This time of year, birds are establishing territories and building their nests throughout the Crossroads preserve. We know the male House Wrens are back. Their burbling songs are unmistakable.
As soon as a male House Wren arrives in the spring, he establishes a territory and immediately sets out looking for nesting spots. He will happily move into a bird house, or a hole in a tree, or the nest of another bird, but wrens also have been known to nest flower boxes, shoes, rusty cans, even tail pipes. The male finds as many spots as he can, and he crams them full of twigs. He can have six or seven nest sites filled with nesting material and then, he starts singing even more ardently to really defend his territory and to attract a mate.
When the male lures a female, he takes her on what amount to a “tour.” He shows her all the potential nest sites and she studies them carefully. It appears that the female selects her future home and just accepts the male which comes with it. If she likes a nest site, she will start moving in. If none of the six or seven “dummy nests” meets her personal standards, she flies off in search of a better opportunity.
After she selects the nest site, the first thing she does is pull out the sticks that her newly acquired mate stuffed in the hole, and she does it over her own way. Once she has crammed the cavity with sticks, she makes a little depression and lines it with pine needles. And together, they start a family.
The last few weeks the volunteers from the Door County Historical Society have reminded me of House Wrens. They have been very busy fixing up the seven buildings in the Heritage Village at Big Creek, and they soon will be inviting folks in for tours. But here is the amusing thing. Now that the buildings are almost ready, the volunteers, much like the female House Wren, have start dragging stuff back out again.
The Village committee has decided to participate in the City Wide Rummage Sale. And because they have found duplicate display items, antiques which are stunning, but not appropriate to the period, and many mystery items, they will be selling them on June 6 from noon-4:00 and on June 7 from 9:00 am to Noon.
Historical Society members have been invited to clean their closets and jewelry boxes as well so the antiques will range from very valuable to just one step beyond junks, and everything in between. So if you buy something–and we hope you do—the DCHS will be hosting an Antique Appraisal Event on Thursday June 26 in the Collins Learning Center. Mark Moran will be returning to Crossroads! More information will be available later.
While the Rummage Sale is going on, Crossroads will get in on the event by screening videos of Door County history in the lecture hall. The films will be free and open to the public and folks are welcome to drop in for one or all of the videos.
Crossroads is a donor-supported preserve welcoming learners of all ages to programs in science, history and the environment. Summer hours in the Collins Learning Center are 1:30-3:30 daily and during scheduled programs.
Friday, June 6
12:00-4:00 Heritage Village Rummage/Antique Sale Help support the programs of the Door County Historical Society by shopping at the Heritage Village Rummage sale. You may find a treasure ,a curiosity or a really good deal. The sale will be located in the Vignes School of the Heritage Village.
12:00-4:00 Historical Films While the rummage sale is going on, Crossroads will screen videos which focus on the history of Door County in the lecture hall of the Collins Learning Center. Drop ins welcome. Free and open to the public.
Saturday, June 7
9:00-noon Heritage Village Rummage/Antique Sale
Help support the programs of the Door County Historical Society by shopping at the Heritage Village Rummage sale. You may find a treasure or a curiosity or a really good deal. The sale will be located in the Vignes School of the Heritage Village.
12:00-4:00 Historical Films While the rummage sale is going on, Crossroads will screen videos which focus on the history of Door County in the lecture hall of the Collins Learning Center. Drop ins welcome. Free and open to the public
