Bluebirds, Robins and Wrens, Oh My!

Step into my garden first thing in the morning and it will turn all a-flutter as birds, butterflies and bees take flight at this slight disturbance to their world. The baby wrens, safe in their nesting house though, don’t seem to notice. Sounding like groupies at a rock concert, they chirp and warble constantly, only erupting into raucous cries when rock star Mom appears with an insect.

It’s nesting season in our garden and this year we have an abundance of babies.  Wrens, robins and bluebirds are all nesting at the same time.  If you think human babies are demanding, just stand near a nesting box and listen for a few moments.  Human babies seem calm and quiet in comparison.

The male wrens are the nest builders.  They spend three days perfecting a nest then begin advertising for a female by singing in a nearby shrub or tree at the rate of up to 600 songs an hour. Females choose a mate based on the quality of the nest he builds. Even after a male has mated, he continues to look for nesting sites for another possible family and is not above stealing a nest from another bird.

Wrens are little birds, measuring only 4 – 5 inches long.  They weigh .35 – .42 ounces, about the same as 3 or 4 pennies.   Wrens eat a huge number of insects and most people like having them in their yards and gardens. Besides, it’s just fun to listen to their passionate greetings to an adult arriving with food.  It’s like kids when the pizza delivery guy gets to the door.

Bluebirds are the latest babies to arrive in the garden nursery.  Bluebirds prefer houses that are on the edge of the woods, facing a large open space such as a yard or field.  Many years ago, the blue bird population was in decline but thanks to the efforts of many different organizations who encouraged home owners to put up houses, western, mountain and eastern bluebird populations have increased dramatically.

It’s easy to attract bluebirds to your yard.  If you put up a nest box, they will most likely come.  The boxes should be about 4 – 10 feet above the ground and have a hinged side for easy cleaning once the fledglings have flown the coop. The entrance hold should be 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  The floor should be 4″ x 4″ or 5″ x 5″.

Bluebirds usually lay between 2 – 7 eggs. Adult bluebirds measure 6.3 to 8.3 inches in length and weigh about .8 to 1.09 ounces – about the same as 10 pennies.

Mama Robin was thoughtful enough to build her nest right outside the family room window.  All the kids and grandkids watched from nest building to nest emptying as the fledglings took flight, though we missed the actual take off.  Robins generally lay 3 – 4 eggs.  The fledglings leave when they are about 13 days old.  

Robins eat different things during different times of the day.  For “breakfast” they usually eat worms (yes, the early bird gets it!).  Lunch and dinner consist of mostly fruit and berries. According to the Cornell Lab website, All About Birds, if robins eat too many tiny honeysuckle berries, they will actually get tipsy.  It makes me want to  open a bar called “The Tipsy Robin” and serve honeysuckle cocktails.  Adult robins are 7.9 – 11 inches long and weigh 2.7 ounces – about the same as 27 pennies, or almost three times the weight of a bluebird. 

I love having the garden brimming with life.  I like the flowers, of course, but there is something very satisfying about knowing that the garden is not merely decorative, but an intimate part of an ecosystem that provides all the right elements for bringing forth new life into this miraculous world.

Laura

Just for kids:

Birdseed “cookies”

You can make some cute cookies to hang outside for the birds (and squirrels!) You’ll need a cup of birdseed (millet, sunflower seeds, amaranth, etc.) and a cup of lard, shortening or natural peanut butter.  Mix this up with your hands.  Place wax or parchment paper on a cookie sheet, then put cookie cutters on top of this.  Carefully fill the cookie cutters.  Allow to dry for several hours, turn them over, poke a hole toward the top for hanging and continue to dry for another 3 – 4 hours until hard.  If you put them in the freezer or refrigerator, you can cut the time down dramatically.  Then hang them outside for your favorite birds!