Most birds I encounter here can be categorized in one of two ways: either they live here, or they visit on a more or less predictable schedule. The Carolina wren is one of the exceptions. They appear and disappear erratically, mostly in summer and fall, and never in winter, though they're supposedly a year-round resident of these climes. As to habitat, my Aubudon bird app claims "woodland thickets, ravines, and rocky slopes covered with brush." Isn't that just Somerville in a nutshell.
Surprisingly, they're the most common wren I see. I've seen other wrens sporadically, but it's a bit mystifying that house wrens aren't common nesters here. After all, while we're short of woodland thickets and ravines, we do have quite a few houses.
But enough about wrens. Here's a chickadee pretending to be a fish:
