Birds in the Belfry

 

I have birds in the belfry.

 

I don't actually have a belfry, but I have a chimney. And I definitely have birds.

 

Living in a house that backs up to woods is a joy. It's beautiful, peaceful, often serene. In the spring and summer the whole backyard boasts multiple shades of green. In the winter, the snow on the bare branches creates its own form of beauty.

And there is wildlife. I've pictured many of them in my recent blog post Multifaceted. We have, like most people, squirrels and rabbits. We also share our yard with deer, possum, raccoons, and voles, as well as snakes, coyote, and fox, to name a few. 

 

And we have birds, lots of them. Birds of all types and sizes and colors, from large Red-tailed Hawks turkeys, and owls, all the way down to little hummingbirds buzzing around my potted plants.

 

Living in a house that backs up to woods can also be misery. And expensive. Because animals can cause damage. We are constantly battling with voles for possession of our lawn. Step on an area where they've built their underground labyrinth and you could break your ankle.

 

But the birds. When it comes to destruction and expense, Alfred Hitchcock's got nothing on me and my birds. 

I wrote a post last year called The Birds and the Bees. I talk about my friends the bees and my nemesis the woodpeckers. How pretty these living jackhammers are, we've seen the the red-headed woodpeckers and the blue and grey ones too. But they're also destructive. And that destruction is expensive to repair. They'd poked holes in the lower part of the siding of our house by the chimney during mating season. It cost us hundreds of dollars, but we had the holes closed up and the siding replaced. Done. Right?

 

 

Not even close. This year those woodpeckers got their revenge. Not only did they peck at the siding directly on the chimney line, but the sudden loud tinny echo in the house would scare the cr@p out of me in the late mornings while I'm preparing lunch. Without warning, the house would go from blissful silence to a sudden cacophany of metallic rat-a-tat-tats.

Blueberry Bagel Salad

 

And that's not all. They moved up the chimney. Way, way, way up. So high that when the contractors came to quote us on the repairs, they'd be much more expensive requiring a high ladder as opposed to last year's repairs which could be made standing on the ground.

But wait, even that isn't all. Yes, there's more.

We were in the house one afternoon before the repairs had been made when our neighbor rang the bell. "Do you know you have birds in your chimney?" he asked. Yes, we knew about the woodpecker holes. "Not the woodpecker holes, who's living in them."

Living in them?

Yes, apparently birds had built a nest in that top hole, right on the edge actually, and my neighbor saw them going in and out.

 

 

So now the repairs are on hold while we await the birth of the next generation of uninvited guests. 

 

Checkmate goes to those damn woodpeckers for this year.

Next year I may need to call in the big guns. Elmer Fudd, forget that wascally wabbit, I've got a new challenge for you.

Blueberry Bagel Salad     

                                                     ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

2 blueberry bagels

2 tsp olive oil

5 oz blueberry Greek yogurt

4 tsp olive oil

2 TBSP apple cider vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

1 TBSP poppy seeds

 

6 oz spring greens salad mix

1 cup fresh blueberries

6 oz grape tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup sliced radishes

2 chicken breasts, cooked, cooled, and sliced

Directions:
*Chop the bagel and place onto a toaster oven sized pan. Drizzle with 2 tsp olive oil and toast until brown. Set aside.

*Vigorously whisk together the blueberry Greek yogurt, 4 tsp olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, and poppy seeds.

*Place the salad greens in a bowl. Sprinkle with the fresh blueberries, tomato halves, sliced radishes and toasted bagel pieces. Top with the sliced chicken. 

*Drizzle with the blueberry yogurt dressing and serve immediately.