[mou] Hanging around home

[Steve Weston]

Spring projects and today a cold have kept me hanging around the house this 
weekend.  Yesterday, I rehung a wood duck house that I had rehabbed.  Before 
I hung  it, I added some cedar chips and then decided to add a few dry 
leaves.  I openned up one of the two houses I have on poles with predator 
guards to keep out furry tenants and looters.  I had noticed that a squirrel 
had added some leaves, but i hadn't seen any activity.  I reached in and 
grabbed a handful of leaves.  The second time I reached in I found something 
warm and furry that chirpped.  After I hung the house, I pulled out the 
ladder to fill a couple of feeders.  After filling the larder, I brought the 
ladder over to the occupied house and opened it up.  I found a half pint 
squirrel sleeping so soundly that he almost tumbled out the openning.  I 
resisted the urge to pet it and closed the door.

This morning the suet that I had filled yesterday was already gone.  The 
peanuts that I had left for the squirrels did not keep them from empting the 
suet feeder.  Four pairs of Wood Ducks and a pair of Hooded Mergansers were 
swimming the twenty feet of open water along the shore.  The Hooded 
Merganser has already spent considerable time in one box, as her consort 
nervously paced.  The Woodies have been checking out the boxes and I have 
already scared them out of the trees once.  Now comes time of season of 
cautiously approaching the windows in the house overlooking the lake.  I 
have two boxes ready for nesting.  One that is definitely occupied by 
squirrel and a second one that is a probable.  A fifth house has not been 
inspected and may need to be cleaned out.

On Friday in Eagan I had my FOY Eastern Phoebe and a Cackling Goose on 
Carlson Lake a block away from home.  I do not think I have them for the 
yard yet.  Nothing new at the feeders.  Juncos singing in the yard.

Steve Weston on Quiggley Lake in Eagan, MN
sweston2 at comcast.net