New Neighbors

It's true that the house next to ours is for sale. We've anxiously been awaiting any news about potential buyers from our current neighbors. The market just has not been in their favor. BUT, unexpectedly some locals were checking out the digs and decided to move right on in. OUR GRILL. Now, this grill DID NOT have a sign out front and is lacking many upgrades that are basically standard these days. Nonetheless, a pair of Carolina wrens have been tirelessly working to make it "home" to their last clutch of the season. I truly am not an avian expert, but felt the need to do a little research after noticing the nest earlier in the week. Check this out...The male makes several makeshift nests. The female then checks each one out and ultimately decides which is best. She then either continues building the nest on top of his creation or rips his apart and starts over in that location. Of course, the male does a lot of the grunt work, bringing back the twigs and what not and she fashions and weaves it all into place. They build these tight little cave like dwellings. So clever. After the nest is complete she begins laying her eggs, one a day, usually 3-6 total. She proceeds to pluck out the feathers on her belly which has increased it's blood flow and is quite bloated. She vigilantly keeps her eggs warm, only leaving the nest approx. 6x a day. Which is considerably less than the house wren which averages 26 times of abandonment in a day. The male brings her food hourly. The eggs hatch in about 2 weeks and the pair take turns caring for them. They then are coaxed out of the nest and are looked after for about 2 more weeks until they become completely independent. Oh, and Carolina wrens mate for life. Only exception is death. What's not to love about these new neighbors?? So what if we have to broil our meat for the next month.