Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Rock n' Roll Wrennaissance

I have a rocky relationship with this species of Wren. When times are good, we'll often find each other hiking around Camelback or Squaw Peak Mountain, looking for bugs and enjoying the early morning weather. But then for no reason at all he'll disappear for months on end! No phone calls, no notes, not even a goodbye... 


Even if this inconsistency keeps us on the rocks, it's always a delight when the Rock Wren does show up. They prefer the rocky, arid, low mountain terrain that can be easily found throughout Arizona, but as their charming calls echo among the canyon walls, it can be tricky to pick out these camouflaged flirts.

With its soft browns, gentle eyes, and faint white spotting on the back, the Rock Wren is the paragon of demureness, the shy and understated quality found in many ground-dwelling birds. At least, that's a human perspective. To the Pimpla Sanguinipes, the Rock Wren is another beast entirely. This little digger wasp found himself between a rock and a hard place.


It's the Hard Rock Cafe...
This particular Wren was hanging out in the western, shady side of the Papago Park bluffs. It was a fun challenge to pick him out of the granite rocks that are strewn all over the trails. If you click on the bottom photo and zoom in, you can see the wasp's head on the Wren's granite countertop. I believe he left it there as a warning to his enemies. Rock on. 

22 comments:

  1. Great writing Laurence. I just love your blog!

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    1. Thanks Peggy. It's always a pleasure to have you stop by.

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  2. Another interesting post Laurence! Great headline too.

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  3. Ha! Really funny post! Great catch on the wasp snacks.

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    1. Thank you Lauren. I must admit, I watched the Wren decapitate and devour the wasp with a certain satisfaction. Ever since a bad experience with wasps as a kid..well I just don't like their attitudes.

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  4. Your posts this past week have been such fun and are delightful and your writing style RoCkS!

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    1. Ha thanks Mia. I really appreciate you always stopping by an commenting.

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  5. Hi, a big welcome from sunny Kent in the U.K. Really enjoyed reading your blog and added you to my list of blogs to follow. If you get a moment you might like to take a look at mine. Best Wishes Phil Parker.

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    1. Thanks Phil, I appreciate you stopping by, and will likewise check out your UK birds! Your photos and narratives are very informative and enjoyable!

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  6. Fun with words by Laurence Butler! Great photos.

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  7. I know what you mean...they are fickle with me as well. I've been approached more closely by Rock Wrens than almost any other songbird species, yet have no photos to show for it. Hopefully we will rekindle the fire soon...

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    1. Here's hopin' Seagull. Ya know, it's probably the same bird playing us both for fools.

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  8. I recently had a very close encounter with a couple of rock wrens at the top of Wasson Peak in the Tucson Mountains. As we sat and had our lunch, the wrens became quite interested in what we were eating. Why eat wasps when you can have ham and cheese?? Maybe a chip or two. Obviously they have learned that hikers are either a soft touch or somewhat messy eaters! Love your post!

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    1. Cool! I love those sorts of experiences I had a such an encounter down in Madera Canyon. We hiked all over looking for birds and saw pretty little. As soon as we settled down to lunch, we had Olive Warblers, Arizona Woodpeckers, and Nuthatches all around us.

      Sounds like a good lunch Carole. I'd certainly take a ham and cheese over wasps any day.
      Good Birding!

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  9. Some rockin' wrens ya got there! Very nice captures! The wasp looks tasty!

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    1. Thanks Tammy. Watching that Wren chow down did make me hungry, and unfortunately the wasp left-obvers weren't quite enough...

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  10. Very nice post Laurence. The wren is a lovely bird, super shots.

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    1. I appreciate the comment Dan. Thanks for stopping by.

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  11. This is a really interesting bird. Like the story and background info. Plus the pic with the wasp is great.

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    1. Cheers Chris! It was nice of the Wren to eat out in plain sight. Some birds can be rather shy about that sort of thing (and people too).

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