Eighth of an Acre Bounty

Gary made this sweet little birdhouse a few years ago from our old fence boards. The first year we set it close to the patio and a pair of chicadees moved in and set up house. We watched thier comings and goings all spring until one day we woke up to a massacre. Nin had decimated the chicks as they tried out thier wings for the first time. (No need to lecture me about the impact of domestic cats on wild bird populations, I struggle with it already. She is the only real hunter of the three cats, and even then she is pretty half-assed about it).

After the slaughter we moved the birdhouse up along the fence and further out of her ‘goatpath’. Bad news travels fast and no birds have set up a home since that summer. Just the other day, I noticed a bunch of winged activity around the entrance, but it was not of the feathered variety. It appears that bumblebees have taken over the birdhouse and now have a nest going. Perfect!