House wrens cause me some conflict. They are undeniably cute. These tiny birds also seem intelligent, resourceful, adaptable and curious. Those are good qualities. At the same time, they are bullies having some nasty habits. The little squirts have a big Napoleon Complex. While they will nest virtually anywhere, sometimes even in tin cans and boots sitting in open sheds, they like to take over bluebird boxes. They will frequently poke holes in the bluebird eggs and throw them out of the nest. House wrens will even do this to the nest boxes in the area, not just the ones they are laying in. Resourceful, intelligent and adaptable, yes… but kind of nasty if you count yourself among the fans of bluebirds.
Our property used to be really good for bluebirds. We’ve had them nest in our boxes many times. In the past 8 years, the field nearby has started to move away from “meadow” and transitioned toward shrubs and trees. That has tilted the balance in favor of the wrens that prefer that habitat. This year I took down the bluebird boxes because the wrens were taking everything over. It is disheartening to be watching and photographing the beautiful bluebirds every day, counting their eggs, only to come out one morning to find that the wrens are all over the box with the bluebird eggs broken and thrown on the ground. Having the meadow taken over by shrubs and trees has been bad for the bluebirds, but I’ll try to look on the bright side and enjoy the higher number of warblers we are getting in the yard. I do miss seeing the bluebirds every day.
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