They are such energetic little birds. I have a nest of babies right now in their usual place in the garden. They've nested there every year now, for something like 8 years now! I use my kids' old swingset to grow cucumbers up and the wren makes a nest in the middle top tube. Here's a pic of the wren sticking out of it. (I had really tall milkweed that year! It was taller than the swingset!) I can hear the babies calling for food. I can't believe they can fit down in there, and endure the heat. One year, when it was terribly hot for a long time, I put a big umbrella over it. :)

Wonderful video, TMC! Thanks for sharing that! And I almost didn't see the little one poking out from between the swing set Catherine (your milkweed is amazing, by the way).

House wrens are the only birds we've successfully gotten to use the "bird houses" we put up in the spring. since we started 4 or so years ago. I love the little guys, their song is so pretty and their antics when they get frustrated because I'm doing some yard work or gardening too near their babies are kind of amusing.

Hey Zach, I posted that pic on another forum once and one guy said "where's the bird??" haha

I absolutely hated eventually pulling most of the volunteer milkweed out of the garden because it shaded some other things too much and got so tall it would fall over. I couldn't believe how big it got.......about 9'! We have about 35 acres that are woods and field, but we're letting the field do whatever it wants. We have tons of milkweed. Unfortunately, in the past couple of years, we hardly have any butterflies. :( Hopefully that's just a temporary thing. But the milkweed is popping up everywhere now, so our fingers are crossed that the monarchs and others will see them and come visit.

tmc.....do you have Carolina wrens too? They can pick some of the funniest places to build their nests. I posted a pic on here of one this spring that built it's nest in a pot that I had made long ago and left it on the porch. They can sure belt out their song.