We have wrens, a pre-family of wrens nesting in our garage. Now wrens are not so unusual here in Michigan… quite the contrary. But I’m pretty sure that these are Bewick’s wrens, not House wrens. That’s unusual. Most maps of their range don’t show them extending this far north, although there have been reports of them doing so.

They’re so funny! They fly in and out of the open (read: broken out) window panes in the garage, but not without announcing their intention first. They fly up to the redbud tree outside, or the fence post, or the picnic table and squawk a fuss. Then they perch on the open window pane and fuss some more to make sure you’re watching. Then they buzz off inside the garage to their nest up in the eaves. Momma settles down in it low, so you can’t see her, and stays there most of the time. No babies yet that we can see.

We’ll add a photo of the Bewick’s Wren (it has such a bright eyestripe compared to the House Wren) as soon as Mandy Rose can get one with her camera.

[Update in 2008: They are Carolina wrens, not Bewick's wrens (much more rare in Michigan).  The wrens fussed and swooped at the cats and managed to fledge the kids and with just a little help from us managed to get most of the babies safely out of the reach of the cats and off and into the woods.  That was last year (2007) and this year they were back, but nesting somewhere out in the woods, close enough to visit us almost daily, but not so near as before.]