paint Girl said...

Love your wren photos!! I have tried taking pictures of birds, but just can't seem to get any good ones! Most the time, I don't even have my camera with me when I see the pretty ones!

Anonymous said...

Wow!
So to speak, I too would like to be the wren in your garden.
Thank you for the wonderful picks. Your photos radiate the love.
Could we exchange the links?
Please visit my http://artbytomas.blogspot.com/
I would greatly appreciate your comments.
Thank you once again

Meghann said...

The Wren is beautiful, and the groundhog looks like it knows it's been busted :s
I hope that's the end of nasty plant-eating rodents!

Jennifer Rose said...

very nice picture of the wren in flight, its very neat how you can see the individual wing feathers :)

yep, that groundhog definitely looks like she knows shes busted :p

First Draught Farm said...

The expression on that groundhog's face is priceless!

Unknown said...

Wren is awesome..hopefully she chooses your house this year..groundhog looks like a felon caught...Book him Dan O..

Smiles,
Sonia ;)

Monkey-Cats Studio said...

Such a naughty groundhog...but a birds got to fly and a groundhog has to eat...or some such thing!!! I have a wren tearing apart one of the coconut liners on my hanging basket for nest material. I just watched in amusement at the tugging and pulling this morning. They are great little birds but really chew me out when I'm too close to their nest. Thank you as always for sharing!!
Laurie

Dianne - Bunny Trails said...

Awesome shot!! Glad you got that rascally groundhog. :D