Saturday, August 8, 2015

The Hood


We were wandering the hood a few weeks ago, and we found this discarded oriole nest. I placed it on this old weathered fence and it looked like a bird!



It even had a beak!


Grass Lake

We are out enjoying our area lakes almost every day of the summer. Lake Harriet is only around 9 blocks away. And Grass lake is only a couple blocks from our backdoor. It's always a good choice for an evening stroll at sunset.





I love the light beams in this photo.




But there's fun to be had in our own backyard. We always have early spring chickadees nesting in our birdhouse. And after they start flying school, my husband always clears out their nesting material in the hopes of new renters. 

Well, this year, for the very first time, we had wrens! And if you are a birder, you know how joyous it is to have wrens talking you up. In the past, we have seen them bringing in sticks, but they never chose our box. But this year they stayed. And the summer was all the better with their lively chatter. And then their offspring's little peeps.



It took many stick deliveries to get the nest set up just right.





Many sticks were just too darn large. So I was able to snap a few photos while they were trying to jury rig them in. 



The bird house sits over our beautiful iris crop. My husband's grandmother started these very plants. And we are keeping them going in our neck of the city. Now, even my hydrangea are on the tail end of the season. 


But it's not just the blooming summer flowers that are saying goodbye.


The wrens have fledged. And all they left behind was a woodsy nest, miniature feathers and one tiny brown speckled egg. 

So sweet.

We'll miss you little fellows.

Bird d'Pot

22 comments:

EG CameraGirl said...

How cool that the wrens used the house after the chickadees did!

eileeninmd said...

The wrens are sweet birds, just a little too loud! Your irises are lovely. Great photos! Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Have a happy weekend!

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Sharo, tht must have been wonderful to watch all the activity from nesting to fledging of the young. that blue Irsi is sttunnning. Have a wonderful weekend.

Linda Hensley said...

I'm lucky to have a lot of birds in the garden at work. They always make me happier when I go out and visit them on a bad day. Beautiful photos!

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

Congrats on your wren family!

I'm going to walk down to Lake Siri now. Maybe I'll finally get a pic of that heron...
~

DJan said...

Awww! I just LOVE wrens, and congratulations for having them around for awhile. Maybe some of the chicks will return and you'll have them around for a long time. :-)

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

What sweet photos. There's nothing cuter than the little wren...and more vocal! Hugs, Diane

Anni said...

Fantastic find with the discarded oriole nest. And the wren busy with being an expectant parent...love it.

Beautiful post all the way around today.

Thanks for sharing this post with us bird enthusiasts at I'd Rather B Birdin'.

Chris K in Wisconsin said...

Love. Wrens. We have had our "houses" inhabited by wrens for about 5 years in a row now. I LOVE their trill first thing in the morning....and throughout the day. I have noticed they aren't singing any longer, but I still have them in the yard. Their houses surely are busy when those babies call for food!! So sad that it is nearly time for the summer bird entertainment to wrap up!

Stephanie said...

Wonderful assortment of images on view.

A Colorful World said...

The oriole nest does indeed look like a bird! :-) I love that you have such a pretty lake so close to home, and your photos are wonderful! I particularly love the flower shot with the light behind it. Love that the wrens nested in your bird house as well. How delightful. Their nest at the end was a sweet shot.

Tweedles -- that's me said...

Such beautfiful flowers and birds and nests! That huge nest is amazing!
love
tweedles

Gauri said...

The wrens are so very cute... and fled away already?
Love the grass lake shots... terrific... and yes, the nest looks like a bird ( with that lil beak,lol)

Anonymous said...

What sweet shots!

Rohrerbot said...

That's wonderful! I think Oriole nests are so interesting. And congrats on the wrens!

mick said...

You have so many beautiful photos. The birds are great but I especially like the photos of the lake and the light shining on it.

Adam Jones said...

How wonderful to have Wrens nesting in your box. Good to hear that fledged too, and a very neat looking nest. Brilliant!

Katja L said...

Great photos!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

You had babies. Oh what a wonderful summer gift! The birds nests, both of them, are so special. I haven't seen a bird nest in way too long! (The eagle nest in Florida sort of doesn't count. Their nest is more like a massive building !).

Pat Ulrich said...

how fun to have a family of wrens for the summer! that's quite the nest they built

GreenComotion said...

Very neat finds! I liked the photos of the bird collecting twigs and such to create the nest. Also, appreciated your other next photos!
Have a Beautiful Day!
Peace :)

Stewart M said...

Very nice post - my nest box in the garden has been ignored for a couple of years - I think I may have to move it!

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne