A week or so ago, a bird was attempting to build a nest above the light next to the back door. Since she hadn’t gotten too far along, I knocked down the bits and bobs of leaves and grasses and figured she’d take the hint.
She did not take the hint. By the time I noticed the nest again, she was almost finished building it.
I didn’t have the heart to remove it since it was finished, so she and I are going to have to learn to get along. After all, several times a day, I’ll be going in and out of that door.
I suppose I could go out the front door and walk around to the back every time I want to go into the backyard, but she’s still going to get freaked out when she sees me on the patio.
So, I’ll use that door and we’ll just have to learn to get along.
The other day, pre-nest, when I was watering the blooming violas and pansies I planted in containers on the back patio, I saw a little bunny hop across the lawn. Then I saw a second bunny hop out from the base of the honeylocust tree.
I tiptoed over and investigated the situation.
It seems Mama Rabbit chose a spot ten feet from my patio to build her warren and have a bunch of baby rabbits. When I discovered it, I realized I could control the rabbit population a bit by destroying it.
But I didn’t.
Even after I saw the damage the rabbits did to some crocuses planted in a nearby flower bed by eating them down to the ground, I couldn’t do it.
After all, there have been plenty of crocuses, and now Chionodoxa, blooming in the lawn, and they’ve been attracting bees since they first opened.
I like going out into the garden in early spring where I can both see and hear bees buzzing about. I feel like I’m doing a bit of good in the world when I see them.
And I guess I’m doing a bit of good in the worlds of the birds and bunnies when I let them nest and have babies in my garden.
Bless you for living in peace with your furred and feathered neighbors. I always feel quite honored when a wild thing chooses my garden for its home, even when it is sometimes inconvenient.
I think it’s best to come to terms with the critters in our gardens too, even if they cause us a bit of grief now and then. I know people who’ve paid questionable services to remove raccoons from their gardens (only to dump them in someone else’s area) – and new raccoons or other critters simply move into the vacated space in no time anyway.
I love this, Carol. We have a robin currently building a nest on one of our front porch lights and I’ve found bunny nests in the garden in the past. Like you, I couldn’t say no as I try to encourage wildlife here even at the cost of a few plants. Happy spring!
I can still see the look from mama rabbit after I blocked her out of nesting in my raised raspberry bed. She stopped, turned her head, and Glared at me!
I understand, it’s tough to leave bunnies living in your garden. Birds don’t bother me, because they don’t bother my flowers. But bunnies! Luckily they’re cute and fluffy.
Nature 😍❤️
Carol you’re my idol. We lived with a hawk family on the property for many years. I spent hours watching them raise families – I’m blessed to be on a street in Queens NYC which has piece of land that is undisturbed. We made our peace with the raccoons, possums, hawks and other little critters here. Big change from an apartment. I enjoy them and respect their right to be here. They were here first!
We had a Pacific Coast Flycatcher nest right outside our constantly used back door two springs ago. She successfully raised her two chicks, and returned last year but placed her new nest six feet farther from the back door. Two more chicks successfully raised, and Momma bird and we were all happier.
My philosophy is that the animals were here first. We’ve had house finches nest on our front porch light and robins on a ledge on our covered patio. Last year a Carolina wren built one of its decoy nests on our front porch light. We didn’t know about decoy nests and left it there – what a mess that bird made, too. I do draw the line at groundhogs, though. There was an old shed on our property they used to nest under and we finally had the shed demolished.
Hello, Carol. It’s me, Shirley Flanagan, of the Nature Place Journal on Facebook. I love this entry about the Birds, bunnies, bees and blooms. Would you permit me to use this in the May issue? You might remember, I have been doing the journal for about twenty years and it is just a hobby of mine with nature readers from many places.
https://www.facebook.com/natureplacejournal/. Please let me know at my personal email address below and thanks for considering.
Hello Carol I’ just going to post your article on our page. I’m looking for a photo in your blog of a rabbit or a bunny for the article. Do you have a photo? If you have sent it to me at my address please? Your blog is well organized and easy to read. Thanks
Shirley Flanagan