Carolina Wren: Small Bird, Big Voice

One of the frequent visitors to our bird feeders, especially the suet feeder, is the lively little Carolina Wren.

This petite songster has one of the loudest and most exuberant voices of the Raymondale songbirds. The song of the Carolina Wren may very well be the first one you hear as dawn is breaking. His song can sound like a fast: "Don't be late! Don't be late!" and sometimes followed by a "rattlesnake" like trill.

The Carolina Wren prefers suet as they are insect eaters when the weather warms. A cage like suet feeder allows for the energetic Carolina Wren to slip inside and feed without being harassed by larger "bully" birds like the European Starling.

The Carolina Wren will also nest close to or on your home in hedges or in any small crevice where building a nest is possible. So if you hear an excited song first thing in the morning, it may very well be from the Carolina Wren, one of Raymondale's small songbirds.

(All photographs taken in Raymondale.)

 Why a Raymondale bird blog? Dan and Beth Fedorko have been inventorying birds for Cornell University's Backyard Bird Count (www.feederwatch.org) which runs November through April each year. This inventory keeps track of migratory patterns, possible diseases, and decline and increase in bird populations. In response to the Raymondale Environmental Stewardship Task Force, we have started this blog which is separate from the general Raymondale news blog and more personal, to share our finds and photographs. If you see any birds in the neighborhood and surrounding parkland, please send us a photo! We'll help you identify it and might even post it on the blog!