It is almost impossible for me to express in words how happy I was when a pair of House Wrens decided to take up residence in my goose gourd house this summer. After a few years with no permanent residents I was becoming a bit discouraged with this DIY project. Generally speaking, I am extra excited about any birds in my yard that are not regular patrons to my feeders. Wrens, being insect eaters, definitely fall into that category. Add to that their lovely song and their quick and tiny bodies, they are both a pleasure to have around and a bit of a challenge to spot and photograph.

Considering how happy I was that they moved in, I am sure it will not come as a surprise that I was absolutely over the moon ecstatic when their nestlings hatched. I know that eggs and nestlings are the inevitable product of a nest, but the whole thing was still magical.

From a safe distance I peeked into the gourd a few times, and got a glimpse of one beak, then two. However, in late June I decided to sit in the yard from a position where I would have a good view of the mouth of the house. It turns out they had quadruplets! Very, very loud and hungry quadruplets.

If you are interested in making a gourd bird house, there is tons of information out there. Here is a website with some basic instructions: https://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/outdoors/structures/how-to-make-a-gourd-bird-house Be warned, this is not a quick project. The gourd needs to totally dry out before you can make the house. I purchased my gourd in early Autumn and didn’t drill the hole until the following February/March.