{"id":36389,"date":"2016-02-28T05:58:14","date_gmt":"2016-02-28T12:58:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=36389"},"modified":"2026-10-23T09:54:44","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T14:54:44","slug":"marsh-wren-nesting-season-begins-soon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/02\/28\/marsh-wren-nesting-season-begins-soon\/","title":{"rendered":"Western Marsh-Wren Nesting Season Begins Soon"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WesternWestern Marsh-Wren sings on its territory – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/1250, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though there is still ice on parts of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge<\/span><\/a> there are definitely signs that spring is on its way to our part of the country. While I was out on the auto tour loop looking for birds and photographing Tundra Swans<\/a><\/span> last Friday I kept seeing Western Marsh-Wrens flitting around near the side of the road.<\/p>\n

The wrens I saw weren’t calling but I know that before long the males will sing on the territories they have selected.<\/p>\n

\"WesternWestern Marsh-Wren nest – Nikon D810, f8, 1\/1600, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

On the auto tour loop is it possible even now in winter to see the nests these small wrens create by weaving pieces of vegetation over, around and crisscrossing the sturdy stems of cattails and rushes. It is inside these woven masterpieces that the female will lay eggs, incubate them, and raise her brood.\u00a0 They lay 3 to 10 eggs and incubate them for 12 to 16 days and they can have several broods per season.<\/p>\n

\"WesternWestern Marsh-Wren with rushes – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/1250, ISO 500, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

In some parts of their range they begin nesting as early as the first week of March but here in Utah it begins a little later in March. The males will start singing before too long and the Western Marsh-Wren nesting season in Utah will begin.<\/p>\n

Even though I am still photographing the birds of winter it is hard to contain my excitement about spring migration and photographing the birds that nest here in northern Utah especially after seeing my FOY (first of year) Sandhill Cranes last week.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to view more of my Western Marsh-Wren photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n

Update<\/strong>: Marsh wrens were split in October 2026 to Eastern and Western Marsh-Wrens. This post has been updated to reflect that change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The males will start singing before too long and the Western Marsh-Wren nesting season in Utah will begin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":115994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[124,27,1148,26,538],"tags":[4004,4073,17605,4094,4075,4450,4941,9978,4179,17606,5802,3822],"class_list":["post-36389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-utah","category-marsh-wrens","tag-adult","tag-breeding-season","tag-cistothorus-paludicola","tag-marsh","tag-nest","tag-nesting-season","tag-rushes","tag-sing","tag-singing-2","tag-western-marsh-wren","tag-wren","tag-wrens"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t