The Boys Are Back in Town!

The first male house wren has returned! How do I know that a male has returned? First you can listen for them. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a good recording of what a typical male house wren song: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/House_Wren/id. Only the male sings the typical song that birders identify. The females only make chirping noises but do not sing a song per se.

Back to recognizing the males have returned. For me, it is easier to check to see if a male has claimed a box in his territory. The males will start to create the base of the nest by putting sticks in the box. The boxes start out empty so if I find sticks in a box, that means a male is around.


Here is a close up of the sticks the male has placed in the box.

He will continue to fill the box to his desired height for the nest. The height depends on the male. Out of my 68 territories, only 1 male has returned. I think the varying weather has slowed their journey from the south down. I'm predicting they are about 1 week late.

A shot from the top of the box.