Here in the Sheldrake area we have Carolina Wrens year around and they have several songs and chatters. One, in spring, it calls "Teacher, Teacher" over and over. I always thought it was to call in a mate. They nest in my flower basket hanging by my front door every year. And stand on porch railing making little chatters to let babies know they're coming. They have a vocal hiss when we come in or out the door when they are tending to babies. A beautiful and friendly little bird. I always have suet out in winter and they love it. Winters are hard on them and I lost one this winter - found it laying on front porch. Two are about now but I don't see signs of a nest yet. Off and on they roosted in their nest this winter which is in the center of a big Christmas wreath fastened up on the porch wall. It's not nice an green any more but they like it. Hope I haven't rambled on too much. I could tell tales about my Carolina Wrens enough for a book !!
Enjoy, Naomi Brewer From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Candace Cornell Sent: Friday, April 08, 2011 5:34 PM To: cayugabirds-l Subject: [cayugabirds-l] an ovenbirdish wren I should have mentioned earlier that I am not 110% certain about the Ovenbird ID, since it is early for an Ovenbird, and sincerely appreciate any helpful comments. The bird I heard repeated a "Teacher, Teacher" phrase 12 times, with each repetition increasing in emphasis and volume as it built to a crescendo. The song also had the emphatic insistence I associate with an Ovenbird. On the other hand, I thought I detected a slight difference in the clarity of the song. The bird seemed to enunciate "Teacher, Teacher" a little too clearly, a little too perfectly. I was not sure whether to attribute that distinction to a local accent or the fact that I usually hear ovenbirds when there are leaves muffling their songs a bit. Both Susan Fast and John Greenly wrote that they have heard Carolina Wrens sing "ovenbirdish" songs and John, a Ludlowvillite, knows of one such wren in the area where we heard the bird. I can imagine a clever wren turning teakettles into teachers. However, I've listened to countless Ovenbird and Carolina Wren recordings today and didn't hear any wren recordings that came close to what I heard yesterday. Since locals usually know the quirks of their neighborhood birds best, I'll assume it was a Carolina Wren, record it as an unknown passerine, and go back to hopefully track down the singer again. Thank you Susan and John! Have a good bird-filled weekend! Candace -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
