One of the loudest birds in North Carolina is the Carolina Wren. This tiny little bird has a great big voice with song vocalizations reaching an astounding 90-110 decibels. For comparison this means that at full volume the Wrens voice may be as loud as a Steel mill-auto horn at 1 meter, a Turbo-fan aircraft at takeoff power at 200 ft or even a riveting machine! But how does a bird of diminutive size produce such an incredibly loud song?
The answer lies in the Carolina Wren’s vocal anatomy. Unlike the human voice, which comes from the larynx way up at the top of the windpipe, a Wren’s song comes from deep within its body. Birds produce song in a structure called the syrinx, which located at the bottom of the windpipe where the bronchial tubes diverge to the lungs. The syrinx is surrounded by an air sac, and the combination works like a resonating chamber to maintain or amplify sound. Incredible!
I found this one at the Brumley North Nature Preserve near Chapel Hill, NC spending a rare quiet moment preening on a branch. We watched one another for a few minutes without a sound until another Wren called out from the wood line and this one flew off to investigate. It was nice to be able to get a proper look at one without having to cover my ears 😉
Here’s a first for me, a Carolina Wren nest site in the woods! Of course I’ve seen these tiny birds many times over the years, I’ve even got a pair that nests under my front porch but this bird is tending to her nest in a tree stump. I’d never found a Wren nest in the woods before. I spotted her last weekend during a trip to the Rolling View Campground at the Falls Lake State Park in Durham, N.C.
Carolina Wrens are known for nesting in unusual places near people such as bags, boxes, flower pots, hanging hats, door wreaths, and even in forgotten shoes. As with the case of the pair at my house, they also like to nest under porches and beneath the eves of roofs. Both the male and female participate in the building of their nests, which is distinctively shaped like a dome with a side tunnel entrance.
By the way, it’s important to give any bird family wide berth when photographing a nesting site. Disturbing them may result in nests being abandoned which no birder would want on their conscience. I was about 25 feet away (shooting with a zoom lens) from this little bird when I snapped these shots. The image quality of my Canon 5DS is truly remarkable. Even at such severe crop ratios, there is hardly any loss of photo quality which is just incredible. The Canon 5DS is a full frame 50 megapixel beast and is an indispensable tool in my bird photography arsenal. This kind of technology allows me to capture up close photos of the birds without stressing them out by altering their natural behavior in the wild. I never leave home (to go birding) without it 😉
Two of our children sometimes volley openly for status of “favorite child.” Of course we deny any suggestions that such a position is obtainable, but that hasn’t yet deterred anyone’s fun in claiming it. Yet at our house this spring, we’ve developed a certain affinity toward one of our backyard birds. The Carolina Wren has definitely become the favorite! They have been our close companions during these stay at home times. Watching them is so entertaining! They’re loaded with personality, and their song … well, it’s so cheering.
The wrens built a nest in one of our hanging plants, a pink geranium just off the patio. I suspected the nest was there, and discovered it one day when I took it down for watering. It was a burrowed-out cavity down in the dirt and had lots of eggs. I’d say at least six. They were small and had little brown speckles. I hung the plant back up, leaving it alone now except for light watering, and we watched and waited for the eggs to hatch. We knew when it happened by the non-stop trips back and forth bringing insects to the nest. After a while we could hear sounds coming from the nest as well. Sometimes it was the female responding to the male supplying food, and sometimes it was the baby birds.
One morning I went out and, to my amazement, there was a fledgling sitting out in plain sight on one of the branches of the geranium. It was staring right at me. I was stunned. Something was wrong here! This little bird was ugly! I mean really ugly! I was expecting something tiny with a lot of down, a short tail, maybe some disproportion, but cute, or at least cute-ish. But what I saw… well, for one this bird was bald headed with a totally naked head. Second, it was as big as the parent wrens but broader. Its beak looked prehistoric. Not only that, there was some attitude. It had a pompous expression as if to say, “I came out of this nest all by myself. I’m really grand. I do believe I rule the roost. Bring me some food!” After a bit we realized a second fledgling had emerged from the nest and was down in the foliage jumping around practicing its moves. The first one stayed put on that same branch and moved only when a parent wren appeared with food, doing all it could to nab a tasty morsel before it was fed to someone down in the recesses of the plant.
We were mesmerized. It was like when you see something really tragic or shockingly offensive, and you can’t tear your eyes away. Then the truth began to sink in — this was not a baby wren! It was a cowbird fledgling! A pair of brown-headed cowbirds had been at our feeder off and on and I remembered that they lay their eggs in other birds’ nests. Now I felt worse. Here was this huge fledgling who looked larger than its parents, perched there looking so self-important; all the while it was totally dependent on the work of the smaller, very industrious wrens. I have read about this and I know it occurs, but I didn’t like that it occurred right here with my favorite bird. And by day two, we were wondering: where are the other fledglings, the baby wrens? Why aren’t we seeing them? Have these two cowbirds prevented their feeding? I was troubled and offended by this backyard drama, trying to make sense of the seeming injustice of it.
And just like a fluttering of wings, another truth glided in and settled over me, as these familiar words spoke a gentle reminder to my heart:
Nothing in my hands I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked come to Thee for dress,
Helpless look to Thee for grace;
Foul I to the fountain fly,
Wash me, Savior, or I die.
Rock of Ages, by Augustus Toplady
My child, you are like this fledgling – ugly, exposed, weak, helpless, and totally dependent. Your feathers get ruffled and your mouth can be way too big. You get puffed up, and tend to focus on your own needs instead of those of others I’ve placed around you. You know how to bring offense.
Don’t be troubled. I love you with an everlasting love. You already know first-hand the love of an adoptive parent. And I have adopted you, knowing you were ugly, naked, and offensive, and brought you permanently into my family. I have rescued you and will forever protect you and provide for you. I will guide you. My grace is sufficient in your weakness; my work has secured your pardon. I will clothe you with my righteousness, a robe of white to cover your nakedness… are you still concerned about drama and injustice?
No, Lord, I’m not concerned about that anymore.
Thank you, Lord. Thank you for this tender reminder. I think it was a rebuke? But it felt so good. Thank you for supplying the fountain to which I fly. Thank you for your grace and your patience. Thank you for opening my eyes to see you, for adopting me, and providing for every need. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for speaking into my heart today.
The wrens fledged their two cowbirds, and after a week or so settled into their empty nester role. I’ve been learning their songs, the male being the most vocal, and can pick them out among other calls. They don’t migrate; they mate for life, so hopefully we’ll enjoy them for some years to come. Their sight and song will prompt a heart celebration of the gentle reminder I received. The cowbirds? I no longer feel the disdain I had, but am drawn to them now, as usually happens with those in whom we have much in common. I appreciate that they are bold in their neediness and so seemingly unaware of anything but the good gifts brought to them by adoptive parents.
How about you? Are you anything like me and the fledgling cowbirds? Let us reach out in grace to one another with encouragement to receive the Lord’s sacrifice that brings us life, and as we know Him better and better learn to rest in His steadfast love.
The title of this post, “Hello World!” seemed appropriate for both this fledgling and for me. This is my first post as I launch my new site, so now I’m a fledgling blogger! To learn more about my blog, about me, or about our Creator, check out https://tarrythere.com Thank you for visiting. I’d love to hear from you!
“Adoption is the highest privilege of the gospel. The traitor is forgiven, brought in for supper, and given the family name. To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is greater.”
J. I. Packer (1926-2020)
-Carole Lynn is a talented writer and photographer based in Charlotte North Carolina and is the author of the Tarry There Blog. You can follow her on Instagram @tarry.there
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While tracking down a Fox Sparrow in the woods at Yates Mill Park a few weeks ago, I encountered a noisy Carolina Wren squeaking in a briar along the trail. This little bird and it’s mate were bouncing from limb to limb calling loudly to one another as they searched for food. It took me a few minutes to be able to snap a decent photo since they moved so quickly in the dense tangle of thorns.
This is typical behavior as Carolina Wrens are more often heard than seen because of their preference for dense, brushy areas. They are frequently found in moist deciduous forests (such as what’s found at Yates Mill Park) as well as in suburban areas including parks and gardens, as well as in agricultural areas and forest edges.
The Carolina Wren is an active, energetic, inquisitive species which can act kind of aggressive at times towards perceived intruders, particularly near favorite feeding spots or nesting sites. Often found in pairs, these birds hold their tails cocked over their backs and are just as likely to dig through leaf litter as they are to climb tree trunks while feeding.
Swipe through to see a few pics of these cool little birds as well as the one shot I ended up getting of that Fox Sparrow!
While birding at Harris Lake Park in New Hill North Carolina, I encountered a familiar song echoing in the woods. It took a bit of walking to reach the source of the noise, but eventually I found this Carolina Wren perched on a brush pile. He paid little attention to my presence as he called out to his unseen mate in the grassy clearing. Boasting one of the loudest songs per volume among all birds, the male cycles among several dozen song variations. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, one Carolina wren sang nearly 3,000 times in a single day. 🍁 But how can a bird like a Carolina Wren, measuring just 5½ inches long and weighing only as much as a few coins , produce so much sound? I found the answer via BirdNote.com… “Apparently their unique ability to belt out the loud notes lies in the songbird’s vocal anatomy. Unlike the human voice, which comes from the larynx way up at the top of the windpipe, a bird’s song comes from deep within its body. Birds produce song in a structure called the syrinx, located at the bottom of the windpipe where the bronchial tubes diverge to the lungs. The syrinx is surrounded by an air sac, and the combination works like a resonating chamber to maintain or amplify sound. Evolution has given birds a far more elaborate sound mechanism than it’s given humans. Where we wound up with a flute, songbirds got bagpipes.” 🍁 This noisy little one is still a joy to see up close, just remember to bring your earplugs lol! Swipe through to the second photo for a closer look at this marvelous little bird 🙂
