Carolina On My Mind

This Carolina Wren popped out of the underbrush of a fallen tree just as I moved into the area. It only gave me a few second to capture its image before it flitted away. Unlike the House Wrens which only spend their summers here, the Carolina Wren is a year round resident. During the winter, it covets the suet we put out for the cold-hardy species.

When I first started traveling around our property to observe the birds and other wildlife, I still remember hearing the Carolina Wren’s amazing vocalization and aching to get a look at the bird that created it. At first I considered them very elusive dwellers of the underbrush. It took me weeks before I got a little glimpse of the species. Then, with time I began to see them more and more – I suppose as my observation skills increased.

This most recent summer a pair of Carolina Wrens actually built their nest in a cavity of my golf cart dashboard! At first I worried so much about using the vehicle. But, soon I realized that the parents simply waited for my return in order to resume feeding their chicks. More than once as I drove into the yard and approached the deck where I parked, a bird would be perched nearby with a worm hanging from its beak. As soon as I left the cart, it would make its way to the nest cavity with the meal. Their brook successfully fledged when the time came for them to ditch the golf cart and take up residence in the “real world.” Who knows, perhaps this bird is one of those golf cart raised chicks!