During a mixed ice-and-snow storm yesterday afternoon, I had a memorable moment with a Carolina Wren, one I’ll probably think about for the rest of my life.
Winter Carolina Wren on a rock – Canon R7, f8, 1/1600, ISO 500, Canon EF 100-400mm II at 330mm, natural light
I was bundled up in layers and my winter jacket, sitting on the deck, watching the birds eat at the feeders during the storm. While I watched, I hoped a new bird would show up and also admired how the birds adapt to the nasty weather.
And it was nasty weather. I could see that one of the neighbor’s bamboo trees was drooping over her chain-link fence because of the ice. I’ve been through a major ice storm in Virginia, where I lost power for a week, and I shiver just thinking about how hard that was and how much damage it caused.
Back to the Carolina Wren
The wrens here have gotten more and more used to me because I set out tiny suet balls and peanuts for them. They’ve gotten to the point where, if I haven’t set food out for them—especially when the weather is harsh—they come up close to me and pretty much tell me with their insistent calls that they’d like me to put food out for them.
They can get a little pushy at times about their food and have come within inches of me.
Well, yesterday with all the ice and snow, I put out food for the wrens twice and knew they’d finished it off. One of the Carolina Wrens came right up to me, letting me know it wanted to be fed.
I was sitting in a chair next to the bird food bin but didn’t want to stand up and scare the other birds away from the feeders.
So instead, I opened just the side of the bird food bin closest to me, grabbed a small handful of the tiny suet balls, closed the lid, and put my hand on it with the suet balls in plain sight.
Within about a minute and a half, the Carolina Wren walked across the top of the bird food bin, reached over with its bill, and snatched a suet ball from my hand!
Later, I went back outside, held a few more suet balls in my hand, and the wren flew in, landed on the toe of my hiking boot, then flew up and took another suet ball from my hand!
I didn’t have a camera in hand either time, but I’ve got the memory stored in my mind. The photo above was taken last December.
I’ll never forget when the Carolina Wren ate from my hand.
Me feeding a wild Rainbow Lorikeet in Australia
The only other time I had a wild bird do that was in Australia, where I fed a Rainbow Lorikeet that had gotten used to me. I’ve never forgotten that experience either.
Life is good. Birds make it ever so much better.
Mia
Click here to view more of my Carolina Wren photos plus facts and information about this species.
Love the Wren pic. All my faves are in it…color, detail, eye-contact and texture. Perfect.
The only time I ever had a bird eat from my hand was way back in the ’50’s. We walking down a beach in So. Calif., and a Gull swooped down and swiped a candy bar from my hand. I was 11 years old and I still remember how quick that gull was. Thanks Mia.
Life is good with a Carolina around!
I would love a Carolina Wren to eat out of my hand. Black-capped Chickadees are notorious for eating out of your hand. I’ve had them sitting on my hand, on my toque & on my camera chattering away at me that they wanted food.