CHEMICAL & ENGINEERING NEWS 1155—16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20036 (202) 872-4600 or (800) 227-5558
FROM THE EDITOR
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Rudy M. Baum DEPUTY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: A. Maureen Rouhi MANAGING EDITOR: Ivan Amato
A Column About Wrens
NEWS William G. Schulz, Editor BUSINESS Michael McCoy, Assistant Managing Editor NORTHEAST: (732) 906-8300. Lisa M. Jarvis (Senior Editor), Rick Mullin (Senior Editor), Marc S. Reisch (Senior Correspondent), Alexander H. Tullo (Senior Editor), Rachel Eskenazi (Administrative Assistant). HONG KONG: 852 2984 9072. Jean-François Tremblay (Senior Correspondent). HOUSTON: (281) 486-3900. Ann M. Thayer (Senior Correspondent). WASHINGTON: (202) 872-4406. Melody Voith (Senior Editor) GOVERNMENT & POLICY Susan R. Morrissey, Assistant Managing Editor Britt E. Erickson (Associate Editor), David J. Hanson (Senior Correspondent), Glenn Hess (Senior Editor), Cheryl Hogue (Senior Editor), Jeffrey W. Johnson (Senior Correspondent) SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY/EDUCATION BOSTON: (617) 395-4163. Amanda Yarnell, Assistant Managing Editor. WASHINGTON: (202) 872-6216. Stuart A. Borman (Deputy Assistant Managing Editor), Celia Henry Arnaud (Senior Editor), Carmen Drahl (Assistant Editor), Stephen K. Ritter (Senior Correspondent), Sophie L. Rovner (Senior Editor). BERLIN: 49 30 2123 3740. Sarah Everts (Associate Editor). CHICAGO: (847) 6791156. Mitch Jacoby (Senior Editor). NORTHEAST: (732) 906-8302. Bethany Halford (Associate Editor). WEST COAST: (720) 685-9053. Laura A. Cassiday (Contributing Editor), (925) 485-1034. Jyllian Kemsley (Associate Editor), (818) 207-6875. Aaron A. Rowe (Contributing Editor), (510) 870-1617. Elizabeth K. Wilson (Senior Editor). BEIJING: 150 1138 8372. Jessie Jiang (Contributing Editor) ACS NEWS & SPECIAL FEATURES Linda Raber, Assistant Managing Editor Susan J. Ainsworth (Senior Editor) Linda Wang (Associate Editor) EDITING & PRODUCTION Robin M. Giroux, Managing Editor for Production Alicia J. Chambers (Assistant Editor), Arlene GoldbergGist (Senior Editor), Faith Hayden (Assistant Editor), Kenneth J. Moore (Assistant Editor), Kimberly R. Twambly (Associate Editor), Lauren K. Wolf (Assistant Editor) ART & DESIGN Nathan Becker, Design Director Robin L. Braverman (Senior Art Director) Monica C. Gilbert (Staff Artist) C&EN ONLINE Rachel Sheremeta Pepling, Editor Tchad K. Blair (Visual Designer), Luis A. Carrillo (Production Manager), Ty A. Finocchiaro (Web Assistant) JOURNAL NEWS & COMMUNITY Elizabeth Zubritsky, Assistant Director Daniella Jaeger (Editorial Associate) PRODUCTION & IMAGING Renee L. Zerby, Lead Digital Production Specialist Krystal E. King (Lead Digital Production Associate) Sidney Buckle (Digital Production Associate) SALES & MARKETING Elise Swinehart, Assistant Director Elaine Facciolli Jarrett (Marketing Manager) ADVISORY BOARD Magid Abou-Gharbia, David N. Beratan, Jim Birnie, Jean-Claude Bradley, Gary Calabrese, David Clary, Rita R. Colwell, Daryl W. Ditz, Michael P. Doyle, Arthur B. Ellis, James R. Heath, Rebecca Hoye, Malika Jeffries-El, Harry Kroto, Roger LaForce, Derek Lowe, Aslam Malik, Andrew D. Maynard, Harold Meckler, Nick Roelofs, Thomas R. Tritton, Pratibha Varma-Nelson, Paul A. Wender, George Whitesides, Frank Wicks, Elias Zerhouni, David Zimmermann Published by the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY Madeleine Jacobs, Executive Director & CEO Brian Crawford, President, Publications Division EDITORIAL BOARD: John N. Russell Jr. (Chair); ACS Board of Directors Chair: Judith L. Benham; ACS President: Thomas H. Lane; Ned D. Heindel, Madeleine M. Joullié, Leah Solla, Peter J. Stang Copyright 2009, American Chemical Society Canadian GST Reg. No. R127571347 Volume 87, Number 26
LAST SUMMER, my wife, Jan, and I at-
tended a beer-tasting festival at Belle Grove Plantation, in Middletown, Va., a small town in the Shenandoah Valley. As is often the case at such events, a number of crafts vendors had set up stalls at the festival. One vendor was selling birdhouses made from large gourds. She had hollowed out each gourd through a small, round opening and decorated around the hole with a pattern etched into the gourd and subtle coloring. We thought they were pretty and bought one, although I was sure no self-respecting bird would ever use it as a birdhouse. Through the fall and winter, the gourd hung from a rafter in our screened-in deck. When spring rolled around and I took down the suet bird feeder that hung just outside the screen of the deck, I decided to hang the birdhouse, just for the heck of it. Nothing happened for a couple of weeks. Then one day I saw a house wren poke its head inside the gourd and disappear inside it. Soon, two birds were arriving at the gourd with twigs and bits of straw. House wrens are small birds, about 3 to 4 inches in length, and many of the twigs were half again as long as the birds themselves. It was humorous to watch them solve the logistical problems associated with maneuvering the material through the hole and into the hollow of the gourd. Jan and I spend a lot of time on the deck in the springtime when the weather in the Washington, D.C., area is balmy and the heat and humidity of summer have yet to make their presence felt. In the evenings after work, I sit in a comfortable wicker chair and read the New York Times. On Sundays, we spend a fair portion of the day on the deck reading the papers. I especially like to sit on the deck as a late-afternoon or earlyevening thunderstorm approaches and breaks all around me. The wrens have brightened our time on the deck this spring immeasurably. They
are perky, industrious little birds, with a startlingly robust, varied, and beautiful song. The gourd birdhouse hangs only about 10 feet from where I sit. For some reason, the flimsy screen that is between us and the wrens seems to give the birds a sense of security. They pay almost no attention to us. The wrens are now on their second brood of chicks, which is apparently not uncommon when conditions are favorable. The male and female wrens form a virtual bucket brigade bringing insects and grubs to their chicks. They arrive at the gourd, pause for a moment on the edge of the entrance hole, and dart inside. The gourd sways slightly, and a chorus of chirping
RUDY BAUM/C&EN
SENIOR ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER: Marvel A. Wills
emanates from it. Then the adult pokes its head from the hole, looks about, and flies off to a nearby branch. The bird will often burst into the wren’s characteristic song and then dive to the ground in search of another bit of food. Within seconds, it seems, its mate arrives at the gourd with something in its beak and disappears inside. I expect the chicks will fledge in the next few days and be gone. We’ll miss them. No, this column has nothing whatsoever to do with chemistry. You haven’t missed something. Thanks for reading, nevertheless.
Editor-in-chief
Views expressed on this page are those of the author and not necessarily those of ACS. WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG
3
JUNE 29, 2009
