About four years ago several of us saw a Carolina Wren feeding two Cowbirds
around a brush pile near Black Walnut Point on Tilghman Island, Talbot
County.  It seem strange to see Cowbirds acting like wrens around the
brushpile - and then we became aware of the reason.  I was not aware of it
being as unusual as the Atlas claims. (Obviously I did not read my copy of
the atlas in that much detail.) Perhaps during the past 20 years the
Cowbirds have continued to be learning new tricks.

Les Roslund

Talbot County
Easton MD 21601


-----Original Message-----
From: Maryland Birds & Birding [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Jane Hill
Sent: Saturday, July 29, 2006 1:37 PM
To: 
Subject: [MDOSPREY] Carolina Wren feeding young cowbird


This morning in McCrillis Garden on Greentree Road in Bethesda, Bill and I
were startled (and dismayed) to see a Carolina Wren feeding a juvenile
Brown-headed Cowbird.  According to the MD-DC Breeding Bird Atlas (1993),
the Carolina Wren "is a very rare victim of Brown-headed Cowbird
parasitism.... There are no records from Maryland and few known instances of
Carolina Wrens successfully fledging young cowbirds...."  

Jane Hill
Bethesda, MD