Science Monkey

Dear Blog,

Apparently I’m not so good at this whole writing-every-day thing. I have every intention to, but there are often days when I’m too lazy or have nothing interesting to say. I’ve written a half-dozen entries that, upon re-reading, have just been me whining, and I’ve deleted them in disgust. Every morning is a new day, though, and who knows? Maybe I’ll get better and realize I’ve written every day for a week. Or two weeks. Or even a month.

Last week I mentioned that we have a few new residents sharing our home, and wondered how they would do, living so close to us and our cats. Apparently they like where we moved their nest.

Can you see what’s in there? An egg!

And by the next day there were two eggs!

And then three!

So the thing that puzzled Emma and I most about this nest — which is clearly currently occupied — is that we had yet to actually see a bird in or near the nest. Admittedly our experience with birds is limited, with the vast majority of our knowledge coming from watching the chickens in the coop, but we still didn’t understand. Don’t birds roost? Emma had to work overnight this weekend and she would come home about 7 and there wouldn’t be a bird in the nest, but by the time we walked back outside later in the morning, the number of eggs would have increased.

Ah, but this morning! This morning we went out to breakfast after she worked, and when I came home the nest was occupied. I could only use my camera phone before she flew off, but take a look (larger version):

And, of course, she left an additional egg! Um, you’ll have to take my word for it in this next picture.

So, the mystery is partially solved. They lay eggs a little bit after dawn, then leave for the day. The roosting is still an open question, but the answer appears to be “no.” A little research in our Audobon guide suggests that these are Carolina Wrens. Very cute! And maybe there will be baby chicks in a couple of weeks!

Chirpily,

A.