Carolina Wrens in My Garage

By Ron Divelbiss

We have always had House Wrens nesting in our wren houses, but this spring I was excited to have a pair of Carolina Wrens lurking around the yard. You’ll hear this wren long before you see it because it has a loud, ringing call that is a series of double or triple notes.

Carolina Wrens occur across much of the Eastern half of the United States, but are essentially thought of as a bird of the Southeast. Their range is spreading north, however, and for several years now they have been in our area. The will come to the feeder, especially if you are feeding bluebirds, as they love the same kinds of food.

A couple of weeks ago I was working in the garage and noticed some twigs and grass sticking out of my ski boots. Some pesky mouse had built nests in them I thought. As I ripped the nest out of the boots I realized this wasn’t a mouse nest. What could it be?

I was soon to find out. A few days later my wife found the same kind of nest in one of the baskets she had painted. The baskets were to be used as decorations for our daughter’s upcoming wedding. My wife needed the baskets so she removed the basket with the nest in it and hung if from a rope a few feet above where it had been located. The birds returned and continued to lay eggs. The basket had to be moved again because we couldn’t shut the garage door. This time it was hung from the door opener electrical cord.

The birds persevered and incubated 5 brown-spotted whitish eggs in a feather-lined, domed stick nest with an entrance on the side. Now young are being tended by both parents, however, I see the male tending the nest most often as the female begins a new clutch. We have to leave the garage door open from sunrise to sunset to accommodate our basket guests!

I have since built two houses for them. I placed them under the eve, just above the garage door. The female has chosen one of them as her next nesting site.