# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Livestock and Animal Husbandry >  Squatters

## kyratshooter

I have a family of squatters that have set up housekeeping on the back porch stovepipe.

I think I am just going to leave them alone and not press charges or move for evection.  

I am keeping an eye on the progress though.

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## 1stimestar

Cool.  Be fun to watch their progress.

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## Rick

I had a chubby robin start a nest over the outdoor light last week. I evicted her. The nest was next to the patio door and she would have never been able to sit on eggs with us running in and out. Nice to see spring has arrived isn't it?

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## hunter63

Outside the kitchen window, (green house window).....is a climbing rose bush.....
I has been the location of many nests over the years, ...some close to the window, so you can watch the family grow.
Have had both robins and cardinals fighting over the location. 

Had to trim it back last fall as many canes were dead, and the whole thing need to be cut back......so far nothing has started a nest this year.

Pretty cool, but can be a pain if over a door.....or next to the stairs.

BTW be prepared to have the same place occupied every year from here on out.

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## madmax

Sparrow nest on the porch.  Years.  Have to prop open the door in the spring. This has to be several generations.  

We watched hummingbirds' nests above our camp in NC for 2 summers.  Too damn cute.

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## Zack

On the porch of the clubhouse of a local gunclub there's several barn swallows' nests.  They'll fly out over the fields catching bugs, then bring them back to the nest for the little ones, soaring like fighter jets the whole time.  They're fun to watch for sure.

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## kyratshooter

Success!

We have babies!

You can only see one in this photo but there is a second one in there.

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## hunter63

> Success!
> 
> We have babies!
> 
> You can only see one in this photo but there is a second one in there.
> 
> Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.


Awww ain't that cute.......

Bird house we got from a friend at the farmers market last year.....we put it out on the porch last Saturday...is being used already.

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## 1stimestar

Yay.  Get ready for extra bird poop.

https://youtu.be/2WNrx2jq184

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## Rick

You must be very proud and tired with the midnight feedings.

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## natertot

Very neat, Kyrat. It is great to watch nature from your own home. We used to get baby rabbits, but none since we got our little dog. I miss seeing them hop around.

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## kyratshooter

And in the ongoing saga of survival and the never ending reminders that mother Nature is a cruel caregiver, after a cold snap below freezing, sleet, and a 24 hour rain, the nest is now empty and abandoned.

As with 75% of their kind, the baby birds did not last 24 hours in the real world.  

They are not in the nest nor are they on the ground, they seem to have evaporated into thin air or to have been consumed by predators or scavengers.

Makes me think back on all the folks that we deal with here while in their ROTTW mode.  Baby birds one and all.  All it takes is a cold snap, or a snapped bone, or a bad swing of the hatchet and the accompanying arterial bleed out....

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## hayshaker

krat i know of the cats a 1st time momma had her litter in a bale of fiberglass and lost the whole litter.
it was up in the haymow even though i moved them to a better spot it was too late.
there,s another one ready to drop a litter i,ve since coverd up the bale of insulation.
i hope it goes better this time.

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## Rollicks

They'll nest a few times from March to August, so they'll have many more chances as long as the parents survived. At least they only need to reproduce once in their lifetime to keep the population steady. Animals tend to have many babies because many will die. Thanks for sharing your photos.

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## 1stimestar

Aw darn.  Sorry to hear that.

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