A rare capture of a common bird: the Carolina wren

While I can almost always count on hearing a Carolina wren on my visits to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, it’s a rare day when I see one and even rarer when I’m able to get a photo.

I routinely hear and see these tubby little birds at home. I have several photos of them eating at our feeders or perched on our patio furniture. I’m always impressed by the decibel-to-body size ratio of their beautiful song.

In the wild, that cheerful song carries far through the woods and over the fields. But to my eyes, these wrens offer only fleeting glimpses. I first recorded spotting a Carolina wren at the Pole Farm on Oct. 28, 2020. Over the past four years, I’ve recorded sightings of them 269 times, a total of 449 individuals.

This morning, I heard the last two in that count. The second one was singing in a young oak tree on the trail just past the observation deck. The bird was tucked in, sitting on a branch, surrounded by beautiful red leaves. I wasn’t positive it was a wren as I raised my camera, and I was able to get off a few shots before it flew off.

I played the images back, and the bird’s curved bill and a strong eye line left no doubt that I’d captured a Carolina wren on my card. One wide shot tops this post, and a cropped version is inset.

These birds bring joy, and I thank this little one for staying still just long enough for me to preserve the memory in pixels. 🦅