A Welcomed Returning Occupant

I sure do miss having chickens.  Looking out back and seeing the empty coop seems wrong and makes me sad.  Oh, I've been tempted many times and have almost caved a couple times this year alone but passed each time.

However, not having the worry about protecting them from predator's is a relief and stress free.  For example, I recently posted pics of the coyote I watched stroll through my back yard and onto the neighbors chicken coops.  If I had chickens in my coop, the encounter would have been completely different.  Also, the other morning around 6ish, as I was standing at the sink washing my breakfast dishes, a BIG raccoon came ambling by, along the same route as the coyote, and made a b-line towards my neighbors coop and sure enough it wasn't a minute or so later and the chickens erupted with squawking and cackling and carrying on.

Now, not to be completely discouraged, I am happy to report that I do have a resident of my chicken coop this spring!  A returning resident too that is reusing their old nest after some patching -

Anyone care to take a guess at what type of birds these are WITHOUT looking below and cheating -

Looked like there were two littles in the nest but I can't be certain.  I was already causing a disturbance and the parents were in an uproar, so I snapped my pics and hurried away -

A small bird; one of the smallest in North America.

A very chatty boisterous bird.

A busy and energetic bird.

A territorial bird.

A master at finding and catching all sorts of pesky insects, especially on the ground and under plants.

A Northern House Wren! 🐤

Another of my favorite birds.