Planes ,Trains and Automobiles - otherwise known as Birds, Bats and Pack Rats

haiku

swifts building their nest
above the satellite dish
they’re on my wavelength

There is much bird activity this year with all the rain and plenty of vegetation around the house. The bluebirds hatched their brood and were cleaning out the nest under the eaves for another, when they were rudely interrupted. A pair of aggressive little wrens moved into their nest and drove them away. I couldn't believe my eyes, but went to the Internet and sure enough wrens are known to be aggressive especially with cavity-nesting birds, such as bluebirds. They will even go in and smash their eggs. I nicknamed them "the avian terrorists"! I hope that my bluebirds will return next spring; meanwhile I am wondering how to trap and move wrens? An interesting new project!

Yesterday morning there was a rumpus outside. I could hear a Red-Shafted Flicker squawking and another Flicker making a different song beneath his. I came to the conclusion that they were probably mating and given plenty of Flicker-sightings the past couple of days I would say they have a nest nearby.

The latest addition to the populating masses is a pair of Swifts, (I have yet to correctly ID them) that have decided to nest in a hollow ridge-log above the satellite dish. I have been meaning to fill that hollow for some time, but have had more exciting chores to take care of and never seem to get around to it. Now I will have to wait until fall. In the meantime I am waging war on other critters such as bats and pack rats.

The bats in the open ended garage, leave their nasty soiling all over the hood of my car so I tried hanging suet feeders containing cotton soaked with peppermint oil, in the rafters. But they seemed to fall blissfully asleep with that, so the next trick will be to try Balsam Fir Oil - that at least should keep the pack rats away as they do not like the smell. I just renewed the packages of Fresh Cab beneath the hood of my car. In the past pack rats wreaked havoc upon wires and hoses under the hood and left me a few nice piles of fireweed twigs. I think I prefer nesting birds!