WRENder me DEAF

CAPTION: "Next time, chi, chi, bring back a bug with a little meat on it."   

 

   Say CHIP ten times as fast you can! Good! Nice Job! Now take the plosive 'p' out of your vocal equation. Good! Now just say CHI ten times as fast as you can, Faster. FASTER. FASTER. FASTER. Congratulations, you now speak WREN. And it didn't cost you a dime.

       Watching the Wren life cycle is a whole different experience from watching Robins arrive and go. First of all, from what Peggy and I noticed, the Wren is not the best house keeper in Birdville. The nest they prepare just appears to be a bunch of random twigs shoved into a birdhouse. 

        In a bird sport metaphor the Wren is the sprinter. I think they could build a nest in an hour. There are no bugs on the planet able to escape a wren when it's time to feed the babies.

      We don't get to watch the babies develop 'cause they are stuffed inside a bird house that no other living thing dare enter. BUT, youuuuuu cannnnn hearrrrrr them.

      CHI, CHI,CHI,CHI,CHI.

      And it's kind of fun to follow their maturation via their CHI, CHI, CHIs.

      At first the CHI, CHI, CHI is constant and at a pitch level known only to dogs and martians. About the second day of watching Mommy and Daddy Wren shuttle trainloads of bugs to the nest, the pitch gets lower, at least low enough for Peggy to hear them, but not me. [all those years of wearing headsets in radio stations has finally taken it's toll.

       But as the days go by the CHI, CHI, CHI finally drops into my range. And you know what? Some times being hard of hearing can be a blessing. Well this adult sprint energy, babies chipping goes on for about a week and a half. And then lucky for us Peggy was sitting out on the deck when it happened.

       "Paul, quick, grab your camera and get out here."

        Wow!

      All of a sudden there are juvenile WRENS all over the place, some of them actually posing for the camera. They are still letting Mom and Dad feed them. But in a week and a half they have essentially been told, "Chi, chi, get out of the house and fend for yourselves, chi, chi."

        Watching Wrens, Listening to Wrens, Shooting ( with camera)  Wrens is exhausting. It's been an exciting privilege to watch and listen to the process. That said? I'm glad they're gone. I need a break, chi, chi. I'll be happy to see, chi, chi, chi, them next Spring. But for now I'm going to take a break and maybe answer one of the thousands of hearing aid ads I'm bombarded with every year.

          Chi, Chi.

          (You know that is very close to a chinese word common to most dialects. Its the most universal expression for thank you. Is that what this is all about? Do you think? Nah.......)