Tales from the Tulls: Mama Wren...

I went out to water my plants one day...

They look pretty normal, huh?

Well, look a little closer at the two twigs hanging out of the pot...

I started watering the plant and pulled on one of the twigs to throw it away, but it didn't come out... I then realized there was a bird nest in the pot.

This is the back of the nest

I looked closer and could see the opening to the nest in the front. There were no eggs, so I just watered the plant and went on. I had noticed a wren previously sitting on one of the patio chairs for several days, which is unusual for a bird to be under the patio.

The next time I went to water the plant, I moved the leaves to look in the nest and a bird flew out... it startled me; but, I could see several eggs in the nest...

...so now watering the plant is a challenge!

The challenge is to get water to the roots of the plant without getting the eggs wet... but, that is not easy because she has burrowed down into the dirt for part of her nest. She has built the nest with twigs all around and over the eggs, with only a small hole to fly in and out of. I'm afraid if I water too much the water will run onto the eggs... and my well water is cold! She flys out every time I water, because I have to move the leaves to get to the base of each plant in the pot. She is so fast and flys low behind the patio chairs...

This is her flight path behind the chairs...

I can never get a good look to see the exact species of the bird and I have never seen her fly back into the nest. By color of the bird, eggs, and the way the nest is built, I think it is a House Wren. Will be interesting to see if the eggs make it with me trying to water and keep the plant alive. I hope so, I love my birds and my gardening!

Last night was a downpour of rain and I thought how lucky this little bird is with her eggs all snug and protected under the patio. This plant only gets a peek of sun and then is mostly shaded.