Yesterday I was clicking away at the keyboard when movement caught my eye. A cute little chickadee. Wait, wait . . .
Hey! Whaddya think you’re doing?!? The chickadee perched there, with a beakful of my shoe lining, looking innocent: Who, me?
She hunkered down inside the shoe and kept working. Maybe I wouldn’t notice.
She was making good progress. Then there was a great fluttering and fussing as a phoebe descended and demanded a share of the loot.
I wasn’t quick enough to get a picture of the phoebe and the chickadee disputing, but I did capture the scene of the crime. I’ve brought the shoes inside.
I have an idea that should make all of us happy. There are quantities of Cowboy fur all over the Writing Studio and Bait Shop. I’m going to pile it in a box out on the deck and watch. If the birds think it’s good nesting material, we may have a good recycling project.
Torch Lake Views 
Cindy Lou
April 13, 2010
Ha! What fun to watch 🙂 Made me smile just looking at your pictures! At first glance at your title, I thought perhaps there were shenanigans going on at some construction site in town and was all set to be indignant about it….this was
oh-so-much better!
p.j. grath
April 13, 2010
I read your headline and got all set to rant, then read the post and had to laugh at the birds and at myself. Good for you, Gerry!
Gerry
April 13, 2010
Cindy Lou AND PJ – a double Gotcha! My morning is looking up.
The chickadee made me smile, too, even as I was regretting my shoe lining.
Preston
April 13, 2010
Looks like an interesting situation. Maybe they will take to the new nesting material.
Carsten
April 13, 2010
This is a funny series.
We have a brush for removing excess hair from our cats fur. I drop the hair in the garden and after a short time it is gone. It might be the birds using it for nesting material. -Thats another kind of recycling!
Fee
April 13, 2010
Cheeky wee blighter! I was all ready to design a “Wanted” poster.
We said farewell to our last rabbit at New Year, so this year the local bird population isn’t able to collect the kicked-out straw from the hutch. I’ve replaced it (cos I’m a bit of a sap) with a box stuffed with the fluff/lint/whatever-you-call-it collected by the tumble drier filter. It seems to be quite popular.
Gerry
April 13, 2010
Wow. Cat fur, rabbit straw, dryer lint–who knew there were so many diligent recyclers out there?
Carsten
April 14, 2010
I had a more morbid thought when I sugested the recycling of cat fur!!
Gerry
April 14, 2010
I suspected as much, but decided to let others draw their own conclusions.
[OK, this was meant as a response to Carsten, but clearly I am incapable of organizing the Torch Lake Views comments section properly. Sorry. G.]
leslie
April 13, 2010
Ha! love it!
Gerry
April 14, 2010
You would!
giiid
April 13, 2010
I love these photos! Such a sweet and hard working bird. I suppose you have used a zoom? I have a pair making a nest close to my house, I am sneaking around trying to catch a glimpse of them, but they are moving too fast. The tumble drier filter fluff is a great idea, I´ll offer them some. Maybe I can get a photo then…
Your shoes reminded me of a pair of shoes I had stored throughout the winter in the basement. They were changed into a luxury appartment bt a mouse. It used one shoe for living in and the second for storing food in. It was filled to the top with birdseed. I never felt the same again about these shoes. Using a two room appartment as shoes, doesn´t make one feel particulary well dressed…
Gerry
April 14, 2010
I did not use a zoom for the excellent reason that I do not have one, except for the zoom feature on the point-and-shoot camera, which is pretty much useless. (The feature, not the camera. I love the camera.) I was inside, taking photos through my, um, grimy front door. I think the light was reflecting in such a way that the chickadee did not see me through the glass, but just saw itself. And the phoebe, of course.
Chickadees are pretty bold. They think people are OK.
I would have liked to see the mouse apartment. Not to wear it, of course, but just to see it.
Scott Thomas Photography
April 14, 2010
Industrious these little birds are. Guess we have all learned a lesson to not leave stuff outside for passing wildlife. Enjoying all the ideas of what to recycle. Will be making my dryer lint available for all comers starting this week.
Gerry
April 14, 2010
I am easily distracted and often leave things where I shouldn’t. Once–and this was long ago before my short-term memory vanished–I managed to lose a nice orange cooking pot. I still miss it. How on earth can a person lose something like that?!?
uphilldowndale
April 14, 2010
LOL, just as well they didn’t set up a permanent home
Gerry
April 14, 2010
Miss Puss is disappointed. I believe she had plans for the birds.
Katherine
April 14, 2010
Dog hair, cat hair, dryer lint, dust bunnies, mine and Steve’s hair… Think I’ve got it all. The birds are gonna be busy this spring!
Gerry
April 14, 2010
I can see it now . . . the next show at JRAC will be all about making art supplies available to the birds and following up with images of their creations. A prize to the first person who captures a nest lined with Steve’s hair.
Karma
April 14, 2010
What a cute post – and good for you to be so quick to the camera. My husband has a habit of dust-mopping the dog fur from the kitchen floor and shaking the fur outside. The birds seem to enjoy using that for nesting materials!
Gerry
April 14, 2010
Thank you, Karma. I am astonished at the number of people who are generously supplying nest-building materials to the birds. There is hope for the species yet. Ours, I mean.
Reggie
April 16, 2010
What a hilarious story, Gerry!
We often find bits of fluffy… er… I don’t know what kind of material it is… having been blown down from a bird’s nest. The local garden birds don’t have such great nest-building skills, they generally just toss a couple of twigs in a heap and hope for the best. You can well imagine the result.
But I’m very pleased to have found a new use for all the cat fur from Tuffy-Cat’s brush! The birds should be delighted too!