A Bird in the Bush ... Or Outhouse?

 

We have some new guests at our backyard Airbnb. Thankfully, they don't seem to mind that their accommodations look like an outhouse.

Randy put up several new birdhouses this spring. He was really hoping the purple martin house - which kind of looks like a hotel - would attract some travelers who might want an extended vacation stay. So far, we are not getting "bookings" at our brand new facility. (He read about them online and proceeded as directed - away from trees and structures.)

So, if you have an "in" with the bird community, would you mind talking it up a bit? 

But some house wrens have taken a liking to our new one-bedroom apartments. And they are singing our praises - literally - even though we stuck them in the outhouse. The tiny little birds make up for their size with lots of trilling solos and duets.

The house wren is a very small bird of the wren family, Troglodytidae. It's the most widely distributed native bird in the Americas. Its name means "hole dweller" and is is a reference to the bird's tendency to disappear into crevices when hunting insects or to seek shelter.

I can attest to that tendency. It took several tries - and a lot of luck - to finally get a photo of the wren peaking out of its new digs. Both Randy and I were bound and determined to do it, though!

From Randy's cell phone

All About Birds says that wrens are "a plain brown bird with an effervescent voice with a rush-and-jumble song." We would concur. (I wish I'd thought of that description of its music.) I can even hear them when I'm in the basement through the office window. 

The bird's weight can be compared to the weight of two quarters. Hard to imagine, isn't it, that these tiny creatures can sing so exuberantly and flit from nest to branch so quickly?

Wrens aren't the only ones who make music. I play the piano for our church services most weeks. I try to tie the prelude, offertory and postlude music with the Scripture lessons that Pastor Benjamin is using. Ironically, last week, one of the passages was Matthew 10: 24-39. It includes:

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. 

Matthew 10: 29-33 

It brought to mind the old hymn, "His Eye Is on the Sparrow." It had a revival when it was featured in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit. I played a version for my prelude music last Sunday.

There are full recordings of the hymn on YouTube, if you're interested. 

What a message, right?! When life seems overwhelming at times, it's a good reminder to take a breath. If Jesus has the birds of the air, he's bound to have me covered, too. That's worth singing about (or playing the piano about).