Construction Workers

There are some construction workers that have been quite busy here on the Bayou. I have been observing their progress even though I never see any of them personally. It seems that they do most of their heavy work at night when I am fast asleep. As matter of fact, I never even hear them while they are on the job..they are just that respectful! I do notice the progress on the home-building and can hardly wait until the new tenants move into the lovely place. It is a nice home that is being built right near the water. It is high above the waterline so there is no fear of flooding which is good planning. The walls are made of the most beautiful oak and it seems as if there is to be a rounded doorway! I am excited to have new neighbors on the Bayou!

I am assuming that my construction workers and the new neighbors are one and the same. I am also assuming, that these neighbors are Flying Squirrels as the work is done at night. Flying Squirrels are definitely nocturnal animals but, then again, I have never seen any Flying Squirrel holes this large! The hole or opening is about three inches in diameter. Since we had an extremely large acorn crop this year, maybe these are just really fat squirrels! Anyway, whatever is gnawing at my oak tree, it is making wonderful progress. The hole has been chewed clean and all rotted wood has been removed. On the ground is the evidence of the massive amount of work that is done nightly. Wood chips and bark litter the ground beneath the limb. The hole is in the end 0f a limb that was broken off during a storm. It is about ten feet above ground and seems to be the entry to a nesting area far inside the tree. As far as I can tell, the "tunnel" goes well into the tree limb at an incline. This would make it hard for most predators to enter and would definitely keep it dry during the rainy season. The builder of this home is definitely a smart critter! If this is not a Flying Squirrel, I have no idea what would be gnawing away at my oak tree in the middle of the night! I will definitely keep watch on the new construction site to see if I can find evidence of the identity of the tenant! Perhaps I need to get one of those night-vision cameras to set up on the hill above the Bayou! Oh, the sights that I might see!