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Come back to this page each day to read another entry from Frederick R. Gehlbach's almanac of suburban natural and unnatural history, "Messages from the Wild," which chronicles the world of a forested ravine in central Texas.
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This year's last Carolina wren nest just fledged three youngsters -- a record late date. The pair's success is a testament to persistence and flexibility, which are important traits in a fast-changing environment such as suburbia. They chose a hanging basket in a sheltered alcove by the southside front door of a house on a street named Elysian Lane. Five eggs were laid by September 17, and three hatchlings appeared October 2, staying in the nest a record fifteen days. Local Carolina wrens may raise three or four broods a year, but previous last nests have all been started by late August, suggesting that today's parents lost several earlier attempts, and, as wrens do, kept on trying. |
Frederick R. Gehlbach is Professor Emeritus of Biology and Environmental Studies at Baylor University. His ecological studies have taken him from New Zealand to Slovakia and, in the Americas, from Alaska and Newfoundland to Guatemala, Belize and Honduras. His research interests include the life-history strategies of small owls, small burrowing snakes and urban wildlife ecology.
From MESSAGES FROM THE WILD: AN ALMANAC OF SUBURBAN NATURAL AND UNNATURAL HISTORY by Frederick R. Gehlbach, Copyright © 2002. Courtesy of the University of Texas Press.
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