Loading...
November 15, 2001 - Is this wren a sign of winter?The Suffolk Times • November 15, 2001 , Is this wren a sign of w THERE ARE SO MANY wondertul things happening just outside our doors, it's a shame that more people are not aware of them. Take, for instance, today as Barbara and I were eating breakfast. We look through FOCUS two glass sliding doors onto a ON patio that is lit- tered with leaves. NATURE The leaves this by Paul last week have Stoutenburgh been falline end- This solitary, spiral-climbing brown creeper is often overlooked because of Its small size and beautifully cam- ouflaged body. Its bill has evolved Into a specially curved probe that lets It get Into the crevices of the bark of a tree where other birds cannot reach. Suffolk Times photo by Paul Stoutenburgh lessly in a steady procession, but today they were met by a strong northwest wind that scat- tered them in every direction. As we sat watching the leaves blow and our world changing from leaf- covered trees to bare - limbed ones, a little win- ter wren entertained us. Barbara's eye caught it and she brought it to my attention. At first we thought it was a Carolina wren, that noise songster that often stays with us throughout the winter and in the springtime builds its nest in our garages or nangmg rower pots. But no, it wasn't a Carolina wren. It was the more secretive little winter wren that is mouselike in size and actions. It worked it way underneath our picnic table through the leaves, then up through the bench. Yes, I said through the bench, for the bench is made up of two boards with a three - quarter -inch space between them, and it had worked its way right up through that narrow opening and then up and under the picnic table. All the time its bill was jabbing and probing for hiber- nating spiders or spider eggs or other insects that had taken refuge from the cold and blustery weather. We couldn't believe what was going on right in front of us. This tiny little thing, with its little upturned tail and sharp pointed bill,.paid no attention to us, but went on about its business while we watched. It was a joy to see. What we are more likely to see at this time of the year is the little dark - colored shrew, smaller than a mouse, with a pointed nose and short tail, running through the leaves looking for something to eat. It lives under an old stump near the back door and makes daily trips out to look for food. These little shrews run here and there in jerky motions. At first as we watched, we thought we were seeing a shrew, but no, it was that "very small, round, dark wren" called a winter wren that seemed to be performing just for us. Winter wrens are never very com- mon, but they are around. They are found in the low shrubbery or on the ground and are always busy probing here and there for their next bit of nourishment. They nest from Long Island north. Then when winter comes they migrate south to the warmer parts of the country. Like all wrens, both sexes are all brown in color and almost impossible to tell apart. We see these winter wrens occa- sionally on our Christmas bird count but never in anv quantity. That's why The little winter wren seemed to be performing just for us. I say it was something special today to see it up close. We were grateful that this puffball of a wren had come to visit us, for it gave our morning extra meaning. We need to find things, in these days of unusual cir- cumstances, that will help brighten our days and help us look forward to the future. Time: 5:05 p.m. Just at dusk we had a return visit from our little winter wren. It was still busy hunting for insects in and around the picnic table. I wonder where it will spend the night. Wouldn't it be fun to know? Some days there seem to be more birds around than on other days. The day our little winter wren visited us was just one of those days because the big brother of the wren family, the Carolina wren, showed up on the patio. It's much bigger but still very much wren -like in appearance. Scooting around in the leaves, in the woodpile and under the picnic bench, it looked for those elusive spiders and other insects that had iust turned in foi the winter. It, too, checked every crack and crevice in the patio furniture. Later that day Barbara and I picked up another interesting bird. It also is somewhat rare and is often overlooked because of its small size and solitary-way of life. It's called the brown creeper, an- interesting bird because of its habit of spiraling from the bottom of a tree upward, seeking in amongst the crevices of the bark insects and larvae that might be hid- ing there. It will spiral up the tree until the insects thin out, and then it will drop down to the next tree, where it will start its inquisitive spiraling once again. It's 'remarkable how each species of bird is adapted to a particular way of feeding. The specially slender, curved bill of the "creeper'-' has evolved into a shape that best suits it to find insects in the bark of a tree. It also has evolved stiff tail feathers that, like the woodpecker's, help to hold the bird as it goes up the tree. These stiff feathers act somewhat like a third leg. Speaking of legs, the creeper also has especially long, sharp toes that help it grip the bark of trees as it moves about. As I mentioned, it's a solitary work- er and one that's seldom noticed because of its beautiful brownish- black, camouflage color. It eats a wide variety of insects and can be thought of as a true predator of the insect world. I can remember years ago when we put suet out, we'd occasion- ally attract one of these. little creep- If you haven't tried suet as yet to tract birds, now is a good time to art. Usually you can buy suet at the ocery store. Put it in an onion or apefruit bag and hang it from a nb of a tree. It won't take long to re in woodpeckers, nuthatches, ickadees and others. Who knows, lu might even get a little brown ,ever to try vour suet.