“I have observed all sorts of birds in my yard, but I have
always had a particular fondness for the smallest ones, including the wrens. Most
common is the house wren, and this is my favorite encounter with one of them.
One
industrious little fellow (The male builds several nests from which the hen will select one) was starting a nest in one of my pole mounted wren
houses, despite harassment from several nearby sparrows. At one point, a
squirrel clambered up the pole to sit on top of the wren’s chosen domicile.
Little wren got quite angry and complained loudly from the telephone wire, and
began diving at the squirrel, who realized he’d made a mistake, but before he
could climb back down little wren ploughed into the squirrel head first and
knocked him clean off to the ground. I must say the sparrows were considerably
more respectful after that.”
“While I was speaking with a customer at From the Summer’s Garden,
she asked me if wrens were too shy to nest near her deck. Before I could
elaborate, a wren landed on my bird house display five feet away in the midst
of a crowd, and proceeded to investigate all the houses in the top row.
He’d hop onto the perch singing
loudly, try out the inside and sit in the doorway enjoying the view, then perch
on the roof for more singing. Then he’d move on to the next one and the next on
down the row. My customer delightedly snapped photo after photo, and, needless
to say, her original question was basically answered more thoroughly than
anything I could have come up with.”
Here is a nice site that describes all the basics for
attracting birds to your yard, and a few quotes from the initial article:
“An easy way to start out attracting birds is to put up a bird feeder. We'll help you choose feeders and foods that appeal to the birds you want to attract, plus we'll tell you where to put your feeder and how to maintain it.
Nest boxes offer many birds a place to raise their young, especially where natural cavities are at a premium. Our nest box section describes the features of a good nest box, where to place it, and how to avoid predators. Our nesting section also lists some nesting materials you can offer that will help a wide variety of species.
A source of
clean water, for drinking and bathing, may attract birds that don’t visit
feeders. We can help ensure that your water helps birds, not mosquitoes or
algae.”
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