Coming Home to Roost

I just had to share this with you................. think you'll agree it was quite astonishing.

A week after the four baby wrens toddled off into the far reaches of the garden, they came back to spend a night on the front porch where they started out!

Thursday evening, we spent a few hours at a local Irish pub with a friend - the guys downed Guinness while I stuck with a nice red wine - we devoured authentic 'fish 'n chips' - and the really nice Irish owner sent us Grand Marniers to finish off the fun night. On arriving home, we entered the house somewhat noisily, slamming car doors, storm door, porch lights blazing - all the things we didn't do while the wrens were still in the nest by the front door. I immediately went to the dining room window to close the blinds and almost fell over when I saw this sight up in the corner of the porch ceiling...............................the four baby wrens snuggled up together, obviously sleeping very soundly. This is the same corner the mother wren slept in from last September until she built the nest in March - she was there almost every night. I'm surmising that she brought the babies here on Thursday for some reason, somehow getting them all to fly up there and hunker down for the night in her familiar corner.

This amazing sight required resetting the alarm clock for 6:00 AM in hopes I could see what happened at daybreak. So with my coffee and camera I sat by the window waiting. At 6:20 AM I heard a parent calling, the little birds started stirring and stretching. By then I was waking dh and we stood there watching as number 1, 2 and 3, gingerly doddered along the ledge, then flew out towards where mom was calling. Number 4 was less brave, it wasn't sure where or how to leave. It hopped and slipped along the ledge to the far end, returned to the corner, then flew off in the opposite direction..................we were hoping it would find its family in time for breakfast.

(The photos are a little blurry as they were taken through the window before the sun was up).

I must add that I was thrilled 'my babies' made a return visit and, once again, marvelled at the wonders of Nature.

Today I saw the entire family together in the back garden and it was obvious that flying lessons were the order of the day. The parents would fly a short distance to a shrub, a metal obelisk or the back fence, the four (yes still all four thank goodness) babies would follow all chirping noisily. Below is either mom or dad giving orders.

If you look closely you can see one baby on the lower bar of the obelisk.

A closer look below and another baby is perched on the wooden trellis below the moon.

Later in the afternoon they were closer to the house on my back deck - didn't have time to grab the camera though. It's just so wonderful knowing they are staying in our garden and are doing so well.