Wrens of Summer

While it has been a hotter than Hades summer, it has been a good one for birds and butterflies. In the butterfly count, we've seen an early migration of Western Fritillaries, Western Tiger Swallowtails, a Monarch (!!!!!!!!), a Red Admirable, and a Red Admiral Loriqual. Tremendous butterfly season.

The birds have been fun to watch as well. While we've watched the high flyers of eagles, hawks, and ospreys, we've watched on a closer note of violet tree swallows , robins, and these little guys, wrens. This is the first time we've had these wrens in the back yard, and I've been impressed with their parenting skills. While they've been exemplary parents, they've been so interesting to watch. When they were building their nest and in the mating process, they had the most varied songs. Every day it was something new. Seriously! So many songs! Then when the nest was complete and the eggs were laid, they've been so diligent in looking after them. They scold Oreo and Kirby for venturing too closely, then they scoop out little worms from the garden to feed their young. Oh yes...they're living in the little bird face nest we put up a couple of years ago. It's all good.