Did you find an animal nesting near your house? Here's what to do

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

For four years, a mallard has nested behind a bush near the front door of Caitlin Deal’s home in a Minneapolis-St. Paul suburb, offering an up-close glimpse of nature for her young son and lessons for how people can coexist with wildlife.

The duck, dubbed Martha by the family, sits on her nest for about a month every spring in the tree-lined neighborhood of Eagan, Minnesota. After her eggs hatch around Mother’s Day, the birds toddle away.

“It feels nice that she trusts that area, that she trusts us to be able to come back year after year,” said Deal, whose 4-year-old son Owen’s first word was “Duck.”

Spring is when wildlife — everything from birds to deer to alligators — bear their young, often in locations more suitable to humans than animals. Experts maintain that with a few exceptions and some preparation, coexisting with creatures usually is easy — and often a lot of fun.

https://apnews.com/article/nesting-wildlife-spring-mallard-minnesota-oregon-florida-53f0aac47c6dc9d65bcdca69da011764

[PJMcK]

1. We live in the Catskill Mountains

It's very rural and our place is in a forest on the upper Delaware River. We share the woods with all sorts of wildlife: Deer, bears, ground hogs, foxes, skunks, snakes, many types of rodents and more. There are dozens of bird species including bald eagles hawks, various ducks, finches, robins, cardinals, wild turkeys, turkey vultures, woodpeckers and others I don't recornize.

It would be folly for me to try to keep the animals at bay. Instead, I've carved out the perimeter around our house and keep the ground cover short. This keeps the animals away from the main house for the most part.

There are a couple of woodchucks that live under my music cabin/studio but it's elevated on stone pilings so it's not enclosed.

Mostly, I just enjoy watching them wander about!

[House of Roberts]

2. I have found baby bunnies in my yard.

You'll see a clump of dry grass and sometimes some fur mixed in, right in the middle of the yard. Underneath can be several live babies and you have to be careful not to disturb them. This time of year I don't mow the back much so the clover can remain until the blossoms are gone. The tall grass must give the mother a feeling of security that the babies will be OK there.

[hlthe2b]

3. Swallows nest in a flower hanger on my front door. I have to go through that door, but am careful

Two little nestlings flew out the first year as expected; the second, sadly broken eggs as they were teetering on some leaves and not firmly in the nest; tragedy the third as the female apparently flew into my home via one of the vents and I didn't realize it until I found her limp little body some time later.

I hear them circling around my door again, but it has been a couple of years before they've tried. I have a spring floral wreath on the door currently--that they could use, but I'm not so sure they'd want to. I should probably try to dig up that wicker flower hanger from years past.

At any rate, I did enjoy having them nearby, tragedy notwithstanding.

Oh, and I have TONS of wild rabbits continually. I love to see the little ones and do provide a protected area under the front area of my home they can nest and be safe. When warm weather really comes, I can see as many as a half dozen sunning themselves on my front lawn (my dog is very maternal around them and won't scare them, but I do want them to beware of the raptors, coyotes, and the occasional bobcat).

[Nictuku]

4. We have a beehive in an old oak tree

Yesterday, it swarmed! This happens (almost) every spring. I saw hundreds of bees flying around an olive tree nearby the oak. Eventually they all gathered in a ball in the branches of the olive tree.

Fortunately, I have a neighbor who is also a bee keeper. I called her yesterday, but she didn't get the message until today. Fortunately, again, they had temporarily settled on the Olive and were now in a tight ball (keeping the queen warm). She was easily able to move the bees to a bee-box which she is going to leave here for a week (to make sure all the stragglers find their queen)

We are expecting rain tonight, and so I feel like the both of us saved those bees. They now have a nice new safe (and dry) place to wait out the rain.

Next week we expect a heat wave. Today is chilly, at around 55 degrees. A good time to move bees (they slow down when it is cold)

Interesting program I watch recently, 2 episodes: The Secrets of Bees. Very good watch, I learned things I didn't know. It was either on Apple, or Hulu (can't remember right now)