Nest in the Laundry Room, and Yard Lists

I got a very interesting email from Steven McDonald on Friday. He's an avid birder who lives in the neighborhood on Perthshire, and he sent me some photos of a Carolina Wren nest in his laundry room. I love this picture of one of the parent wrens in the middle of all the familiar household items like WD-40 and Raid! Carolina Wrens are 1 of 2 common year-round resident wren species we have here. (Check out my article about our neighborhood wrens here.) Like most wrens, they are extremely active and inquisitive insectivores, and they are lots of fun to watch. Carolina Wrens are very comfortable on or near the ground, and they hop around and explore every nook and cranny they find. So wrens often find their way into our garages and patios, and often find sheltered places to build nests there. They can raise 2 or even 3 broods in one breeding season, and I'm guessing the nest at Steven's house is at least a second brood. Here's a picture he sent me of one of the hatchlings, just a few hours old, nestled between the fabric softeners and the air freshener!

Steven also reached a yard list milestone. On Friday he saw the 130th species of bird in his yard since he started keeping a list a few years ago. Steven's yard list is pretty darn impressive, and it includes a few species I have not yet seen in the neighborhood myself, like White-faced Ibis and Hooded Oriole. Species number 130 was one that had eluded him for awhile: Ladder-backed Woodpecker. This is the least common of the 3 year-round resident woodpeckers that occur in our neighborhood. (The other 2 are Red-bellied Woodpecker and the tiny Downy Woodpecker.) Here's a picture of a Ladder-backed that I took back in March of 2008 on our hike and bike trail. Congratulations on reaching 130 species, Steven!