Wednesday, June 22, 2011

House Wren; May Bird Migration to Northern Illinois


House Wren, Rock Cut State Park; 6/5/2011.
 House Wrens, the most common of all the wrens in our area, arrived by the hundreds (it seemed) the first day of May. They were bubbling away with their loud songs everywhere I went birding - Rock Cut State Park (Above), the forest preserves, suburban parks, along roadsides, and our backyard. They arrived from their winter grounds along the southern bely of the U.S. as wel as Mexico. They will spread north from coast to coast and cover much of the southern half of Canada.
House Wren, Blackhawk Springs Forest Preserve; 5/1/2011
House Wrens aren't much to look at colorwise, as they are somewhat drab, grayish-brown overall with a criss-cross pattern on their wings and tail. But they are fun to watch as they flit from branch to branch holding their chekerboard tail up high (Above), which makes them easy to identify.

4 comments:

Chesney said...

We don't have too many of these in NE....funny how the midwest can be so diverse! Great captures!

MLH said...

I have a wren at my peanut feeder. It is December, and we will have a low of -15 tonight. Shouldn't this bird have migrated?

Unknown said...

I,too, have a pair of wrens and it's December. Why are they still here?

Unknown said...

This comment surprised me. I thought you guys got both house and Carolina wrens. The easiest way I've found to attract them to your yard is to put out a old looking bird house. It doesn't have to be old it just can't be too showy. They seem to prefer natural colored houses I find. My favorite bird house came as a raw wood kit at Michael's. I painted a pretty flower on top but the rest I stained water proofed and they generally have 2 broods a year. I watch so I know when the babies are gone and then I clean out the nest. After cleaning Mister Wrem gets right back to work wooing and building for a second brood.