Burke County, NC
I like to sit on the deck in the cool of the morning and watch the birds, cows, butterflies, dragonflies, and whatever else that might come my way. Sometimes I drink coffee, sometimes not. We had a cool spell recently, what my family calls “Blackberry Winter” because this cool spell is when the blackberries come into bloom and is usually the last cool days before summer.
A few weeks ago, while I was tending my rose bushes, I noticed that a Carolina Wren had made a nest among a bunch of pots. I had stacked these pots in a larger pot that was sitting on one of our high-top patio chairs. At first, I thought it was a terrible spot to raise up youngsters with us having 2 avid cat hunters, but then I realized that it was indeed a most ingenious place.
I walked over to the mess of pots and looked inside, and I could not see the nest. It is somewhere under several of the pots protecting the youngsters from overhead predators like hawks. It is also high up, and there is no room for the cats to jump up on the chair. It is in the fenced-in part of the backyard, so the dogs will also keep the snakes at bay. A perfect spot!
Carolina Wrens are all over where I live. They can now also be found from Texas to New England and as far as the Great Lakes. In my opinion, they are the king of songbirds because the male can sing up to 40 different songs. He will carry on a tune up to 3000 times a day and is very loud while doing so. One of his tunes sounds like “teakettle, teakettle.” The female may not sing, but she has her own chattering language. Sometimes you might get lucky enough to hear them carry on a duet.
Carolina Wrens are awesome to have in your backyard because they stay extremely hungry and will eat all the insects and spiders they can find, which makes up 90 percent of their diet. The other 10 percent is made up of sunflower seeds, suet, shelled peanuts, and dried berries and nuts.
The longest living Carolina Wren recorded was 7 years and 8 months old. Most live an average of 6 years.
Carolina Wrens are monogamous, meaning they mate for life. Once they find a mate, they do everything together. They forage together, build their nest together, and raise their young together. They are the perfect couple.
Their nests are domelike and are made out of leaves, moss, feathers, and bark. They will build their nest anywhere, especially in inconvenient places for you, like in your hanging plants, old boots you left on the porch, gutters, or, in my case, in my flower pots I had plans for.
These birds usually have 2 to 3 broods each year, ranging anywhere from 3 to 7 eggs each time. Their small eggs are cream colored with reddish-brown speckles.
The female will sit on the eggs for 2 weeks to keep them warm. During this time, the male will bring her food and sing to her.
After hatching, the parents will take turns feeding their babies several times a day.
After 12-15 days, the babies will leave the nest but will still stay with their parents for another couple of weeks before they head out on their own.
Carolina wrens are small birds, weighing .74 oz. They are, however, bigger than other types of wrens. Their wingspan is up to 7.5 inches, and they measure 5 in. from tip to tail. They look the same except the male tends to be a tad bigger than the female.
Despite their size, they are very territorial. The male will puff up his feathers to look bigger than he actually is to warn off bigger birds. They do not migrate and will stay in their territory year-round. In cold temperatures, they will cuddle with their mate or other Carolina Wrens to stay warm.
These birds are the cutest with their upright tail, reddish-brown, sleek feathers, cream belly, and their white eyebrow stripe.
Carolina wrens aren’t great flyers but are quick hoppers. They are also very nosy and like to check out everything and investigate anything new you bring into your yard.
Not only can you find them around your house, but they can also be found in swamps, at farms, in brushy areas, and in gardens.
As I watched this small pair of birds the other morning, I realized a few things. These birds are the cutest couple. I watched the male come up first and sit on the fence to make sure the area was safe, then the female would come with food and feed their babies.
These birds, when mated, are the perfect helpmates for each other. It made me think of the symbolism of their relationship and what God wants our relationship to be when we get married. He wants us to get married and be each other’s helpmate. He wants us to work together to the point where we become one. He wants both of us to make a home together, raise babies together, face adversaries, sickness, and dangers together until death.
Most importantly, he wants us to be there for each other, a best friend, the one we count on and trust.
I realized that if 2 birds could stick it out together through thick and thin, through dangers, loss of babies, different elements of extreme weather, then we should be able to as well, because, unlike the wrens, we have the Bible to lead us and help us through trials.
Dear Lord, help us find the helpmate you have chosen for us. Help us be a team and help each other in all that we do. Dear Lord, thank you for giving us the Carolina Wrens to be an example for how we should live and treat each other. May we also live our lives as godly examples for others to follow. Amen.
“Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Genesis 2:18 ESV
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24 ESV
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Christy Lowman is a Christian author and illustrator that lives in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains with her husband and two children. She enjoys writing and illustrating books for all ages. Some of her short stories are published with Guideposts and HCI. Christy gives all the glory to God in everything she does. A portion of every book sold from the Small Bible Character Series will be donated to battle human trafficking. If you enjoy her books, “like’ her author page on Facebook and let her know! You can buy her books at //www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AChristy+Lowman&s=relevancerank&text=Christy+Lowman&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1. You can reach her at //www.facebook.com/authorChristyLowman/
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