Way cool

It happens every year.

Some birds think our porch posts would make a nice nesting spot.

They usually begin building on the post that's closest to our front door, then quickly abandon that nest and move to the other post. Eventually they abandon that nest too and end up on our neighbor's porch, which is longer, offers better shelter from the wind and receives less traffic.

I first noticed a mess of dried grass and dirt that had fallen onto our porch steps. My eyes proceeded upward to see dried grass and twigs hanging precariously from the post. Looking toward the other post, I spied a more developed nest. I showed my son, took some photos, then left things alone for a few days.


When I was certain the birds had moved on to more secure accommodations, I asked my husband to take down the nests. Our son was convinced they would be good to take to preschool on his sharing day.

We put the more developed nest into a plastic container so he could show it to his classmates.

It was a hit. The kids thought it was "really cool" and smelled "kind of gross."