Jenny at home

There’s a commotion in the bushes. It’s Britain’s noisiest bird in noise per weight; the Wren.

Wren - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

My 1935 Outline of Nature says:

“Its song is one of the most surprising features of the wren, for it is a performance of such power and vehemence that it would seem impossible for so small a bird to produce so large a volume of sound. If we watch the wren singing we shall see how the ardour of its song shakes it; it puts its whole soul into the song…”

Their poise is something else.

The reason for the noise is that there’s a family here. The adults are busy foraging for their chicks.

Wren - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

The youngsters have a soft yellow gape to their beaks:

Wren - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

I’ve had some amazing experiences with Wrens on Westray. Seeing this family brings back all the emotions of a severely injured Wren continuing to feed its family:

Wren - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

They’re brilliant at finding insects:

Wren - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

It’s over forty years since I drew a Wren for my nature notebooks:

One has perched on top of the wind-burnt Sycamore. I stand a chance of getting close to it if I’m careful.

Wren - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

I’m wading through waist-high nettles, moving very deliberately.

Now this, this is how close I want to be.

Wren - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

What a pleasure to be a part of their hard-working world.

More Wrens

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