Garden Pic Wednesday: The Squatter
The definition of "Squatter," is someone who takes up residence in a home or property they do not legally own, without authority or permission to do so. The Case: Last spring I remodeled this old, dilapidated bat-house into a nice nesting box suitable for a medium bird, such as a wood-pecker. I designed it with a hinged wood flap on the bottom that's wired shut on one-side, so I could open it later in the year and clean it out. Being it's for wood peckers, I had also added a generous amount of wood-shavings, so they wouldn't tear up the box making a nest. Birds here in the Deep South, seem to have long nesting seasons, so I didn't do anything about emptying it until the end of January. So, Hubby got out the step later for me and I dutifully climbed up to drop the hatch, empty it and refill it with fresh shavings for this season. I lowered the hatch slowly and discovered and unexpected resident! The Squatter : As I lowered the hatch-d...