Wrens

Bewick’s Wren

Thryomanes bewickii
In April 1954 two eager young birders – Walt Corcoran and Harry Van Beurden – set out on an expedition.Van Beurden’s father drove the two up to the woods at Braddock Bay near the hawk lookout. They placed an old mattress under a fallen tree, spread canvas over the top, and camped out. “We had our bicycles with us,” Corcoran recalled during a recent interview. “That’s how we did all our traveling. The parkway was just being built, and we would ride on the dirt grade back and forth from Manitou Point.” Their efforts were rewarded when they found a Bewick’s Wren, the second of only three records here. It was at the edge of the woods, facing the parkway. “We saw this little bit of white on the tail feathers. It was definitely a wren, and we knew that one with white outer tail feathers was quite unusual.”
Background
A century ago, this was the beloved “house wren” of the Appalachians and the Midwest, and its breeding range extended into southeastern New York, central Pennsylvania and southern Ontario. Now it has all but disappeared east of the Mississippi River and has declined even in the western parts of its range, which now extends from Mexico north into the southern Plains and Southwest, and up the Pacific Coast as far as British Columbia. Various theories have been advanced for its decline, including competition with European Starling, House Sparrow, Carolina Wren and even Song Sparrow; the use of pesticides; and severe winters. Most likely, however, is competition from the House Wren, which destroys Bewick’s nests and eggs, and “whose range expansion has accompanied the quiet exit of Bewick’s Wren,” notes the profile of this species in The Birds of North America series. This is a bird of open woodlands, upland thickets and scrub, often found in hills. (BNA 315: 1-2, 4)The song is described as “thin, rising buzzes and slow trills.” (Sibley, p. 385)
Status
The Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a casual, very rare visitant.
Occurrence
1. In the early morning of 16 June 1940, George Guelf awoke to the song of a bird he immediately recognized as a Bewick’s Wren. That would not be unusual in California or Texas, but it certainly was unusual at a yacht club north of Brockport on Lake Ontario! “He saw the bird well and heard it sing many times, both on that day and the next two succeeding days,” Beardslee and Mitchell wrote. (B&M, p. 331) 2. One 21 and 23 April 1954 (Corcoran, Van Beurden, McKinney) “in the woods near the Hawk Lookout on East Manitou Road.” (B&M, p. 331; KB 4:47) 3. One 26-27 September 1974 (Henderson, J. Skelly) at Braddock’s Bay, at the marsh in front of the hawk lookout. “The first thing I noticed about the bird was the long tail . . .” noted Jeanne Skelly, who saw the bird the second day and whose description appeared with that month’s noteworthy list of sightings in the Goshawk. The wren almost always held the tail upward, and at one point gave it a jerking motion. “While he was feeding and on the ground, he fanned his tail several times, exposing white dots around the outer edges. I observed this at least three times.” (GNR; KB 25:37)

Carolina Wren

Thryothorus ludovicianus
From the winter of 2002-2003 until February of 2004, Sandy and Bob Mauceli of Pittsford enjoyed the “sprightly presence” of at least two and as many as three of these birds in their yard. “They brightened up the woods they shared with us with their loud and cheery ‘teakettle, teakettle, teakettle’ all year-round. And they were a constant presence at our feeders – bouncing in and out for peanut butter and shelled peanut and sunflower seeds.” And then they were gone. Had they succumbed to the winter despite the Mauceli’s best efforts to keep them fed? Had predators taken them? There was no way to know. “But what we do know is that we really, really miss those little birds. . . . Even though we’ve been birders and bird feeders for years, I think that both Sandy and I are surprised at just how big a hole there is in our woods and how much their absence has affected us. Those tiny birds had ‘presence’ – we’re sad they’re gone and hope they are alive and safe somewhere.” (LG April 2004) Alas, it can be risky to become too attached to these energetic birds, which have struggled to retain their foothold in the Rochester area. Too often, harsh winters have decimated their numbers. Even so, the latest Breeding Bird Atlas project offers hope that Carolina Wrens are indeed consolidating their presence here.
Background
In the southern United States “every patch of woods seems to be inhabited by this nervous, often shy permanent resident,” note Haggerty and Martin in their profile of this species in The Birds of North America series. This highly vocal songster seems as much at home in gardens and near human dwellings as it is in wilder habitats, maintaining its territories and pair bonds year round. This cavity-nesting bird will make use of almost any nook or receptacle to raise as many as three broods per year. As the climate has warmed, this species has expanded northward substantially since the late 1800s, but cold winters with ice and snow can have “devastating effects” on local populations, and they make take a few years to recover. Several factors have been cited for its northward push. “Severe winters have apparently been infrequent enough during (the) twentieth century to allow for populations to expand . . . In addition, reforestation of eastern forests could have provided more available habitat. Further, individuals frequently inhabit urban areas where feeding stations have become common and which can be used to supplement natural foods, especially when natural foods become covered with snow and ice.” This species has shown continuing increases. (BNA 188: 1-3, 14)
Local history
“If birds had mottos or slogans, the Carolina Wren’s might well be ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,’” Gordon Meade aptly observed. (Andrle, p. 300) The fluctuating numbers of this bird, at the northern limits of its range, are fascinating to track. Hard winters over the years have periodically devastated the local population, requiring one or more seasons to bounce back. As a result Carolina Wren remains the least common of the “southern invaders” that have expanded into our region.That effort has been occurring for quite some time. Eaton (1914) said it was confined to the lower Hudson Valley. But he noted that, in recent years, it had “enlarged its territory toward the north.” He cited records from Brockport and Forest Lawn, but no occurrences in Livingston and Wayne counties. (Eaton II: 480, I: county charts) R. E. Horsey’s checklist of Rochester and Monroe County bird sightings from 1913 to 1936, listed only three occurrences of this “rare” species – all 1930 and after: one on four dates from 11 May to 15 July 1930; one on 2 January and 17 April 1931; and one on many dates from 4 July 1934 to 6 January 1935. Edson said sightings had then “increased slowly.” (WBR, 25 June 1956)At least as recently as 1952, Carolina Wren was among 20 species marked by an asterisk on GOS checklists, “for which a detailed observation (report) is required” because of “difficulty of identification or rarity.” (GOS, May/August 1952) And when Leo Tanghe analyzed the tallies from 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members from 1951-54, he found this species reported only 40 times within a 50-mile radius of Rochester, and only four times during June to August. (KB 5: 69: 5A-5B) But a change in this species status was imminent.Beginning in the 1950s, it showed a “marked increase” in upstate New York, including the Great Lakes Plain near Rochester, Meade noted. (Andrle, p. 300) This is when the first sightings occurred in Livingston County – in 1954, 1955 and 1956 – Kurt Fox notes. (Fox, p. 72)Leo Tanghe in 1953 recorded Carolina Wren as a “rare” breeding bird in the Rochester area, listing only Brockport as a nesting location. (GOS, May/August 1953) However, June sightings in 1953, 1955, and 1956 in Rochester raised hopes it would become established as a breeder here. (WBR, 25 June 1956) It appeared those hopes would be quickly realized. “The first county record of a definite nest of a Carolina Wren was turned in” during July 1957, the Goshawk reported. (GNR)Whatever progress had been made in that direction was soon reversed. “The heavy snows of February (1958) all but wiped out the local populations of Carolina Wrens and Mockingbirds,” Howard Miller related. (GOS, January-February 1960) More bad news followed in the early 1960s: “It (Carolina Wren) had started building up a fair population in Western New York until the heavy snows of two and three years ago eliminated all of the birds in this area,” Starling noted in 1963. One at a King’s Highway feeder that January was the first sighting in almost two years. (WBR, 14 January 1963) One at Sodus that fall, prompted Howard Miller to bleakly observe that this species “has about vanished from the area.” (KB14: 35)Six years later, it still had not seemed able to secure “a firm foothold here,” added John Brown. (BA, 13 February 1969)And yet, a week later, two birds had been reported, prompting him to suggest “There are indications that the Carolina wren may be making one of its periodic efforts to extend its range by colonizing the Rochester area. Considering the very large number of bird-feeding stations maintained by Monroe County residents now, there is a possibility it might succeed.” (BA, 20 February 1969)Four years later, this species “seems to have had a comeback in our area,” Thomas Tetlow reported, with eight individuals reported that August. (KB23: 196; GNR) And still the see-saw continued. Back to back severe winters in 1976-77, and 1977-78 appeared to have once again decimated the local population. (KB27: 151, 28:239) Only one breeding pair was reported during the summer of 1978. (KB28: 239) “Carolina Wren has virtually disappeared from the region,” noted the Goshawk monthly summary for December 1978. (GOS, February 1979)And yet, this irrepressible species continues to bounce back. Indeed, the latest BBA project seems to confirm that Carolina Wren is now well entrenched here.
Status
The Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a rare to uncommon permanent resident that breeds in most years.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this an uncommon (presumably permanent) resident.
Occurrence In Livingston County, it has been recorded nearly every year since 1975, “but it is widely observed that harsh winters greatly affect the local populations,” Fox added. “Most sightings have been in the warmer climes of the northern half of the county, especially near Avon, York, Geneseo and in the protected glens near Conesus Lake.” (Fox, p. 72)However, by the first Breeding Bird Atlas project (1980-1985) this species had managed to carve out enough of a foothold so that evidence of breeding was found in 18 widely scattered blocks in our region. Results from the second project were even more encouraging: 101 blocks with evidence of breeding, with most of the increase concentrated in Livingston and eastern Monroe counties and across northern Wayne. A relatively mild winter in 1997-98 was a “boon” to this species, which was “widely reported,” and may have helped set the stage. (GOS, April 1998) How much of this is permanent, how much a temporary uptick in the wake of relatively mild winters is open to speculation. They have nested in Letchworth SP since the 1970s, notes park naturalist Douglas Bassett. However he estimates there are still fewer than 10 breeding pairs in the park. (Bassett, “One Hundred Years of Natural History Changes in Letchworth State Park,” The Genesee Naturalist, Winter 2007, p. 9)

Maxima: 5 on 20 July 1991 (Ashenberg) at Highland Park area. (GOS, September 1991) 14 – four families feeding young – on 26 July 2003 (R. Spahn) village of Naples. (GNR) 15 on 15 December 1991, Rochester CBC. (LG, January 1992) 14 on 17 December 2006, Rochester CBC. (LG, February 2007) 27 on 30 December 2006 at Honeoye Lake, Little Lakes CBC. (LG, February 2007) Misc.
A pair that came to Linwood, Livingston County, in 1962 “must have been accustomed to people,” John Brown reported. “They built their bulky nest of sticks on a ledge on the (William) Gratwicks’ front porch and raised a brood of three or four, practically oblivious of the human activity about them.” (BA, 16 August 1962)Another pair took a liking to a ceramic pot hanging on a porch at Laura and Neil Moons’ home in Irondequoit in July 1984, producing four fledglings who “acted much like a bunch of small kids, even using the slope of a handy wheelbarrow for a slide,” Frank Dobson reported. (Birds, 21 April 1985)Howard and Leota Chichester of Leicester, near Letchworth SP, returned from Florida in spring 1985 “to find that Carolina wrens had built a nest on a shelf in their open garage and the birds already were feeding nestlings in early May,” Dobson related. “Needless to say, their car remained in the driveway until the wrens left the nest.” (Birds, 2 June 1985)Allan and Sandy Klonick, preparing to leave for the winter in 1988, discovered a Carolina Wren in their Brighton yard. They filled a pot with pieces of flannel and hung it from a protected overhang; when they returned in March, a pair of the wrens were nesting in the pot and eventually fledged four young. (Birds, 30 July 1989)Especially “observant” was a wren that “noticed” a house for sale near Corbetts Glenn in 2006 – and promptly built a nest in the temporarily unused mailbox! (LG, June 2006)Fortunately, this species continues to hang on, to the enjoyment of all who appreciate its delightful “tea-kettle, tea-kettle” song and its energetic antics. As Meade noted, this bird is “rarely still for a moment. It will disappear suddenly into one hole and come out at another while nervously jerking its body and tail. If approached, it will pop into some dense cover while emitting repeated chatter.” (Andrle, p. 300) Homeowners fortunate enough to have these birds nesting on their property can help them survive our winters by putting out nest boxes containing dried grass, in which the birds can roost. (BNA, p. 15)

(Northern) House Wren

Troglodytes aedon
The six-foot heavy iron pipe sticking up in John Brown’s yard supported a feeding station most of the year. But in July and August of 1976 the feeding station was gone, and the inside of the two-inch diameter pipe instead became an object of intense interest for a House Wren, Brown reported. (BA, 4 August 1976) “Since mid-July he and an occasional lady friend have been busy maneuvering sticks of various sizes into the pipe’s interior, a very unlikely nesting site.” This “seemingly unproductive activity,” Brown added, “has been accompanied by frequent bursts of singing which seem loudest and most impassioned when one of his friends has shown enough interest in proceedings to disappear down the pipe on a tour of inspection.” As Brown also noted, “house wrens are not known for their connubial constancy,” and he speculated that this one “probably has had a mate brooding and feeding a family while he philanders.”
Background
This is another species that “no doubt benefited greatly from the fragmenting of large forests that has occurred across much of North America since the arrival of Europeans,” notes L. Scott Johnson in his profile of this species for The Birds of North America series. It nests readily in small woodlots and at forest edges, and also shows “an affinity for open, shrubby woodlands, mimicked so well by small town and suburban backyards and city parks.” This cavity nester also quickly accepts man-made nest houses. It breeds throughout most of the western hemisphere; the population known as Northern House Wren breeds in southern Canada and much of the United States, and winters in the southern states and Mexico. Females appear to choose among males rather than the reverse; most breeding males appear to remain paired with a single female, but at least a few successfully attract secondary mates at surplus nest sites in their territory. Known to peck or remove eggs of other species nesting in or near its territories, and studies suggest this has impacted populations of Bewick’s Wrens in some areas, and caused nesting failure in others for Prothonotary Warbler, Tree Swallow, chickadees and bluebirds. BBS data suggest significantly increasing populations continentwide. (BNA 380: 1, 11, 13, 21)
Local history
“The song of this Wren is a characteristic, bubbling, gurgling warble which seems to burst spontaneously from his swelling throat, as he sits upon the fence or some old twig, raising his head and lowering the tail, his throat and tongue vibrating with uncontrolled delight as the melody gushes forth,” Eaton (1914) wrote. Interestingly, he listed this now familiar, scolding species as only a rare (Livingston County), uncommon (Wayne) and fairly common (Monroe) summer resident. “During the last 25 years this species has exhibited periods of scarcity in central and western New York,” he explained. It had virtually disappeared in the early 1890s in western sections of the state. And again, during the summer of 1897, he recounted, “I heard only two wrens singing during that summer – one in the midst of Bergen swamp far from the habitations of man, and one on the streets of Albion.” Some observers theorized competition from House Sparrows was to blame; Eaton thought it more likely that “some calamity” had occurred on the southern wintering grounds. “It has only regained its old-time abundance within the last 7 years in Ontario, Monroe and Erie counties.” (Eaton II: 482-484, I: county charts)R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated average counts of one to four birds, with a maximum count of 20, on dates ranging from 13 April to 10 October. And Leo Tanghe, in his 1953 listing of breeding birds in the Rochester area, considered this an abundant nester, listing habitats as diverse as Bergen Swamp and Fairview Avenue as nesting locations. (GOS, May/August 1953) Moreover, when he examined 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members from 1951-54, this was the wren most frequently encountered – 384 times – within a 50-mile radius of Rochester. Most reports (208) were in May. (KB 5: 69: 5A-5B)But other apparent, temporary declines have been noted. In 1989 and again in 1990, for example, many of columnist Frank Dobson’s correspondents wrote in wondering why House Wrens had suddenly disappeared from their nest boxes. (Birds, 6 August 1989, 8 July 1990). By 1991, however, “some observers noticed a definite increase,” he wrote. (Birds, 25 August 1991)
Status
The Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, common summer resident.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this a regular common summer resident.
Occurrence
Spring: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 21 March to 2 May, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 19 to 30 April. Spring maxima: 30 on 10 May 2005, west lakeshore. (KB 55:272)
Summer/breeding status: This remains a common summer resident of gardens, parks, woodlots, swamps, and wherever else it can find brushy areas and sufficient tree cavities or other crannies for its nest. Both BBA projects found evidence of breeding in virtually every block assigned to our region.

Fall: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of departure dates from 12 September to 31 October, with a mid range, or “normal departure time” of 21 September to 10 October. Record late for the region was a straggler at Lima 14 November 1976 (A. and J. Foster) – a date more appropriate for Winter Wren. (GOS, January 1977) Note: This was apparently overlooked when another on 9 November 2003 at Webster Park was reported “record late.” (GNR)
Fall maxima: 12 were tallied on 19 September 1959 (Starling) in the brushy thickets near Salmon Creek. (KB9:162) Misc.
Things were pretty hectic in Frank Dobson’s backyard during the spring and summer of 1986.On 4 May a male House Wren arrived and “took an immediate liking” to a couple of bird houses Dobson had erected the previous spring. “The wren would pop into one box and then the other, all the while singing his heart out, advertising for a mate. He’d stuff a few twigs in each box and one day he had quite a time trying to get a six-inch twig, crossways, into a one-inch hole. When he lost his grip on the stick, he didn’t bother to try again.” A female joined him in mid May, chose a nesting box and was soon incubating her eggs while the male “in typical house wren fashion, did nothing but sing all the daylight hours. His outbursts were often only seconds apart. It’s a wonder he didn’t lose his voice.” He also continued to place sticks in the other, unused nesting box, hoping to attract another female. He also had to fend off two other males who had taken an interest in the neighborhood. “There was quite a din when all three were singing.” Sure enough, the male found another mate who took up residence in the second nest box. The first nest was soon empty, young wrens departed for places unknown. In mid July, however, there appeared to be two females again, one in each box. “How it’s going to end is anyone’s guess,” Dobson wrote. “The philandering wren’s activities would fit the scenario of any good prime time soap opera.” (Birds, 20 July 1986) John Brown attracted “more wrens than we needed” to his Scottsville home after putting up some “hastily knocked-together boxes” in open, sunny locations. Even after the nest boxes disintegrated, the wrens kept coming back, he reported in 1955. “One pair nested in a recess over an open door of a cellarway, another in an old robin’s nest close under the roof of an unused turkey coop.” (BA, 7 July 1955) One that moved into a “clothespin bag hanging on a line at the home of Mrs. Elroy Beaney of Hedge Road, Gates, was merely upholding its reputation for originality in home sites,” Brown suggested. “At last reports, the wren, which built a nest atop the clothespins, had been joined by another, and the chances are good that a family will be raised among the clothespins.” (BA, 19 July 1956)When Ed Kram of Greece cleaned out a nest box that had been used by House Wrens he found some strange objects in the nesting material, Dobson reported. “Some shiny aluminum nails had evidently caught the eyes of the nesting wrens.” Eleven nails were found amid the collection of twigs and debris used to build the nest. (Birds, 10 April 1988)

Winter Wren

Troglodytes hiemalisformerly Troglodytes troglodytes
Talk about a banner year in the back yard! The same month that Neil and Laura Moon found a family of Brown Creepers in their Irondequoit back yard, June 1973, they also found Winter Wrens nesting in the woods contiguous to their lot. The nest was located in the upturned roots of a fallen tree. “The birds made frequent trips to their nest, which was completely hidden by Jewel Weed that grew up in front of the hole in the tree roots into which the birds disappeared,” according to a report in the Goshawk. “Several times they were seen carrying a big fat green worm and once a brown moth.” (GOS, July/September 1973) Eventually, two young birds were found nearby being fed by the adults.
Background
When a group of young men from Rochester accompanied Eaton on a bird survey in the Adirondacks, they “voted unanimously that the song of the Winter wren was the sweetest melody they heard in the North Woods.” (Eaton II: 486) And yet, Winter Wrens in the western United States sing a song of even greater complexity, suggesting they may, in fact, be a different species. This is the only wren that breeds in Europe, North Africa and Asia in addition to North America. On this continent it is unique among wrens in its association with old growth forests, nesting from Alaska south along the Pacific Northwest into California, into portions of western and central Canada, and in eastern Canada, the Great Lakes region, New England and south along the Appalachians. It is a bird of the forest understory, moving about in short, quick hops that appear almost mouselike. Its numbers are known to decrease precipitously after hard winters, and in western North America this species has been clearly hurt by forest fragmentation. In Europe, however, some populations adapt readily to man-made habitats, and are considered a garden bird. (BNA 623: 1-2, 7, 12, 23)
Local history
Eaton (1910) listed this as a common transient in Monroe County, fairly common in Wayne, which occasionally remained as a resident and local breeder in Monroe. He gave no indication of occurrence in Livingston. (Eaton I: county charts)R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated average spring counts of one to two birds, with a maximum count of 30, on dates ranging from 11 March to 26 May. In fall, single birds were the norm, with a maximum count of only three, on dates ranging from 19 September to 21 December. He indicated it was “occasional in winter.” However, Edson seemed to imply a more frequent occurrence at that time of year, writing in 1933 that this species and Golden-crowned Kinglet, “are almost certain to have individuals to represent them around Rochester all winter.” The wintering wrens could be looked for “at the edge of swamps where bushes are thick and some one has left a pile of brush.” (“Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush Among Returning Migrants,” D&C, 2 October 1933)When Leo Tanghe examined results from 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members from 1951-1954, he found this species reported 203 times, primarily as a migrant and winter visitor. Sixteen of the reports were in January and the first half of February. Only one report occurred last half June through first half of September. (KB 5: 69: 5A-5B) In 1953, he listed this as a probable breeder at Reed Road. (GOS, May/August 1953) Status
The Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, uncommon to fairly common spring and fall transient; an irregular, rare summer resident and an occasional, rare winter visitant.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this an occasional rare winter visitant, a (presumably regular) fairly common spring and fall transient, and a (presumably regular) uncommon local summer resident.
Occurrence
Spring: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 7 March to 21 April, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 30 March to 8 April. In most years had departed by 17 May, with a late departure date of 31 May. The delightful “tinkling, rippling” melody is certainly a highlight of the early spring migration here, when our smallest, darkest wren can be found lurking near brush piles, fallen limbs and dense brush, its stubby little tail cocked in the air.
Spring maxima: 13 on 20 April 1954 (Van Beurden, Corcoran) at Braddock Bay. (GOS, March-April 1954) 15 on 2 May 1953 (Corcoran et al), lakeshore. (GOS, May/August 1953)
Summer/breeding status: “The winter wren apparently nested in a swampy wood on Reed Road,” Edson reported in July 1937, “as the parents were jealously caring for their family which seemed to have just left the nest and certainly were too small to have traveled far. Dr. Elon Howard Eaton . . . records this species as nesting in Bergen Swamp; but there seems to be no previous record of it nesting in Monroe County.” (WBR, 5 July 1937). Note: Apparently Edson was not convinced the birds had nested in 1937 after all. In 1946, he repeated his assertion that there had been no previous breeding records in Monroe County. (WBR, 8 July 1946) This species may have increased its breeding range in New York during the 20th century because of reforestation. (Andrle, p. 304) It has been found nesting on occasion in scattered lake plain locations in our region, including Reed Road Sanctuary, Bergen Swamp, and Powder Mill Park. (WBR, 27 June 1949; KB 20:69; WBR, 16 January 1956; KB 43:315) One was singing all July 1980 at Cobbs Hill, and an adult with four young (A. Watson) was there in June 1993. (GOS, September 1993) The BBA projects indicate scattered breeding across the region, with both projects showing evidence of breeding at Letchworth SP and to the west in Wyoming County, in southern Ontario County, at Bergen Swamp and along the east lakeshore in Monroe County.

It can be found in many locations in Letchworth, preferring ravines with brushy areas, park naturalist Douglas Bassett noted. Fox believes it is “likely more widespread than indicated by the BBA data. . . it is highly likely that they breed annually in the isolated glens of the southern portions of (Livingston) county, as suggested by the BBA data and the records from Rattlesnake Hill WMA and Springwater areas.” (Fox, p. 72)
Fall: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 7 September to 12 October, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 21 September to 1 October. Subsequently, one on 12 August 1992 (Reinhardt) at Mendon was an even earlier “first” for the fall migration. (GNR) In most years had departed by 2 November, with a late departure date of 15 November.Fifty-seven were banded at Yanty Creek 1-15 October 1999 (KB50: 54) when 59 were banded at Manitou for the whole month. This was one of the most common species banded in fall by Braddock Bay Bird Observatory at Manitou during 1999-2006, with a total of 785 taken from the nets, putting it tenth in overall abundance among all species banded.
Fall maxima:   18 on 28 September 1958 (R. Dobson) at Island Cottage Wood. (GNR)  40 on 4 October 1987 (D. Tetlow) at Buck Pond. (LG, November 1987)  26 banded on 5 October 2000 (Brooks) at Manitou. (GNR)  85 on 9 October 2005 (D. Tetlow) at Greece. (LG, December 2005)
Winter: It lingers in small numbers in the winter. Edson thought it interesting that a bird fond of nesting in cool, well-wooded gullies would take up residence in cattail marshes in winter. “If a brush pile is available on the edge of the swamp or near by, he is likely to make use of it, but most of his time is spent well down in the cattails, well out of the wind but not away from the sun.”     However, “like all wrens his curiosity is easily aroused and any unusual sound will bring him to the top of the cattails to find out what is going on. . . The cattail swamps in the vicinity of Float Bridge are always winter homes for the winter wren.” (WBR, 3 January 1944)     Region 2 Kingbird reports mention January or early February sightings of this species in 10 of 30 years from 1976 to 2005.      Six were reported at various locations in January 2005. (KB55: 172)
Winter maxima:   20 on 18 December 2005, Rochester CBC. (LG, February 2006)     4 on 2 January 2004 (R. Spahn) at Durand Eastman Park. (LG, March 2004)     6 “singing” on 25 February 1951 (Genesee Ornithological Society trip) at Ellison Park in “unexpectedly springlike” weather. (GOS, January/March 1951)
Misc.   One of the most interesting visitors to Frank Dobson’s backyard in the fall of 1987 was a tiny winter wren, which was attracted to a lawn cart containing a few clippings and leaves. “The wren literally spent hours poking in the lawn cart debris, looking for insects and other edibles,” Dobson wrote. “The stubby little creature with the upturned tail is only about four inches long. Its tiny butt was a constant blur, always bobbing. The wren itself didn’t stop moving for more than two seconds at a time.”Moving slowly, Dobson was able to approach within five or six feet without causing the bird any alarm. (Birds, 3 January 1988)W.Harding found another in the dining room of his Groveland home on 10 September 1971. It “apparently had wandered in through the cellar and upstairs,” Fox relates. (Fox, p. 72)

Sedge Wren**

(formerly Short-billed Marsh Wren)Cistothorus stellarisformerly Cistothorus platensis
When an RBA field trip visited the Nations Road area in June 1998, Sedge Wren was on the wish list. This rare, elusive species had been reported at the corner of Huston and Nations Road. “Quiet listening for a little while into the field at the northeast corner produced two fairly distant but unmistakable Sedge Wren ‘chip-chip-chip-churrrrrr’ songs,” Martha DeHart reported. “He was in there, all right, but remained invisible the way Sedge Wrens usually do.” (LG, August 1998) Often this is the best “look” this bird offers. The clinking alarm notes of these secretive bird have been compared to the sound of “two pebbles struck together, but rarely may one of the birds be seen, as they are very mouselike in actions and dislike to appear outside the protecting cover of the grass and sedges. . .” Eaton observed. (Eaton II:488)
Background
This is apparently one of the most nomadic terrestrial birds on this continent, notes the profile of this species in The Birds of North America series. Nesting is concentrated primarily in the upper midwestern states and adjacent provinces of Canada during late May and June. A second, more widespread nesting period occurs later in summer, with birds expanding out into southern and northeastern portions of the breeding range as far east as Vermont and Massachusetts. However, it prefers wet meadows, hayfields, retired croplands, bogs and margins of ponds and marshes that are notoriously susceptible to extremes of flooding or drying, to plant succession, and to disturbance from grazing and haying. “This habitat instability apparently has led to high mobility and low site tenacity in many areas.” Even hard-core traditionalists will have to acknowledge that the renaming of this species from Short-billed Marsh Wren makes sense to emphasize its use of different habitat from Marsh Wren. Populations extended eastward and northward with the clearing of forests by European settlers. Many of those gains have subsequently been lost due to loss of shallow wetland areas to draining and filling, loss of grasslands to woodland succession, and more intensive agricultural land-use practices. Nonetheless, BBS trends were mostly upwards for this species, especially in the Great Plains, where creation of new grasslands through the Conservation Reserve Program and increased annual precipitation increased suitable habitat. “Creation of dense nesting cover as a result of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan has helped establish Sedge Wren colonies in previously unoccupied areas at the northern edge of its range in Alberta.” Loss of habitat believed responsible for declines in the east. (BNA 582: 1-3, 5, 13-14) Local history
This species has probably never been common here. “In New York this species is local in distribution and uncommon in nearly all parts of the State. . .” Eaton (1914) reported. He cited a breeding record at Irondequoit Creek four years earlier and considered it a local summer resident in Monroe County, but gave no indication of occurrence in Livingston or Wayne. (Eaton II: 487-488, I: county charts)R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated average counts of one to two birds, with a maximum count of five, on dates ranging from 15 May to 24 September.When Leo Tanghe examined 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members from 1951-1954, this was the wren encountered least often, with only 32 reports, 21 of them the last half of May. Average counts were one to two birds, except in the last part of June when tallies of 3-5 were the norm. (KG 5: 69: 5A-5B)In his 1953 listing of breeding birds in the Rochester area, Tanghe considered this an uncommon nester here, and cited Ballantyne Road and Hamlin as breeding locations. (GOS, May/August 1953)The Goshawk summary for May 1957 noted that Sedge Wrens were present at Braddock Bay and elsewhere “in good numbers after several lean years.” It was suspected of breeding at Braddock Bay in 1966. (KB16: 221) 1976 was another good year, John Brown reported. It had been found in two or three locations near the lake bays and ponds along Lowden Point, Curtis and Manitou roads. The most prosperous colony was east of Sodus Bay “in a fairly dry, grassy area located at an elevation of about 15 feet above a nearby marsh.” The Tetlows had located “no less than 11 birds singing there,” Brown noted. (BA, 14 July 1976) Up to eight at Sodus Bay on 27 June 1976 “and others elsewhere” were “encouraging.” (KB26: 216). Nonetheless, it is believed that this species has been declining throughout its range, probably because of habitat loss. (Andrle, p. 306) As Bull (1974) noted, “this species is extremely particular in its choice of nest sites.” Avoiding the cattail marsh, it prefers moist meadows with scattered low bushes, or grass and sedge bogs, “but even in these places it is found only if it is not too wet or not too dry.” (Bull, p. 419)
Status
The Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, uncommon summer resident.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this a sporadic rare summer resident.
Occurrence
Spring: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 30 April to 29 May, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 15 to 20 May. Subsequently one on 25 April 1986 (Nicoletti) at Braddock Bay was earlier. (GOS, July 1986)
Summer/breeding status: The BBA projects illustrate the extremely restricted breeding presence of this species in our region, finding evidence of breeding in fewer than a dozen blocks during each project. So it was a “pleasant surprise” when four nesting sites were found in 2002, including Kendall. (KB 52:243, 348)

Part of the difficulty in tracking the status of this species is that it may unaccountably stop nesting in an area from one year to the next. They were present at Beatty Point in 1994 and 1995 (KB 44:301, 45:290, 46:332), for example, where “management for waterfowl nesting by the NYSDEC . . . also has increased nesting habitat for species like the Sedge Wren.” But the birds were not reported there in 1996. They were also nesting along Huston Road near Nations Road in June 1998 (DeHart, Kimball, Van Horn, K. Fox), where six to eight birds were found. (GOS, September 1998; Fox, p. 73) However, no evidence of breeding was obtained there during the second BBA project. Blocks in and around Braddock Bay, in fact, were the only ones to produce evidence of breeding in both projects.
Summer maxima: 4-8 from 19 June through 23 August 1998 (Kimball, K. Fox, DeHart) along Houston Road, Nations Road area. (GNR) 6 in June 2002 at Point Breeze. (LG, September 2002) 6 on 27 June 1954 (McKinney) at Bergen Swamp. (GOS, May-August 1954) 8 on 27 June 1976 (A. and B. Kemnitzer) at East Bay Wildlife Area, Sodus. (GNR) 11 on 10 July 1976 (D., M. and T. Tetlow) at Sodus. (LG, August 1976) 8 on 18 July 1956 (Miller, Tanghe) at the parkway near Braddock Bay. (GNR) Fall: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of departure dates from 19 July to 29 September (1957), with a mid range, or “normal departure time” of 6 to 23 September. This either overlooked or ignored one singing on 10 October 1977 (S. Taylor) at Island Cottage. (LG, November 1977) Subsequently, one on 14 October 1990 (R. and S. Spahn) at Beatty Point was later. (GOS, December 1990)

Marsh Wren

(formerly Long-billed Marsh Wren)Cistothorus palustris
By 12 June 2006 the green new growth of cattails along the east side of Braddock Bay was finally overtaking the brown fronds of the preceding year. This birder stood at the end of the boardwalk that extended into this sea of vegetation, face cooled by a north breeze off the lake even as the sun burned his neck from behind. He wanted to see what the Marsh Wrens were up to. They were singing all around, perhaps has many has half a dozen birds, rattling in their mechanical way. Edson had written that this bird’s “bump of curiosity is well developed, therefore, he can be studied at great length as he perches on the top of a cattail or other convenient perch.” (WBR, 19 June 1950)  So the birder waited expectantly as dueling songs – but no marsh wrens – arose from the marsh. Perhaps spishing would prick that “bump of curiosity.”  Not on this day. The spishing brought a Swamp Sparrow up close, chipping in alarm. But the Marsh Wrens fell completely silent. Minutes passed. Finally, a burst of song came nearby, no more than 10 feet from the edge of the boardwalk. The birder inched over, ever so slowly, and peered over the side. After a few moments he could hear a faint rustle, as the bird worked its way deep within the bent over, matted foliage. A moment later he could see the fronds moving ever so slightly where the rustling emanated. There, the briefest glimpse of a brown form. There, a quick wren-like scolding. And that was all. When the wren finally flew, the birder could see a warm rusty rump, and that was all before the bird dipped back down into the vegetation and was lost from view.
Background
This true “songbird” of diverse marshlands has evolved complex vocalizations. Males learn 50-200 song types, and engage almost continuously in countersinging day and night with their neighbors. This probably reflects the intense competition that occurs, especially in western populations, when males mate simultaneously with two or more females. So intense is the competition that these birds will attack and destroy the eggs of neighboring Marsh Wrens if the opportunity arises. Males build multiple nests in order to attract females. Two races have evolved, and may actually involve two separate species. The eastern race breeds in coastal marshes from the Gulf of Mexico up the Atlantic Coast to Nova Scotia and west to the Plains. The other breeds west from central Nebraska and Saskatchewan to the Pacific and south through California. BBS data suggests that western and central populations are increasing, with recent significant declines in the east. (BNA 308: 1-2, 24)
Local history
Eaton (1910) listed this as a common summer resident in Monroe and Wayne counties, and also occurring in Livingston. (Eaton I: county charts)R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, called this the “Prairie Marsh Wren,” and indicated average counts of one to 10 birds, with a maximum count of 30, on dates ranging from 27 April to 14 October. Of the two so-called marsh wrens, “the long-billed marsh wren is by far the most common and easiest to become acquainted with as almost all cattail marshes, of any size, have their quota of this wren,” Edson noted in 1950. (WBR, 19 June 1950) Indeed. When Leo Tanghe examined 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members from 1951-1954, this species was reported 351 times – ten times as often as Short-billed (now Sedge) Wren. Seen primarily as a migrant and summer resident, with average counts of 10 to 20 in May. But also recorded 11 times in January through the first half of February. (KB 5:69: 5A-5B)In 1953, Tanghe listed this as an abundant nesting species here, specifically listing Reed Road and Round Pond as breeding locations. (GOS, May/August 1953)However, Edson, in 1958, noted that during the last eight or ten years “they have either disappeared or now sing in a much subdued voice well down in the protection of the cattails or have disappeared entirely” from our cattail marshes. Fortunately, “this summer I have seen more than I have for some years.” (WBR, 18 August 1958) Other apparent low ebbs have been recorded as well, for example in 1971. (KB 21:221)
Status
The Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, common summer resident and an occasional, rare winter visitant.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this a sporadic very rare winter visitant and a (presumably regular) uncommon local summer resident.
Occurrence
Spring: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 24 March (1955) to 13 May, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 26 April to 3 May. However, one on 17 March 1963 (R. Dobson) at Buck Pond was even earlier (GOS, May 1963) as were one to two on 2 and 11 March 1952 (Klonicks, Van Beurden, Barry) at the same pond. (GOS, March/April 1952) Overwintering?
Summer/breeding status: The rattling trill of this bird is heard in our larger cattail marshes each summer. The large, domed nest is lashed to cattails or other plants. (Andrle, p. 308)During the first BBA project our region had one of the heaviest concentrations of blocks with evidence of breeding in the entire state, especially along the Lake Ontario shoreline and in the lake plain from western Monroe into Genesee and Orleans Counties. It was still present along the lakeshore during the second project. However, like many other marsh species, it was barely reported farther inland along the lake plain west of the Genesee.

Fall: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of departure dates from 19 September to 1 November (1980), with a mid range, or “normal departure time” of 3 to 12 October. However, it is not unusual to find birds lingering later.
Winter: This species occasionally lingers well into winter. R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated one had been reported at the end of January in 1938.
Six 9 on December 1951 (Barry) were at Buck Pond (GOS, June/December 1951), and by the end of the month seven “were squeaked out of the cattails” there by Tom Barry for the first ever record for the Rochester CBC. (GOS, January/February 1952) Two others wintered at Tryon Park the following year. (KB 3:14) In fact, as noted above, Leo Tanghe found 11 January/early February records tallied by Genesee Ornithological Society members within a 50-mile radius of Rochester for the years 1951-1954. (KB 5:69: 5A-5B)Region 2 Kingbird reports mention January or early February sightings of this species in nine of 30 years from 1976 to 2005, eight of those years coming since 1992, probably because more birders have been out compiling “Big January” and “Big February” lists.

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