This parent has two different food groups in it's bill. There is no way to identify sexes in wrens that I know about, but both parents are participating in bringing them food. Sometimes, they are both there almost simultaneously.
They change up their route to the nest almost every time they return. Plus they always survey the area to make sure no predators are watching them. My wife and I sit on the porch almost every evening within just a few feet of the nest, but they don't mind and keep bringing in the groceries.
My daughter and her husband gave us a wren house to hang out on the porch. While the wrens routinely use it as an intermediate stop back to the nest, they preferred the hanging flower basket for the nest.
There are also housekeeping duties to attend to. Some birds, wrens among them, produce something called a fecal sac. It is kinda like a disposable diaper — except it won't stay in a landfill half of forever. The parents remove them when they bring in food and simply drop them once they have flown some distance from the nest.
You have to wonder where they get these things! We are surrounded by woods, so I guess they have a lot of places they can look. I think this is some kind of cricket.
At times, they can find groceries close by. This wren found a large red ant right on the edge of the driveway. I had to laugh. While the wren was wrangling it, she jumped straight up in the air. I swear I heard her whoop. I guess they don't all go softly into the night.
I couldn't determine what this one had. It may have been a seed of some kind.
She seems to be asking, "Is it safe?" Or, maybe she is just trying to figure out how to drop down and navigate to the nest which is almost directly under her.
I move around a lot to get different angles on the birds. It keeps them on their toes.
I hope I am around when the chicks are fledged. Baby wrens are so cute with their sawed-off tails. The cheerfulness of Carolina Wrens can make your day! I love these birds!
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