Bad Bird

This is the work of a house wren.

A wren had been paying way too much attention to our bluebird house in the last couple of days, dodging in and out and terrorizing the denizens of the big pine in its spare time. Initially I thought that if the bluebirds weren't interested then the wren was welcome to use it. Until I read about the habits of house wrens that is.

I knew that they were unusually aggressive and fiercely territorial birds. I had watched our particular wren see off a red-headed woodpecker - not the most timid of creatures - and divebomb a red squirrel that was simply trying to take a nap. But until I did some reading yesterday, I did not know that wrens try to sabotage the nests and potential nest sites of other cavity nesting birds. And that's what the wren has done here - filled up the bluebird house with twigs so that the bluebirds (or any other bird) can't use it. What a little *!$%!

So anyway, the bluebird house has been de-wrenned in the unlikely event that some bluebirds might decide to take a chance on it. The wren meanwhile, seems to have turned his attentions elsewhere. Good.

Polk County, Wisconsin