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every year i fight the wren battle with them wanting to nest in our garage. they use old hats, buckets, plastic bags, anything hanging from the walls on hooks. i feel terrible every time i run them out but houses we've put up have gone unused.
today they were back and determined to find a place in the garage. they were starting to stuff a piece of pipe on a hook when i found them this time.
i kept trying to think of something and somewhere that would be good for them and i came up with a bucket that i half filled with old, clean rags. i hung it under our wide eave, out of the wind and rain and right on the outside wall of the garage. it wasn't up 20 minutes when i heard furious singing and they had the makings of a nest within 2 hours.
finally success! and relief! lol
thank you!
they are SO happy this morning. they worked until dark last night and were up at the crack of dawn putting the finishing touches on their new home.
not too long after they started on their nest, one flew in (not to the right of the garage where they always scout, but to the left where i sit) and burst into song and looked almost eye level with me. it's like it was saying, "thank you"...at least that's what i believe! lol
Do keep us posted how this family of Wrens do trackinsand. Currently I've one that is nesting in our garage, dispite my effort trying to discourage 'em. Here is another that is searching for new possibilities for nesting.
I'm so glad you've shared your success, that gave me idea to help these little Wrens families out. One of their nests lost eggs to some sort of predators in the backyard this spring. Nature is rather tough on these little ones!
i will keep you updated. if ours was an "open garage" with no automatic door, i wouldn't have cared but we close our garage door at night (bears) and when we are away from home. the parents are then either locked in or locked out...not a good situation.
one thing i'll add is that i thoughtlessly did not put a drain hole in this bucket. i have a plastic flower pot with lots of holes inside the bucket that sets about 2 inches above the bottom of the bucket. since it is in a very protected spot, i do not anticipate problems but in the future, i will provide "easter" baskets instead. these will allow for air circulation as well as drainage.
the parent birds continue to use their nest as of this date. i would imagine that the female is laying an egg every day until she arrives at the number she wants before she starts setting.
I'm happy that you're happy that they're SO happy. 
