Big Bend National Park: The Noisy, Nosy Bird

Cactus wren nest, Chisos Basin Campground, Big Bend National Park, Texas. September 2017.

The cactus wren is my kind of bird:

No bird exemplifies Southwestern deserts better than the noisy Cactus Wren. At all hours of the day they utter a raw scratchy noise that sounds like they are trying to start a car. Cactus Wrens are always up to something, whether hopping around on the ground, fanning their tails, scolding their neighbors, or singing from the tops of cacti.

I didn't know about the cactus wren until I walked by one of its nests in the Chisos Basin Campground.

The above description is about the cactus wren's charming side. It also has less Disney-esque characteristics, also described here.

I was damned impressed by its nest:

Cactus wren nest, Chisos Basin Campground, Big Bend National Park, Texas. September 2017.

Cactus wren nest, Chisos Basin Campground, Big Bend National Park, Texas. September 2017.

Cactus wren nest, Chisos Basin Campground, Big Bend National Park, Texas. September 2017.

Cactus wren nest, Chisos Basin Campground, Big Bend National Park, Texas. September 2017.

Below is a video of cactus wren calls, including a lagniappe of slow-action fly catching by a cactus wren (videographer Don DesJardin):

Although cactus wrens turn my head, I am still loyal to mockingbirds for their long, complicated melodies such as my English-speaking neighbor in Opelousas here and my Georgian-speaking neighbor in Rustavi here.