Rita: I wonder if your House Wrens are like the Carolina Wrens we see down here? A friend told me they build many *dummy* nests before selecting the preferred home and I've seen them do this at our old house. I had two Purple Martin houses (the condo type with many openings) and the Wrens would build nests in different compartments but only ended up occupying one. They've been doing this for quite a few years.
The following information is for the Carolina Wren. I've copied and pasted this from
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/g...
Nesting Facts
Clutch Size
3–7 eggs
Number of Broods
1-3 broods
Egg Length
0.7–0.8 in
1.7–2.1 cm
Egg Width
0.6–0.6 in
1.4–1.6 cm
Incubation Period
12–16 days
Nestling Period
10–16 days
Egg Description
White, cream, or pinkish white, with fine rusty-brown spots.
Condition at Hatching
Eyes closed, with pale grayish down.
Nest Description
Male and female Carolina Wrens build their nests together. One member of the pair may stay at the site while the other gathers material. The first nest can take a week or more to build, but later ones take shape in as few as 4 days. The bulky nest is cup-shaped, usually domed, with a side entrance and often a woven extension like a porch or entrance ramp. It's loosely constructed of a great variety of materials such as bark strips, dried grasses, dead leaves, pine needles, hair, feathers, straw, shed snakeskin, paper, plastic, or string). The female lines the nest's inner bowl and may add nest material after incubation has begun. Nests may range from 3 to 9 inches long and 3 to 6 inches wide.
Nest Placement
Cavity
Carolina Wrens nest in open cavities 3–6 feet off the ground, in trees, overhangs and stumps. The first nest is sometimes built on vegetation-shaded ground. Near homes, they're versatile nesters, making use of discarded flowerpots, mailboxes, propane-tank covers, and a variety of other items. Their nests have even been found in old coat pockets and boots. Males often build multiple nests before the pair makes a final selection.
I's so unfortunate and it has happened to so many companies over the past 20 years! I worked in the mortgage department at a federal S&L that shut down years ago. I know that bank was not in financial trouble but it was at the time when so many banks were shutting their doors or being taken over by other banks (the same thing happened to another savings and loan where my mom worked) and I've seen it happen to many businesses over the years. So many small companies and mom and pop businesses have gone under because the mega companies come in and take over. At the bank where I worked the mortages were all sold off to other companies, and another bank took over the other accounts. Some of my co-workers hoped to transfer to the "other" bank but everyone was told they would have to submit an employment application (just like when seeking any job) to be considered and the few who were hired did not start in the same position they'd been in for years or anywhere near their old salary! I'd only been with the S&L for 5 1/2 years but I felt so sorry for some of my co-workers who'd been there for 20 years or more. I'd planned on taking some time off before looking for another job but haven't ever gone back to work. I've always said things happen for a reason and at the time my dear mother in law was having the beginnings of dementia and moved to assisted living so I was blessed to be able to spend the last years of her life with her and then my own mother began having health issues so I was able to travel back and forth to south Fla. every couple of weeks to spend time with her before she passed. 
so I thought I'd get the thread back on track with pictures of our birdie friends. I only got two photo's while we were out on the boat yesterday. One was an Osprey trying to fish for lunch but apparently it was too close to where small birds were nesting and a little bird was trying to chase the Osprey away from the area and a juvenile Ibis of some sort that was walking along the shoreline:
