Drama on 164th Lane

Once upon a time Mr. and Mrs. House Wren decided to raise their brood in a blue bird house.  The owner of the property purchased and placed that house specifically for blue birds because of their attractive appearance, beautiful song, and need for housing.  The owner was not as fond of house wrens because of their plain brown color, their tendency to make their less than pleasant noises for 2 hours prior to her clock radio alarm, their tendency to fill every bird house in the neighborhood with 2 inch sticks just so others can't use it, and their very healthy population.  Nonetheless, the property owner decided to leave this house wren family alone.  

Eventually the eggs hatched.  The baby house wrens grew up healthy, loud and strong. "Fledge," said Mr. House Wren. For a house wren to fledge is equivalent to a teenaged human going to high school and getting a part time job. Some of it's needs are met but not all.  Most of the baby house wrens fledged.  

One baby house wren did not fledge.  "Fledge!" said Mrs. House Wren.  

The last remaining house wren said, "No thanks." 

 "You have to fledge!" said Mr. House Wren.

"Whatevs!" said the last remaining house wren.  As it rested and waited for it's parents to bring it more food the house wren gazed down on the chicken coop 5 yards away.  The last house wren remaining thought about living the life of a chicken.  Plentiful food and fresh water are delivered daily. Some days that chicken got a bite of squash, some organic lettuce or a handful of black sunflower seeds.  This chicken had it made in the shade thought the reluctant-to-fledge house wren.

One day the baby house wren decided to live with the chicken.  Somehow, unbeknownst to anyone, it managed to invade the chicken coop.  The little house wren tasted the chicken feed.  The house wren thought the laying egg mash sold by Anoka Independent Feed & Meal was not as tasty as the mosquitoes, the spiders, the beetles and the caterpillars it was used to eating.  And the water in the black rubber bowl was not as fresh as the water in the puddles in the driveway.  The chicken noticed the house wren inside it's fenced enclosure but was not alarmed or upset.  After a while the house wren changed it's mind.  Rather than live like a chicken, this wren wanted to fledge, to fly free, to soar after mosquitoes and enjoy fresh caterpillars again. The little house wren forgot how it got it.  It panicked and flew around and around the enclosure hitting it's head against the chicken wire.  The house wren's mother noticed the distress and came over to help.  That is when the property owner noticed the drama, put aside her browning onions and zucchini, grabbed her camera, and came outside.

"Oh, great" thought the little house wren as it flew in a panicked motion that makes it hard to be photographed, "she's taking my picture.  I'll be the Lindsey Lohan of the house wren community now."  But once the lid was off the chicken run, the little house wren flew away, now enjoying it's role as a newly fledged house wren.

The End