This morning I walked to the mailbox to get the newspaper. A house wren flew out of the bluebird box by the mailbox and scolded me fiercely. She was joined by her male companion and he scolded me fiercely in a slightly lower and quieter voice. I got a good look at their short flippy tails and pinkish legs. The male house wren had a bug in his beak. Maybe that is why he wasn't scolding me as loudly. His mouth was full of breakfast. I walked closer to their box. Both birds flew to lower branches and got closer to me. I raised my hands in surrender and backed off. Now I can check off another species as breeding on my breeding bird atlas volunteer work. I think this makes either 19 or 20 confirmed breeding species. House wrens are not my favorite. A house wren and a bluebird fought over the house by my kitchen window and at least one bluebird fledged. It's possible that I only got one blue bird to fledge because the house wren was destructive. House wrens will go into another nest and poke holes in the egg shell which kills the bird inside. House wren will also fill up all the other bird houses in the neighborhood with tiny twigs so no one wants to nest in there. I have emptied huge amounts of tiny twigs packed so tight in a bird house that you really have to work to get them all out. So house wrens are not my favorite because they are cruel to other species. Pugnacious little birds!
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