Life Around the New Place

It's interesting, the changes from living in a thoroughly suburban area near major roads and a freeway to moving to what amounts to a suburban-style strip surrounded by farms and woodland, even though it's blocks from town. We still have neighbors, we actually live on a busier road than we did before, but with the surroundings, we have a lot different ecosystem going on out there!

This morning when I went out to dump the accumulated water off the top of my soft-shelled greenhouse, I was startled by a rabbit sitting between it and the chicken coop. Apparently Thumper lives in the hedgerow of arborvitae between us and the west neighbors. Cool! Well, cool unless he develops a taste for my veggies and whatnot. Even then, as long as he only eats his share, we're good...I always plant too much!

And yesterday while I was standing in the living room, I happened to see a robin outside picking up bits of twigs and straw and random things. I've seen that robin (or another one) hanging out in the woodpile out back, so I watched to see where this one went. It flew and went out of sight around the corner of the house, so I switched windows, and it looked like he was in the giant rhododendron on the corner of the house. Today I got a chance to peek, and sure enough, there's a nest about 4' off the ground in the rhodie. Cool! If I get a chance and can do it without bugging the parents too much, I'll try to take pictures as things progress.

In other birdie news, the little finches that were nesting in our front porch birdnest have fledged, and the parents seem to be busily building a new nest for a second brood. Sweet! The birds out here are surprisingly unafraid of people, and usually let me get within a few feet while I'm filling the feeders. Been up close and personal with a downy woodpecker and many little finches, sparrows and chickadees in the last couple of days.

I've also seen bats circling around in the evenings, and have put "build bat house" on the mile-long list of projects for the near future. Haven't yet seen raccoons or possums out there, but I know they're around...just a matter of time before I have a close encounter!