Spring is here!

My mother-in-law, who shares my passion for birdwatching, was so kind as to give me a bird house that she wasn't using.  It had great bones, but the paint job on it was a little questionable.  It had some bright colors and polka dots that I doubted my backyard birds would appreciate.  Because of this, I determined to paint the bird house a more appropriate tan (to match the trees).  Once I had the house painted, it just looked so dull and lifeless I had to add a little something to it.  I found a few wood pieces that I thought would blend in with nature, and I glued them to the house.  Here is the final product:

Redecorated bird house

Only a week after putting it up I saw lots of activity around it.  Two weeks after putting it up, I saw a few pieces of nesting material sitting inside of it.  Now, nearly a month later, there is a full blown nest filling up the bird house. 

The conversion of the bird house into a family home was no easy task for the House Sparrows that currently inhabit it.  About a week ago, I witnessed the aggressive shewing of a rival sparrow by the male resident.  The resident sparrow persistently held down the invader to the ground while the female watched.  It was quite the territorial display.