Speaking as the Regional Editor for CBC's:

House Wren is on the review list for species seen on
Christmas Counts. The details have to be impecable and
I prefer photos (which shouldn't be too hard if it's
roosting in your barn). Reports of multiple individuals
from a single locations would be beyond exceptional.

Almost all winter House Wren report turn out to be one of
two things upon investigation.
1. Winter Wren- this species is variable in size and
there is considerable fall and winter dispersal to
atypical habitats. West-side birds are browner than
east-side birds. People unfamiliar with regional variation
may confuse Winter Wrens with House Wrens, because they
don't look like the Winter Wrens at home. It is not
unusual to find Winter Wren in Coast Dune grassy areas,
driftwood piles and willowy scrub away from the woods
in winter.

2. Marsh Wren- hatch-year Marsh Wren can be very poorly
marked and often have no streaking on the back. They
also routinely turn up in Coastal Dunes, Reed Canary
Grass fields and blackberry kacks. I have been fooled
by this species more than once and only corrected myself
because I knew House Wren would be met with skepticism
motivating me to make the extra effort at collecting
proper fieldmarks.

Yes, there are winter records of House Wren that have
been accepted, but they all came with very good
documentation.
--
Mike Patterson
Astoria, OR
celata at pacifier.com

I'm not jealous or
Why I've never Seen Black-throated Blue Warbler in Oregon
http://www.surfbirds.com/blogs/mbalame/archives/004174.html