We Never Know

Although I had given some serious thought to making one, I couldn't pass it up.  After all, it was only $5 and in a weird sort of way, it was cute.  A small piece of corrugated metal curved over a backing of hard fiber board with another piece of fiber board for the front.  The front had been decorated in a southwestern theme, complete with a cactus and a 'Welcome' sign over the opening.  It was a bird house and just the size I was thinking about.

Living in the country has been a treat when it comes to the bird world.  There are so many different species that I had never seen all the years I lived in town.  But, one of my favorites, even in town, is the house wren.  When spring arrived, it wasn't long before I heard the familiar chatter of a wren looking for a nesting spot.  

The handy, ever at the ready, bird book states that the male wren will place two or three twigs in two or three locations.  When the female shows up, she will choose which site she likes the best and finish with the nest building.  

I attached my bargain bird house to the top of one of the post on the back deck the day I brought it home.  The next morning, there was a twig sticking out of the hole.  From that point on, the nest building was a frenzy of activity.  It was amusing to watch the wren navigate a long twig into a small opening.  Most times she was successful and other times the longer twigs were laying on the floor of the deck.  Once I broke some of these cast offs into smaller pieces and the next day they were all gone.  She really didn't need my help, but I was pleased that I had contributed to the project.  Within a few days, eggs were laid and the incubation period had begun.

The bird book also stated that the incubation period would last a couple of weeks and then another two weeks after that, the fledglings would be nearly ready for first flight.  There was never a time, during the day, that the adult wrens were not tag teaming to raise their brood.  After the first two weeks, tiny chirping could be heard and not long after that, they were big enough to peek out of the hole.

Then, one morning, as I walked out onto the deck, it was very quiet.  My first thought was that I had missed the first flight event and I was disappointed because it is always a treat to watch the adults protect their young as they learn how to make their wings work.  Suddenly, one of the adults landed on the railing and began to chatter, chatter, chatter.  When it quit, there was no response.  There was no response from the mate and no response of chirping from the chicks.  I just happened to look down at the floor and my heart sunk.  The deck was littered with nesting material and tiny feathers. The family was gone.

The one remaining adult continued to call for its mate.  The next day another adult did show up, but it did not stick around long.  Now, every morning, the lonely wren sits on the deck railing, tilts its head toward the bird house, listening for some sign of life.  At times, it sits in the house with its head sticking out of the hole but there is no other wren around and this adult has quit chattering.  It just sits silently.

It's a heart breaking scenario.  I do not know if it is grieving, but by human standards, it seems to be.  I have no idea what got into the nest, it could have been a raccoon or possibly a feral cat.  It really does not matter who or what did the damage because there is no changing the outcome.  We never know when something will come along and take the wind from our sails, but we must carry on.