| The House Wren - The Little Growling Bird |
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Searching on the internet for the exact name of the “growling” bird, I discovered a really cool website that has recordings of many different bird sounds. The North American Bird Sounds by Doug Von Gausig on the Naturesongs website are fantastic. I thought the little bird was a Finch or Sparrow or even a Wren, but what identified him for me was the description of a House Wren’s particular noise: “Ever hear a House Wren swear? Well, I’m not sure what this guy was saying as I disturbed his peace and quiet, but I don’t think his mother would approve!” I knew without listening that this must be the bird who so fearlessly scooted me along my walk. Sure enough, when I heard the sound, it was “the growling bird.”
I was tickled to find out about these neighborhood birds. According to the Bird Watcher’s Digest website, the House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon) are named such because they like to nest by human houses: “These hyperactive dark-brown mites sing a rich burbling warble that is a true sign of spring across much of the species’ range, which covers all but the most southern parts of North America.” Despite their tiny size, 4-5 inches, all the sources I consulted admitted that the House Wren is extremely territorial and will aggressively compete with other birds for nesting boxes. They even go so far as to pierce the eggs of other species nesting in nearby boxes to clear out the competition. The House Wren is a drab brown with pale eyeliner and some black markings on his wings and tail. You can identify the House Wren mostly by how it holds its tail cocked over its back. The bill is very thin and pointed like a Hummingbird’s, but not as long. They eat insects from leaves and shrubs. Their nest is a stick platform (with as many as 400 sticks, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website) that the male builds, and the female finishes with a “nest cup and lining.” They lay anywhere from 3-10 eggs of a pinkish-white color with blotches of reddish brown.
I encountered the House Wrens on my daily walks. Every time Rose Bud and I walked by the drainage ditch, out they would come, growling and shooing us along. The House Wren will use many different cavities to build in and these birds must have chosen the crevices between the boulders along the drainage ditch. Later in the summer, about August, I noticed they were growling at me in my own backyard. I don’t know if a pair followed me home or if our backyard proved cavity-full enough for another nesting site, but it seemed like I was seeing House Wrens everywhere for awhile. Rose Bud wasn’t sure she liked the growling birds in her backyard and quickly learned to give a little woof at them as they eyeballed her from the safety of a fencepost. They seem to be a very fearless bird, curious and not afraid to take a good look before flying to safety.
According to the Cornell website, the House Wren stops singing in September and retreats to deeper woodlands. The males reappear about nine days ahead of the females in the spring to reclaim territories and establish their nesting sites. Since we live on the southern edge of Black Forest, I am assuming I will not be seeing the growling birds for awhile. Hopefully, some little niche or house will attract a pair in the spring. Rose Bud and I have grown fond of their noises and surveillance. By Anne Moran Hunsinger – Special Correspondent |
I was walking my dog around the neighborhood one lovely summer evening, when out of nowhere a buzzing, whirring noise rose out of the drainage ditch and fluttered around next to me. It took a moment to register that what I was hearing was coming from a tiny bird, about 4 inches long. He and his fellows accosted us with definite growling sounds until we were out of their range. When I got home, I told my family that Rose Bud and I had been attacked by a swarm of little growling birds. Since my husband at 5’6” is the tallest in his family, and I am shorter still, he said, “They must be Hunsinger birds.”
Love is the discovery of ourselves in others and the delight in the recognition. -Alexander Smith
