a solution for my Carolina Wrens at last

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

One terrific idea! Congrats. You've done a fine job!

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

^_^ I'm happy that you're happy that they're SO happy. ^_^ Happy Mother Day.

What a clever idea! It sounds like your wrens really do appreciate your efforts. I'm sure you'll enjoy this family.

i'm going to scout around and find a couple of old, deep easter baskets for next year. i think those would work even better!

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.

just an update on the wrens in the bucket. they successfully raised their babies last year and when fall came, i took the bucket down and cleaned it out.
i never did find any baskets over the winter so when spring rolled around again this year, i had to hurriedly put the bucket back up.
at first they tried the garage again, on my laundry soap shelf and in an old hat that hangs on the back of my chair.....then they started to build one on the chair seat! every time i'd come in from gardening to sit a minute, there was a pile of leaves and grass! i thought maybe they wouldn't nest in the same bucket two years in a row so i hung another old hat up underneath the bucket and also an old plastic hanging pot. they put a few pieces of stuff in both and then decided on the bucket...at last.
they are busy feeding this latest brood as i type.
should i leave the nest as is for next year or clean it out again to start over?

Best to clean it out, so they start their new nest without any burden of fleas, lice, etc.

Resin

thanks, resin. i never thought of it in terms of cleanliness but it makes sense. besides, they seem to take a real joy in making the nest. such a complicated affair when you take it apart and study it.