Our friend just now brought this real, live wren by our house for a traditional St. Stephen's Day visit. Real birds are a rarity these days ... most folks who participate in these 26th of December traditions go for the fake birds.

Thankfully, the tradition of killing the poor birds seems to have gone by the wayside. Our friends placed their wren in a jar complete with air holes and a bit of porridge to eat while in captivity. The little fella will be released back into the wild immediately after his tour of our village has been completed.