Week of the Cactus Wren

On Wednesday, Peter and I were running our 8 mile loop before work and we heard some croaking. We stopped and followed the sound, finding a pair of Cactus Wrens sitting next to each other, singing on the top of a cactus. 

We’d seen this sign a few weeks earlier at a nearby trail and were on the lookout. The smaller Wrens are some of my very favorites, so I was eager to see this larger version.

We learned later that their song is described as a low krr-krrr-krr-krr, just the croak we heard.

The pair kept ruffling their feathers and snuggling up next to each other. Of course I didn’t have a camera…it would have been an epic shot! Something like my Dad’s Bluebirds. We’re planning a morning bike ride to the area in the coming weeks to wait for them.

Then, on Sunday, Ed Dahlberg sent over this!

He said, “A pretty common bird in SE Arizona, this larger Wren is identified by its white eye strip and densely spotted breast.”

Now I’m satisfied until the next encounter – thanks, Ed!

-Blair