Fly Day

Beautiful day today so I decided to get a few things done in the yard for those that fly.  Hopefully a bird will make use of this yellow gourd house.

I hung all three yellow gourd houses in the hackberry trees that line my driveway.

As I put up the third gourd house I see Mr. and Mrs. Black Capped Chickadee checking out my bluebird house.  One potential parent goes in and looks around while the other waits on a blackberry cane.  Next they switch places so both can get a feel for the place.  Will they move in?

When the gourd houses were up I moved my bat house from the tree where it has hung for the past 7 years unused to the side of the house.  Last year I took a bat class and learned that the bats who nest on trees don't use houses.  The bats who nest in houses will not nest on trees.  So it made no sense to hang that bat house on a tree.  It needs to be on a house. I put this one on the south side of the house, close to the deck, but not close enough to get guano on the deck.

When the bat house was up I put up my pollinator house.  This was a gift from a fair trade market and made in the Phillipines.  I hope bees take it up for a residence.

I think bees will like it.  If the bees come by to smell the crab apple blossoms, they will find a clean, new home right there next to the blossoms.  What's not to like?