The Wren is very busy these days catching winter moths. It seems to be a great part of its diet at this time of year. This clever little bird is very diligent and picks them off the walls and in crevices where they might hide.
One has claimed our house as his own private property, driving others away with force, and cleaning the moths off the walls like a perfect little housekeeper.
There are more Wrens this autumn than often before so this summer seems to have been a prosperous one.
July and August are usually the most peaceful months in the garden, meaning that there are not as many birds as in the winter months. We have continued putting out sunflower seed all summer so of course some birds come by regularly. Redwings, Blackbirds and Redpolls nested in our garden and in neighbouring gardens this summer. Most of these birds finished breeding in the end June except the Blackbird that breeds several times during the summer. According to our observations it is now breeding for the fifth time.
With the coming of autumn more and more birds appear in the garden and last week there were three Wrens here (ad+2 juv), a Goldcrest, Crossbills, Redpolls, Blackbirds, Redwings and Starlings.
On our blog you can see our weekly report on the birds in our garden: http://ornosk.com/weekly-bird-report/weekly-bird-report-2017/
This diligent little Wren was very busy today hunting spiders on the garden fence. It searched carefully up and down along the rails and the catch was good.
Searching carefully in all nooks and comers.
Quite a few Wrens have been seen recently in gardens and woodlands in the South. The summer seems to have been a good one for the species. They are now coming down from their breeding grounds in the highlands to spend the summer in the lowlands. The Wren spends the whole year in Iceland. Most spend the winter by the seaside, or by rivers and creeks that do not freeze, and eat insects, spiders and crabs.
Icelandic Wrens are bigger and darker than European ones.
This Wren was photographed in Grímsnes, South Iceland,
The Wren was the smallest Icelandic bird before the Goldcrest settled here. It is a tiny little bird with a big voice. It is one of the birds that stays in Iceland the whole year. In the winter time it can be found by the seaside but in other seasons all over the country, mostly lowlands though.
We have had a Wren in the garden now for a few days which tells us that it is expecting spring.