Central Ohio Real Estate Market News

Tiny bird nest

My home is zoned for single-family residential. I think it might be in violation of the zoning code. It’s become a multi-family home.

I took a Sunday off from the usual open house stint, to do some mulching, edging and pruning. When pruning the flowering crab apple tree, I noticed a tiny bird nest.

At first I thought I had finally found a hummingbird nest since they’re regular visitors. However, although the nest was tiny, I don’t think it was small enough for a hummingbird. May belong to the chickadees or goldfinches.

I got my ladder to take a close up photo. When I was “in” the tree, I noticed a second nearby same-sized nest. I was a little surprised as I thought birds didn’t build their nests so close together.

Larger bird nest

As I turned around to climb down the ladder, I noticed a 3rd larger nest with some thin plastic woven in the twigs. I’ve seen both robins and doves come out of this tree so this larger nest probably belongs to one of them.

Pyracantha

Another pair of robins seem to favor a pyracantha near the back door. In fact, I planted it for them and the other berry eating birds so they’ll have food in the winter. That’s when they make a run on the orange berries.

This summer “something” else is using the thorny barrier of the pyracantha for shelter. When The Murph goes out the final time at night, there is sometimes “something” hidden in the shrub that scares him. Its movement makes him jump and then run up the steps to come back in the house.

Then there are the chipmunks. They have tunnels everywhere, plus, they bury the birds’ sunflower seeds so I have little outcroppings of sunflower sprouts in most of my landscape beds.

And of course, there are the rabbits! They’ve raised numerous families under the five Norway spruces since I planted the trees years ago. They began living there when I had Brutus, my 3rd Dobie. Brutie never bothered them and they quickly learned that they didn’t have to run when he came into the yard.

Not so with The Murph. When he’s out, they keep a watchful eye, ever ready to scamper under the fence if need be. The Murph after all IS a rabbit-hunting breed. I know when there is a new batch of babies because The Murph sometimes has rabbit fur stuck to his nose from his sniffing around the rabbit hole that is lined with the mama’s fur.

I’m glad that the wildlife has adopted my home as their own, It’s rather fun living in a multi-family home – even if it isn’t zoned for that.

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