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Wordless Wednesday…A Hot Mess

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Home Stager

Wordless Wednesday…A Hot Mess

 

Are you tired of the birds yet? One of the bluebird boxes we monitor has been attracting wrens. The first time we saw this, we didn’t know what it was…a nest or maybe home to a critter. 

 

Instead of the neat nest the bluebird builds, inside the box was a hot mess!

We used Google to find out what it was. And to see if there were eggs or babies to report to NestWatch, we used an endoscope camera with a light. 

Take a look (it’s shaky, but you get the idea)

 



Wait…there’s more!

 

In the photo below, what do you see to the left of the eggs?


It looks like a snake! It turned out to be a shed skin from a snake. We removed it and later learned that some birds place one in the box to ward off predators. 

 

There are still 5 wren eggs in the box, and we’ll check later in the week to see if they’ve hatched. 





Posted by

Kathy Streib
Retired Home Stager
and Interior Redesign

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Comments(16)

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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Hello Kathy - as a lessor of sorts you are continuing to discover many sorts of things about your tenants.    

Apr 23, 2025 05:00 AM
Kathy Streib

Michael Jacobs it's fun learning, except for the snake. 

Apr 23, 2025 01:41 PM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Thank you very much, Kathy, for sharing your observations.

Enjoy your photowalks.

Apr 23, 2025 05:20 AM
Kathy Streib

Roy Kelley  we love that every day is a new day. We never know what we'll see. 

Apr 23, 2025 01:43 PM
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Real Estate Broker

Oh wow, Kathy! Now that's a surprise! The snake skin would have had me moving away very quickly!

Apr 23, 2025 05:28 AM
Kathy Streib

Nina Hollander, Broker trust me, I was ready to run!  I don't like snakes at all. 

Apr 23, 2025 01:44 PM
Wayne Martin
Wayne M Martin - Oswego, IL
Real Estate Broker - Retired

Good morning Kathy. Is "bluebird master Larry" thinking of ways to prevent "wren squatters" in the future? I am betting on Larry! Enjoy your day. 

Apr 23, 2025 05:41 AM
Kathy Streib

Wayne Martin we don't mind the wrens...and the bluebird had their chance at the house. Thankfully we have other boxes there. 

Apr 23, 2025 01:46 PM
Lawrence "Larry" & Sheila Agranoff. Cell: 631-805-4400
The Top Team @ Charles Rutenberg Realty 255 Executive Dr, Plainview NY 11803 - Plainview, NY
Long Island Condo and Home Specialists

Another surprise Kathy. I guess nature keeps you guessing!

Apr 23, 2025 05:42 AM
Kathy Streib

Lawrence "Larry" & Sheila Agranoff. Cell: 631-805-4400 That's what makes it so interesting. 

Apr 23, 2025 01:47 PM
Joe Mojica
Laer Realty Partners Bowen - Port St Lucie, FL
Your Home Adds Value to You

Wow, what a surprise! This discovery would make it Wordless Wednesday! Thanks for sharing the story and the video.

Apr 23, 2025 06:34 AM
Kathy Streib

Hi Joe Mojica This is the first time we've found a snakeskin in a box. Better that than the real thing. 

Apr 23, 2025 01:47 PM
Nick Vandekar, 610-203-4543
Realty ONE Group Advocates 484-237-2055 - Downingtown, PA
Selling the Main Line & Chester County

Wow, I thought that was a piece of jewelry, but I like the idea of using it to keep predators away, clever.

Apr 23, 2025 06:41 AM
Kathy Streib

Nick Vandekar, 610-203-4543 I thought the same thing!  It makes you wonder how they know to do that. 

Apr 23, 2025 01:48 PM
Jeffrey DiMuria 321.223.6253 Waves Realty
Waves Realty - Melbourne, FL
Florida Space Coast Homes

Too cool. I am glad you guys do this. I would never have the ability because I am unable to sit still and wait for anything...lol

Apr 23, 2025 06:49 AM
Kathy Streib

Jeffrey DiMuria 321.223.6253 Waves Realty LOL, I'm the more patient of the two of us. The cameras help us know what to expect. 

Apr 23, 2025 01:49 PM
George Souto
George Souto NMLS #65149 - Middletown, CT
Your Connecticut Mortgage Expert

Kathy that is very sneaky of birds to use the snake skins, but also very smart.

Apr 23, 2025 08:27 AM
Kathy Streib

George Souto it does make you wonder and admire Mother Nature!!

Apr 23, 2025 01:49 PM
Anna "Banana" Kruchten
Retired Broker/Owner - Phoenix, AZ
602-380-4886

Well how interesting Kathy.   It's so amazing to me to learn so much all the time about all the little birds and critters that we're surrounded by all the time here in the desert.  Fascinating to me!

Apr 23, 2025 09:46 AM
Kathy Streib

Anna "Banana" Kruchten it's the curiosity that keeps us going, right! Last week a sparrow went into the bluebird box and tried to take the mama bluebird out of it. 

Apr 23, 2025 01:50 PM
Will Hamm
Hamm Homes - Aurora, CO
"Where There's a Will, There's a Way!"

Hello Kathy and never tried of seeing your blogs about your birds.  This morning we had 4 yellow finches.  Love them.

 

Apr 23, 2025 10:56 AM
Kathy Streib

Will Hamm I love those!!! One year we had a lot of finches but haven't seen them in ages. 

Apr 23, 2025 01:51 PM
Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude

Kathy:

That's pretty clever of the wrens - I thought it might be a real snake!

Jeff

Apr 23, 2025 11:47 AM
Kathy Streib

Jeff Dowler, CRS so did we. We removed it thinking it might be alive and didn't want it to eat the eggs or harm the mother wren. We lost a nest of cardinal eggs and I'm sure it was a snake. 

Apr 23, 2025 01:52 PM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Good afternoon Kathy,

Love seeing what is happening in the lives of Larry and Kathy and their feathered birds! Who would have thought they could have put that snake skin in there to ward off predator's!! Learn something new every day!

Apr 23, 2025 12:19 PM
Kathy Streib

Thank you, Dorie Dillard Austin TX How in the world do birds know to do that?!!!

Apr 23, 2025 01:54 PM
Lew Corcoran
Better Living Real Estate, LLC - East Bridgewater, MA
Expert guidance. Exceptional results.

Thanks for sharing this wild adventure, Kathy Streib! It’s fascinating how nature has its own surprises, even in a “hot mess” of a birdhouse! I can't wait to hear about the baby wrens—hope they bring some joy to the chaos! 🐦✨

Apr 23, 2025 02:40 PM
Kathy Streib

Lew Corcoran We checked on them today. The eggs are still there but they should hatch some time this week. 

Apr 24, 2025 05:09 PM
Brian England
Ambrose Realty Management LLC - Gilbert, AZ
MBA, GRI, REALTOR® Real Estate in East Valley AZ

I never tire of hearing about the birds, and that definitely does look like a hot mess, haha.  A snake being in there is quite scary, haha.

Apr 24, 2025 05:18 AM
Kathy Streib

Brian England The first time we saw the nest, we had no idea it was a nest!  U am constantly on the lookout for snakes when we're checking the boxes. 

Apr 24, 2025 05:19 PM
John Juarez
The Medford Real Estate Team - Fremont, CA
ePRO, SRES, GRI, PMN

Such fun! 

Does that make you Godparents or what?  

Apr 24, 2025 05:10 PM