A Scolding Song

I was walking through my kitchen this morning and heard a little bird singing. I looked out the window to see a winter wren sitting outside on top of the empty bird feeder, and boy, was he making a fuss! I'm not sure you can even call what he doing singing--it sounded pretty angry, really! I suspect he is the male of the same pair that nested in one of our urns last year. I wonder if he was thinking "What gives? This place used to have the best service. Hel-lo-o, we're hungry out here!"

I love these little wrens. They are so feisty and have a confident, bright, melodious song. I can recognize most of our backyard birds by their calls now. I suppose most people that feed birds can. Some of the most frequent calls are the buzzing "FEE-bee-bee-be" of the chickadees, the nasal "ankh, ankh" of the white-breasted nuthatch, or even the harsh "thief! thief!" of the blue jay. But this wren really sings, sometimes for minutes at a time. He pauses every so often, just long enough to hear a response, I suppose.

The wrens hold their own even against the blue jays that dominate our yard though they are half the size, and they share the bird feeders nicely with the other small songbirds. I love the way they perch with their tails erect. Almost as if to say, "You know you like me, I'm perky." It never fails to make me smile.

Feeding the birds is my link to the outdoors during the months that it's too cold to garden. By necessity most of their colors are much more subtle than my flowers, but that's okay. Any color, even just a little bit, looks pretty against the white backdrop of the snow.

So, before he or any of our other feathered friends return to scold me some more, I'm off to the sweet little nature shop in Hartville that I love so much to buy more seed. I could spend hours in there. But I won't linger this afternoon because these little guys are hungry and it is awfully cold today.

Comments

Jessica said…
Have fun at that store! It is very cute! Maybe you will find an "after Christmas" treasure!
Laura said…
Adrienne, what a wonderfully sweet story! You know (via Jessica, of course!) how very much I adore the birds myself! I miss the chickadees, nuthatches, and wrens! We have so many different songbirds here. Some of the same to be sure, but not all. Today on the way home from school the kids and I saw a bald eagle fighting an osprey for his freshly-caught lunch (aka fish!). Simply amazing! I'm really looking forward to showing you and your kids our favorite bird haven, Bok Tower. If, of course, it fits your schedule! BTW, if their school schedule permits, I'd be happy to give them an extra day off and let them show your babies around. I love to explore nature thru the eyes of my kids!
Adrienne Zwart said…
Jessica, Thanks so much for the gift certificate to Phoebe's Nature Shop. My bird friends appreciate you, too!

Laura, I'm looking forward to our day at Bok Tower. It will definitely fit the schedule, so if your kids need a day off, I think my kids would love that.
That's wonderful to have a "bird oasis" right in your back yard Adrienne. I'll bet your whole family enjoys it.

P.S. If you check out my "Year In Photos" blog...there's a picture of you and your little guy on there. (I thought you looked beautiful. I hope you don't mind that I put it on there.) :)

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