Winter wren, Henne

The gorgeous, Indian summer weather remains camped out in the area, so my mile-and-a-half cardiac rehab walk on the high school running track was a joy. Afterwards, when I'd actually worked up a sweat, I got brave—my implanted defibrillator hadn't gone off!—so I hazarded a walk to Avalonia's Henne Preserve, a place I knew well, in search of Meadowhawk dragonflies. I didn't spot any on the boardwalk, but in the shadowy tangles along the upper edges of the marsh, I heard a scurrying in the shrubs and, after a few moments of patient and almost breathless watching, out popped a little Wren. It wasn't especially cooperative and I wasn't able to get the best shots, but from that eye stripe, technically known as a supercilium, the speckle pattern and colors on the breast and back, and that little tail cocked at a jaunty angle, I'm leaning towards Winter Wren. If these perky birds have settled into Henne for the season, then maybe they're about to appear in the brush pile near my house. Time to keep close watch.