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Submitted By
Aimee Milarski
Jessup, MD, USA
Description
Carlolina Wren was quick to create a moss nest in one of the hanging baskets at my front porch. This year her chosen roost was a New Guinea Impatiens. 3 eggs total were laid, but I only observed 2 live chicks that hatched several days apart. Mom was very attentive resulting in 2 successful fledges!
Category
Species
Front Porch
Hi Aimee, Great shots! It looks like one of the young birds you photographed is a Brown-headed Cowbird, which likely explains why the eggs hatched so far apart. Brown-headed Cowbirds are native birds that lay their eggs in the nests of other species, and those eggs often hatch much sooner than host young. This often gives cowbird young an advantage in the host’s nest (great shot of the size comparison between the two nestlings!). If you’re interested, you can learn more about Brown-headed Cowbirds here.