Home sweet home

After a few false starts, it seems spring has finally decided to stay put. At least the house wrens seem to think so. A week or so ago there was a ruckous outside my home office window, and I witnessed the eviction of a pair of chickadees from my birdhouse. Those little wrens are feisty birds, let me tell you.

The male house wren will usually choose the nesting site (often a birdhouse), and begins the process of decorating by cramming the place full of twigs. You can see the twigs protruding from under the tin roof, and the ground is covered with remnants from last year's residents, feathers and such which he apparently removed.

He then finds himself a girlfriend, who will immediately begin remodeling to her own taste. She adds softer materials to make the nest cup, which is what this particular wren was doing at the time I snapped the picture.

Wrens do NOT enjoy being watched, by people or by cats. It only took a few moments of hearing my camera shutter clicking to make her mad, and she perched on a nearby tree to unleash a barrage of warning calls at me. A few more quick shots and I closed the window and let her return to her homemaking chores.

Found

It took a while, but eventually the missing caterpillar was found, having morphed into a dull brown cocoon and attached itself to a sweatshirt. A clever disguise, indeed, but a tuft of leftover "yellow bear" fuzz was convincing evidence that the runaway had merely been seeking a place to overwinter. The cocoon is now tucked among leaves and mulch in a terrarium in the garage.

BOLO

Be on the lookout for woolly caterpillar, aka "yellow bear" (pictured at right), last seen circling the top of its critter keeper. Suspect is a Virginia tiger moth larva, and was preparing to pupate when it escaped from captivity. Possible hideouts might be inside the pullout couch or the heat ducts. Effort should be made to keep predators from the area (keep the living room door closed so the cats don't eat the poor fellow). Missing caterpillar is capable of changing disguises, and may reappear in an entirely different form.