Carolina Wrens don't handle cold too well, so a pair will often sleep
together during the winter. If you want to help these birds to survive
extremely cold temperatures, you could provide them with a shelter box.
I'm pasting in (below) an article I wrote for Birdwatcher's Digest back in
1996 about shelter boxes for these wrens.
Sincerely,
Marlene
Build A Shelter Box
By Marlene Condon
IF YOU HAVE a protected area, such as a porch, with a flat vertical
surface high above the floor or ground, you should definitely have a shelter
box
for your Carolina Wrens.
I’ve had one on my porch for several years in a spot where I can see it
from inside the house. “My” Carolina Wrens sleep together in this box as
soon as the weather turns cold.
At the end of the day, as the sun is going down and the air is getting
cooler, the male wren will sing from the brush pile not far from my porch. As
he sings, the female will sometimes make sounds as she flits around him, or
simply fly directly to the shelter box, oftentimes stopping at the porch
railing first to be sure all’s well before entering the box. She always
enters the box first. Within a few minutes the male stops singing, looks all
around, and then follows his mate to the shelter box for the night.
The next morning I know when the wrens have left the box because the male
greets the day with his beautiful song. Sometimes the female will chime in,
although her song is more of a “buzzing.”
Shelter boxes are available commercially, but it is not difficult to make
your own. The idea is that the slanted roof and small front opening trap
body heat inside. There is a dowel perch for roosting. Drill holes in the
back of the box as necessary to attach it with screws to a vertical surface.
The box can be made fewer than 16-1/2 inches wide.
I decided the box would be warmer for the wrens if most of the front
opening were covered. At first I covered one-third of the length of the
opening
by screwing a six-inch block of wood to one end of the front. Sure enough,
the wrens went behind the block for the night.
So I added another six-inch block of wood to the other side, leaving a
six-inch opening in the center–I wasn’t sure if the wrens would want to be
far away from the opening. Again, the wrens entered the box for the night
and disappeared behind the block to the left end of the box. I then decided
to put the blocks together and leave the opening at the right side so the
pair would be farther away from the cold air.
I think it’s wonderful to have these wrens spending the night on my porch
and visiting throughout the day to be sure their box is unoccupied by
others. I love hearing the male sing loudly every morning and evening; the
wrens
brighten cold winter days. And these birds do not make a mess as most
other birds do. They are an absolute delight to have around.
_Click here_
(http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/site/how_to/downloads/car_wren.pdf) to
download the specs for building the Carolina Wren shelter. –
This article was published first in the Sept./Oct. BWD issue of 1996
In a message dated 11/25/2015 9:30:55 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
tonyfutcher1@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:
Agree 100% with Carolina Wrens.
Tony Futcher
Hyattsville, MD
On 11/24/2015 11:54 AM, Phillip Kenny via va-bird wrote:
blockquote, div.yahoo_quoted { margin-left: 0 !important;border-left:1px #715FFA solid !important; padding-left:1ex !important;
<va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
On Tuesday, November 24, 2015, 11:31 AM, Larry Kline via va-bird
(http://www.trapperman.com/forum/attachments/usergals/2015/11/full-22098-303096-img_0273.jpg)
(http://www.trapperman.com/forum/attachments/usergals/2015/11/full-22098-303097-img_0272.jpg)
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In a message dated 11/24/2015 11:23:57 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
nanjyoung@xxxxxxxx writes:
You are right. Sorry about my senior moment.
I think we need more than that to go by. Any photos?
Nancy Young
Troutville, VA
-----Original Message-----
From: Larry Kline via va-bird
Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 2015 11:10 AM
To: va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Va-bird] ID Anyone?
These were roosting on the side of a barn in Central Pennsylvania. No
comparative size was given.
Larry Kline
Fredericksburg.
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