Heartless Landlords Evict Tenants

Once the rain stopped it was another nice day here with  temperatures well above freezing. Ed was finishing up the ditch work for the new generator. As I was standing there watching him work, I thought I saw movement through the entrance hole of the bluebird box. Thinking perhaps it was my imagination, I asked Ed and he saw it too.  This nest box has a handy side panel that opens and so we went to investigate. This is the sight that greeted us when we opened the box. Years of cleaning out Bluebird houses spring and fall have taught us that this nest does not belong to birds. When we first saw this kind of nest we thought it was made from insulation taken from the trailer we lived in before we built the house. We have since learned that the white material is chewed up balls of milkweed fluff. Ed whisked the contents of the birdhouse onto the ground.

The remains of the nest are on the ground. The evicted tenant, a white footed  mouse, escaped .

Later in the afternoon I went back with the camera to take another peek. The mouse had returned. Apparently the accommodations were so tempting that even giant humans  bent on nest destruction didn't keep this beady eyed furry little creature from returning. Momentarily frozen by fright,I was able to get a picture, but the mouse soon recovered and escaped. In most years mice like these nest under the snow taking advantage of the blanket of snow and the warmth of the ground. I guess this year the bluebird house seemed cozy. The heartless landlords here are stubborn. This mouse must move on or face the consequences.