Bewick’s Wren

April 2013 – Smith and Bybee lakes, Oregon

The Bewick’s wrens have just returned for the spring, and were busy establishing their territories. This location is in north Portland, a bunch of wetlands between a landfill, an industrial zone, and the main port of Portland. You might not think a great natural area could exist here, but it does.

Bewick’s Wren

June 2012 – Hillsboro, Oregon

This wren was just hammering an unfortunate caterpillar on the fence. The thing turned into a pulp when he was done. He was feeding fledgling chicks who were hiding in nearby bushes.

Bewick’s Wren

April 2012 – Tualatin National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon

This wren was flitting around the branches, singing his heart out. He stopped just for a moment to let me snap his photo.

July 2012 – Steens Mountain, OR
There are a number of Rock Wrens living among the rocks just below the summit of Steens Mountain, along the trail down to Wildhorse Lake.

Rock Wren

May 2005 – Leslie Gulch, OR
This Rock Wren only appeared for a moment… on a rock… in Leslie Gulch, which is a dramatic canyon located in far eastern Oregon, near the Idaho border.

Marsh Wren

July 2012 – Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, WA

Just a day after the photo below… I finally managed to the the shot I’d been looking for… and dozen of other shots of blurry grasses and such.

Marsh Wren

June 2012 – Jackson Bottom, Oregon

These birds are active and will come in close when called, but they’re still hard to photograph, as they almost always stick to thick reeds/grasses. This is the first decent image I’ve gotten after plenty of attempts. Still, there is a blurry blade of grass obscuring half the bird, but that’s just how it goes…

House Wren

May 2012 – Sauvie Island, OR

I don’t usually include 3 similar photos like this, but had a really hard time picking a favorite from this bunch. This bird was particularly focused on signing, along the Oak Island Trail on Sauvie Island.

House Wren

House Wren

Canyon Wren

April 2012 – Catherine Creek, WA

This guy was very territorial, and a bit agitated that some interlopers were on his turf.

Canyon Wren

June 2008 – Smith Rock State Park, OR

Sometimes you only get a second for a shot… like this one. Right after I snapped this shot of a Canyon Wren in Smith Rock State Park, OR, it ducked behind the rock, never to be seen again.

Pacific Wren

July 2011 – Olympic National Park, WA

These birds are part of the essential character of the northwest rainforests. Their bubbling complex song sounds like a poetic thesis given in some alien language. They often perch atop stumps like this one to advertise their presence. It’s astounding that so much volume can come from such a tiny thing.

So… the wizards that decide these things have decided that this bird is no longer the “Winter Wren”, which is indigenous to the eastern US. Instead, they’ve been reclassified as “Pacific Wren”. Ok… I suppose I can see the reasoning, but now do I have to update everything I’ve ever written about them? It’s like being told that your brother, who you’ve known all your life is not named Bob, it’s Jim.