For a few days now I said I was going to do a post about the House Wrens I photographed at the same nesting tree as the Williamson’s Sapsuckers, here it is. The House Wrens are lifers for me too although I have seen them before for me they are lifers only when I photograph them.

House Wren at a nesting cavity, Targhee National Forest, Clark County, IdahoHouse Wren at a nesting cavity

The House Wrens and their chattering are what clued me in on the nesting tree that the Williamson’s Sapsuckers also showed up at. If you compare this image to the nesting cavity that the Williamson’s Sapsuckers used in this post you will notice that the wrens were trying to nest in the active sapsucker nesting cavity.

After pointing out the wrens, my companion and I were able to both photograph the wrens and other birds at this wonderful nesting tree.

House Wren bringing in nesting material, Targhee National Forest, Clark County, IdahoHouse Wren bringing in nesting material

House Wrens are secondary cavity nesters and this pair has the Williamson’s Sapsuckers to thank for their nesting cavity this year from a cavity the sapsuckers made a previous year. This wren was bringing in some nesting material the first day I photographed them.

House Wren on an aspen stump, Targhee National Forest, Clark County, IdahoHouse Wren on an aspen stump

This image shows a perch that the wrens would fly to with nesting material in their bills and from it they would fly up to the nesting cavity. The problem for me as a photographer was that the wrens would fly up to the cavity with their backs to me.

House Wren at the cavity with nesting material, Targhee National Forest, Clark County, IdahoHouse Wren at the cavity with nesting material

The House Wrens were busy bringing in nesting material the second day I photographed them and it seemed to me that they had settled on this nesting cavity. They chattered quite often on both days and that brought other birds into the area that appeared to want to find out what the noise was all about.

House Wren with its head poking out of the nesting cavity, Targhee National Forest, Clark County, IdahoHouse Wren with its head poking out of the nesting cavity

Tree Swallows were the most persistent of the “visitors” to the nesting tree and they dived towards the cavities whether the House Wrens or Williamson’s Sapsuckers were inside the cavities or not.

House Wren taking a break from singing and nest building, Targhee National Forest, Clark County, IdahoHouse Wren taking a break from singing and nest building

Occasionally the House Wrens would take a break from singing, chattering and bringing in nesting materials to perch on a branch nearby that had fallen to the ground which gave me opportunities for close up shots of them. One hopped off of that perch and approached within 3 feet of the vehicle but I couldn’t photograph it that close. The House Wrens are tiny little birds but they sure have big attitudes!

Had it not been for my keen eyes, ears, and my observation skills, I could have missed out on these wrens and the other fantastic birds that came in to this tree.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my House Wren photos plus facts and information about this species.

The House Wren calls are here

All images were created using my Nikon D300 and the Nikkor 200-400mm VR with a 1.4x TC attached.