Jenny at home
There’s a commotion in the bushes. It’s Britain’s noisiest bird in noise per weight; the Wren.
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.
The youngsters have a soft yellow gape to their beaks:
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:
They’re brilliant at finding insects:
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.
I’m wading through waist-high nettles, moving very deliberately.
Now this, this is how close I want to be.
What a pleasure to be a part of their hard-working world.
More Wrens
The Orcadian name for the Wren is the Wirran or Wrannock The Orcadian name for the Wren is the Wirran or Wrannock. What brilliant names. I've just had a small Wrannock… read more
Flying Wren I've enjoyed the Wrens at Einar this year. They've been a joy. Their lives are led in a sheltered garden,… read more
Absolute scenes Absolute scenes here today at Einar as the Wrens fledged. I've been watching the parents bringing invertebrates into one of… read more
Noise to weight ratio Wrens have one of the highest noise to weight ratios amongst birds. I know some people like that. read more
Wrens There is a family of Wrens flitting along the field boundary in front of us. They're working the margins for… read more
A wild Neolithic hat-trick It's time for me to catch the ferry away from Orkney for a short while. I have an evening to… read more
Feeding the family Being a baby bird means knowing when to keep your mouth open. Many have exaggerated gapes, decorated in bright colours… read more
Something’s moving There's something moving in the field next to Einar. I can see flower stalks trembling. It's moving along behind the… read more
Scricciolo The Italian name for the Wren is scricciolo. When you hear just how loud they screech, that makes perfect sense: read more