Seward, Alaska
I took the opportunity of a
break between squalls to check the deck swallow nest box. I was curious what my
winter guest, the Black-capped Chickadee, had used for furniture. Was it bare
wood? Or rustic bachelor style?
It was a bit of a process to
unscrew the two plumber’s tape strips that secured the nest post to the tall
deck post. That done, I climbed down the ladder, lowered the post with nest box
and leaned it against the deck railing. Then I unscrewed the front door, still
using my noisy drill, and raised it up. Wow! It was jam-packed with fibrous insulation
with only a small opening corresponding to the nest box hole. Amazing!
Still believing this nest
empty, I peeled back the face to see how deep the insulation was. Yikes! To my
utter surprise, there were four baby Red Squirrels snuggled together in a furry
ball, eyes still closed! I took a few seconds to snap some photos as they
stirred in their sleep, restored the fiber wall as best I could, and secured
the door. Back up the ladder, more gently this time, I reattached the plumber’s
tape, collected the ladder and drill, and retreated.
Meanwhile, momma Squirrel
swore like a proverbial sailor from a nearby Mt Ash. No wonder! My babies!!! I
watched her from a discrete distance; she waited a long time, all the while
unleashing her entire vocabulary expressing outrage. Finally, she descended the
tree, leapt to the deck railing and cautiously hopped across to the post. There
she paused and in a wink, scaled the post up to the bird house roof, whisked
over the edge with a flourish of her fluffy tail, and back to her precious
babies.
Who knew that deck box held a
squirrel family? Who knew a 1½” hole was ever so suitable for a squirrel door? I
wonder how many trips it took for her to carry all that insulation in her
mouth? I wonder where she got it?
It won’t be long before the
babies are ready to leave the nest. Then, I’ll really clean it for the swallows,
and wrap a squirrel guard around the post.
Meanwhile, momma sits
peacefully in the box with her head poking out, like she’s savoring a cup of
morning coffee while her babies nap.
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report
Reporter
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