House Hunting

Design - "Snowdrop Placemat"

Designer - Marjolein Bastin

Fabric - 28 count Light Mocha Cashel

Fibers - DMC - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started -  11 March 2014

Completed - 19 March 2014 

My snowdrops are blooming so I thought featuring a snowdrop cross stitch was appropriate.

Spring is marching ever closer, and none too soon my Dad and I took down the birdhouses.  I removed the old nesting materials and cleaned them with a mild soap / bleach mixture to kill mold any lingering parasites.     

The very next day, we had House Hunters!

My pair of Tree Swallows returned to make claim to the house they've occupied for the last two years.

The Tree Swallows had a rather messy nest - a mix of feathers and dried grasses.  

The Violet-green Swallows have also returned.

See the Violet low on the back of the bird and the green above?

They too immediately started house hunting.

I expect this pair is also making claim to the same house they used last year.

Here's a look at last year's nest.  

It was overwhelmingly dried grasses with a light layer of feathers on top. Tidying looking than the Tree Swallow nest. 

Last year one of the houses was occupied by a family of Black-capped Chickadees.

I thought their nest was the most impressive.  The small birds' nest had a base of fine sawdust. The remainder of the nest was comprised of mosses.  Perhaps 3"-4" of moss.  I can't help but wonder how many trips it took the pair of chickadees to build this nest.

The houses are ready for Spring 2017!  I cannot wait to see who decides to make use of them this year.