Taking turns

For a while I have been trying to get a photo of the red winged wrens that have finally ventured up from the creek line at the bottom of the garden up to the house garden. Lately we've seen the boy flitting close by, but each time I grabbed my camera he disappeared. Two weeks ago, while pruning the garden I came across a nest well hidden in the shrubbery with a couple of tiny pale speckled eggs nestled deep inside. The nest was made from woven grasses and cape gooseberry husks. Since then, I'd left the nest alone for a while trying not to disturb the sitting bird - at this stage I had no idea who the nest belonged to.

Female red winged wren

Yesterday I peeked into the domed nest and saw a couple of hatchlings. A female wren appeared on top of the nearby asparagus and scolded me. Time to check it out. Within ten minutes of sitting out with camera in hand, a little distance away from the nest, the male red winged wren took his turn at the nest. Jackpot! They took turns at the nest while the other parent hunted for food. The female disappeared within the shrub, whereas the male, after feeding the young, guarded the general area, looking about the whole time. At the change over, the returning bird called to the bird at the nest who called in reply, then they swapped duties.

Male red winged wren at nest

It will be fantastic when they leave the nest and we have a whole family of red winged wrens flitting through the house garden.