After we spotted the fox on the compost cam, it took quite a while before the rabbits came back but we could see their footprints in the snow, so we knew at least one was still around. Clever little critters, those rabbits!

But our most common visitors to the compost pile now are house sparrows. A non-native bird with rather aggressive habits, they aren’t the favorite of many bird watchers or native species enthusiasts, but do tend to make friends with little children (and some adults) who enjoy how bold they are in moving in to take popcorn and bread crumbs when these treats are offered.

I try not to think too hard about their habit of kicking bluebirds’ egges out of their nests before moving in to take over, and instead just enjoy their boysterous visits to the bird feeder. When no one else is around in the yard, the sparrows usually are.

Pretty soon they will be making nests, probably with grass and twigs taken from the compost pile that this little one is sitting on. We regularly have half a dozen poking through the treasures there at a time in the spring. They will supplement the grass and twigs with trash they find on the ground to make a rather untidy nest. Whatever works, little sparrow! You’ve got to do what you’ve go to do.