BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD LOOKING FOR AN ACTIVE NEST TO LAY HER EGGS

     When I'm looking out of my kitchen window, I can see most of my backyard.  I have birdhouses everywhere and can see what's happening with lots of them.
     This birdhouse and this nest are right by my window and the little wrens just love both of them.  I'm guessing they think they're safe and are protected from rain.  Every year, I put more moss in the hanging basket, just to keep it going.

     Yesterday, I saw a larger dark bird flying in and sticking it's head in this birdhouse, checking it out and then she went over to the hanging basket and went all the way into the hole and then came out.  

At first, I thought she was going after babies. 

 

(Wikipedia)

Then, I realized she was a female brown-headed cowbird.  They don't build nests, they lay eggs in other birds' nests and leave their baby for whatever parents to raise.  There were no active nests here, so she moved on.

But it did remind me of  something I witnessed a couple of summers ago.  I kept seeing a tiny wren feeding a very large baby that, obviously, was not her's.  At that time, I figured it must be one of Mrs. Brown-Headed Cowbird's babies.  It was very, very cute to watch that little wren feed that baby and that huge baby seem to NEVER have enough.  It kept squawking and that sweet little wren just kept running back and forth feeding it.

What a good little mommy she was!