More Bluebirds – House “C”

This house was used by House Wrens earlier this season – but not to raise their chicks. Rather, they filled it with large twigs, which isn’t unusual for that species. The behavior reminds me of my life in Chicago back in the 80’s. I lived in an apartment on a street that was comprised mostly of apartments. That was a lot of people in a single block, so street parking was hard to come by. There were times when I had to park a few blocks from where I lived, regardless of whether I had to carry groceries back to my apartment.

Parking conditions were worse between the months of October to April. Then, in order to handle snow removal, parking was not permitted on the larger streets. It wasn’t uncommon for folks to dig out their snow-burried vehicle in the morning and then place lawn chairs or other “blockades” to claim that parking spot that they had worked so hard to clear. When I see those prickly twigs sticking out of a bird house, I think that the Wrens are just trying to “reserve” the spot in the event something transpires with the primary house they chose to build a suitable nest to hold their precious eggs.

House “C” was filled with sticks in April. Each time I passed by, I saw no evidence of progress or occupation. So, eventually, I opened the box and checked the status. It was, as I assumed, just sticks. So, I emptied the house to offer it up to a more deserving pair of birds. I figured that Eastern Bluebirds or Tree Swallows were sure to move in, and that’s what happened.

This pair is feeding chicks, now.

The Female

The Male