House or Carolina Wren? They nest in the strangest places, and can squeeze through very small spaces. Meredith Sampson Old Greenwich -- "Robert S. Kissel" <robert.kissel@gmail.com> wrote: I bet someone here can give me good advice on how to go about this. A bird (or pair) has found a tiny hole in the vinyl covering of a sort of overhang built over a cement patio behind my home. It's way up in a corner, and darned if I know how even a small bird manages to squeeze in and out, but he or she or they have done so, and obviously have constructed a little nest in there. It must be boiling hot, and why a bird might like to nest THERE rather than in the lovely trees I've got in the fresh air, I cannot say. Now can a more seasoned bird-watcher give me some advice on getting a good LOOK at my lodgers? I'm finding it maddening how smart these animals are. I am absolutely CONVINCED that they KNOW when I'm sneaking over to get my binoculars, and instantly fly away out of sight. They come out--they perch on my deck where I could get a perfectly nice, long, careful look at them--but the minute I make a move for my bird-book or my glasses or my camera, they're off at once in a flash of feathers. I THINK he/she/they are wren(s) of some sort...so far, all I can tell you about these little birds is they're small--like sparrows--but have a less "chubby" sort of shape than sparrows or black-capped chickadees, a more tapered sort of head. The bird I see most often has a non-descript sort of color, greyish or brown, and if it would be so kind as to hold still, for once, when I slowly push aside the curtain, trying my best not to startle it, I could tell you if I see any markings on it...as it is, all I can tell you is that it looks sort of brownish or greyish. My home is in the south part of Hamden, about 100 feet up one side of West Rock Ridge, less than a mile south of (and down from) Lake Wintergreen. We also have a pair of lovely wild turkeys that have been strutting about, from time to time, on our street, perhaps nesting in the woods along the Wilbur Cross Parkway which comes out of the tunnel about a mile from my home, and runs along close enough for me to hear the "whoosh" of the cars all the time. Anyway, are there known ways of getting a nervous, nesting bird to relax and stand still long enough for me to get a good look so I can find out what it is? I swear, it KNOWS when I'm trying to get a look at it, and zooms away. It can tell. What's particularly annoying is that IT seems to want to get a good look at ME, and DOES, but it won't reciprocate by holding still for me! _______________________________________________ This list is provided by the Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA) for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut. For subscription information visit http://lists.ctbirding.org/mailman/listinfo/ctbirds_lists.ctbirding.org ____________________________________________________________ Beauty Advice Just Got a Makeover Read reviews about the beauty products you have always wanted to try http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/JKFkuJi7VSDlzPtAP3Xrm2ggz5KUGxJuO8q33al21rBeBRW1VPDB7J/

On 7/1/08, Pam Holden, of Colchester, <p.s.holden@comcast.net> wrote: > Hi Robert. It sounds like a House Wren to me. . . . > here is a link to a picture of one and you can also > click on the "sound" button to hear it. > http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?allSpecies=y&searchText=house%20wren&curGroupID=1&lgfromWhere=&curPageNum=1 Several people wrote back to me, also suggesting that a house wren (Troglodytes aedon) was a likely candidate. The "sound" at the Web page to which Mrs. Holden sent me was VERY helpful, because in the recording there, the bird is making a sound which is definitely like some of the sounds I've heard MY bird making, in flight. The photograph doesn't look much like my bird, but then, I haven't really had a good look at my bird, and also, the photograph was taken of a bird with his beak fully open and perched on a branch, whereas I usually see mine with beak shut (or carrying a blade of grass...oh dear, I guess soon there'll also be nasty worms and centipedes and so on...), and perched on the seats around my deck. However, I think what I'll do now is arm myself with some more good images of house wrens and their songs, and keep them handy for the next time. I am wondering if I might get a look at her/him/them if I record an MP3 of the song onto my cell phone, and go out into that paved patio and play it there...do you suppose she/he/they might get curious and come out to see what's making that noise? Or would it frighten her/him/them unnecessarily. It's so frustrating! There doesn't seem to be a way I can convince her/him/them that all I want to do is have a good look! Although, I guess it's just as well that she/he/they is/are so cautious--I have two local cats that go prowling around back there all the time...oh, which reminds me!! Is there something like, oh, I don't know, coyote urine or something of that sort, which I can spray around that area to repel those cats? I want something that isn't going to disturb the birds at all, but will discourage the cats while my wrens (if that's what they are) are guests in my home. I don't want to use anything that's going to disturb me, either, of course, and the cats are welcome to prowl around there at other times, but I don't want any harm to come to my little wren family. Now let's suppose he/she/they are wrens...and there's an active nest up there. About WHEN in the season should the little eggs be hatching? What are some of the things I may expect to hear or see? I really would like to get an opportunity to see the baby birds emerge...is there a way of knowing about when they're due to appear? I'm sure somebody here has been in this situation before--maybe even set up a bird-house to CAUSE this to happen--but it's the first time I've ever found a bird nesting in my home, and I'm rather pleased and excited about it...although I suppose I should be horrified and call my exterminator, instead. My parents once had a mourning dove who decided to nest in a hanging planter on their porch--from which vantage point it used to sit and glare, angrily, at anybody who had the nerve to come out on their porch to sit and enjoy the fresh air. At least SHE would sit still and let you look at her--I even have a photo of her, somewhere. But I'm pretty sure these are my first bird-guests, at least in my HOUSE, rather than in my trees.