by Jan Fielden
We are pretty curious about the animals, birds, insects, etc. that make their home at the Red Oak Ranch. But they are pretty curious about us too. There is a Barn Wren that comes every year in time to build a nest and lay eggs. They build in the most unusual places. Where they build their nests here is actually in the shop! One year the nest was built in the storage unit The Colonel has in the shop. The nest was on top of the unit and when the little ones were hatched, they sang songs to The Colonel. Maybe not songs but they made a lot of noise when they were hungry. He decided they weren’t being a nuisance, so he leaves the nest they build. Every year after the babies hatched and learned to fly off and when he was sure they wouldn’t come back “home” The Colonel discarded their home. Every year though one comes back.
The Wren would build a nest and the last time it was by the door and the light switch. A really compact nest and it seems in not too long a time, the babies are born and calling for food. The momma flies in, feed them and when she takes off, she flies right by The Colonel’s ear. He said if he moved his head just a smidgen, she would plough into it. My favorite though are the Hummingbirds. They are amazing little birds. Whenever we sit on the porch they will fly right at us, face on, look us over and then fly off. I believe they are very use to people as sometimes we won’t see them in the morning unless we go out on the porch and then here they come as if they were waiting on us for a visit.
