Disturbed a House Wren Nest by Accident

There was a house wren's nest full of her clutch in this hen planter. This photo is after I put it back along with all the dead plants that I scooped up without knowing there was a nest.

I had my hands full and wanted to dump the soil near my parked car where I planted a Buttonwood Bush seedling my town gave out on Earth Day. I got 4 rooted cuttings of this native plant that is attractive to pollinators and butterflies.

When I bent down to spread the soil I noticed some movement and look closely and saw a pile of young wrens. There must have 6 or 7. The mother took them back with no problem but she made them fledge today.

Here is a photo of the empty nest. That was my excitement for the last couple of day. Tomorrow I will show you my overwintered geraniums that are looking so pretty on my balcony. xo

Morning Dove Nesting

I'm so happy to see what a Mourning Dove nest looks like. Look closely, there are two youngsters in the nest with the mom. I have these birds in my spruce grove and I love them. I cleaned out their favorite watering container today and they will be happy tomorrow. Flickr photo by Taggartim

Hummingbird Nest with Umbrella

Birds are so smart. I love this mama hummingbird's inginuity. via

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My Bluebirds are Building a Nest and MORE

It's a good day when the first thing you see when you first wake up is a bluebird sitting on the edge of a birdbath. His mate was entering my birdbox and they both have been busy since then setting up housekeeping. I couldn't be more thrilled. There are birds of all kinds scurrying around the lawn looking for worms, mostly robins. I have seen bluejays, cardinals, house wrens, mourning doves and chickadees too. The photo above is from Instagram and I've been saving it on my phone because I love it.  See my previous posts about bluebirds here.

My oven is preheating, the oatmeal is soaking, and I'm almost ready to stir up another batch of Oatmeal muffins that are getting rave reviews. I added 1/2 cup raisins this time.

This recipe really is forgiving. Somehow I turned off the oven when turning off the timer for the 15 minute soak. When I was ready to put my heavy vintage blue enameled cast iron muffin pan in the oven, the temperature registered 176° but I put them in anyway and turned the oven on and set it to 425° and set the timer to 25 minutes. They turned out fine and I took them out before the timer went off. I left them in the muffin pan for 10 minutes just in case. They are so good with the raisins!

This made me laugh.

Found on Instagram @retrieverloverz

New Mrs. Wren Redecorates

The new Mrs. Wren who just moved in hated old Mrs. Wren's decorating so out it goes.🐦

A Carolina Wren Nesting on my Balcony

I snapped these photos yesterday when this nesting wren came out for a breath of fresh air. See more information about this tiny bird here. I am looking forward to more activity when this pair has to deal with feeding their young.

Bluebirds Building in A Nest Box

This photo brings joy to my heart. I fear I won't have bluebirds in my box since the wrens took over two years running. So far, it's empty and cleaned out so I still have hope. Photo and a story found here. The females do all the interior decorating!

I have had this bluebird photo saved to my desktop for a long time because it's so lovely. I cannot remember where I found it but will post the source when I find it.

Duplex Bird House

I guess the black-capped chickadee likes privacy and the mother robin doesn't. Robins build messy nests like this one on a ledge below my balcony and I do believe this chickadee is judging it. Can you see a look of disgust on her little face too? via

Wren Building Nest on my Balcony

This is an awful photo but I got one of the busy wrens that are building a nest in a decorative tin birdhouse left on my balcony all winter. I don't have the heart to tell them it's going to be too hot in there this summer. I will put an old painted shutter resting overhead on the railing if they are determined to live there all summer long. Both the male and the female are sharing in the hard work of gathering twigs and debris for their family home. Wrens are my favorite little birds because I love their cheerful chattering all day long. This abode is near my rear bedroom window and I look forward to waking up to their birdsong once I can go to sleep with my windows open. xo

Oak Leaves and Acorns

I have always loved bird nests, oak leaves, acorns, and books about natural history. This photo captures everything. via