Black-capped Chickadees vs. Bewick's Wrens

This morning while on my daily garden inspection I got to watch a
preliminary round between a pair of Bewick's wrens and a pair of
Chickadees regarding possession of a prime nesting hole in an old lilac
bush. Initially, I heard one of the wrens singing from a neighboring tree.
It was answered by strident buzzing from another wren in the underbrush.
Wren number one flew to the nest hole and poked around, singing from time
to time. Ultimately, it went into the hole, poked its head out and sang.
Its companion came out from the underbrush, buzzing all the while, and
flew to the lilac bush, joining the first at the opening of the
hole. Perhaps 15 seconds later a chickadee flew in to the lilac bush from
a different direction, and was immediately joined by a companion. THe
chickadees each made their call from a branch above the hole, the wrens
vacated the hole, and everyone hopped around the trunk of the lilac bush.
THen one of the chickadees entered the hole, and the pair of wrens perched
on the branch. The second chickadee flew up into the lilac, the first came
out of the hole, there appeared to be some feinting between the first
chickadee and the wrens and all of them flew off, the wrens into the
underbrush and the chickadees towards the neighbors feeder.

The hole in question has been successfully used by chickadees for at least
5 years. We even build a chicken-wire fence around the lilac bush every
year to keep marauders at bay. THis is the second year that
I've seen two wrens in the yard and I never did figure out where or even
if there was a wren nest last year. I'll be interested to see which pair
ends up with the nest hole.

THis evening I stepped outside to look at the stars and was delighted to
hear a flock of, I think, wigeons flying due north. I've read of flocks
migrating at night, but this is the first time I've actually heard it-
unless they were just relocating from Genesse Park to the lake for the
night.

Good spring, all.

Catherine Alexander
Lakewood Neighborhood
South Seattle






Tony & Catherine kittyroo at scn.org