Mouse Nest Made Of Feathers

It is too fantastic for words. It's made mostly of chicken feathers, and a little bit of hay. Bee-U-tee-ful.

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Hehyo Wittle Mouse!

When the chickens and guinea hens moved out the coop... somebody else moved in! Using the paper shreds and the feathers left behind this adorable mouse made the most beautiful nest ever (you know except if it had some glitter and sequins to work with). Mouser happens to be super friendly too, it popped out the nest to check me out :) --- and how cute is it dat a wittle feather is stuck on it's nose!!!?
Many people are terrified and grossed out by mice, maybe from some kind of biological, evolutionary junk caused by rat poop/fleas giving us horrible plagues... but as for now, no plagues are afoot and I would snuggle up with this little fur muffin if it would let me. My cat Toots though, would eat it - so probably sharing a bed together at night wouldn't work out anyway.
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Re-inhabited Bee Hive

Check out the big cool old bee nest that was hiding in the dark smelly silo! The more layers the more amazing it is to me - this one is about 1/3 the size of the largest I ever found, but even the tinest of these nests always sucks me into their miraculous construction. Or should I say meticulous? Fabulous? Insects sometimes seem to be the smartest creatures in the world, building such simple yet intricate homes - their lives are occasionally my envy. Never the length of it though.
This nest is now an apartment complex for ladybugs, micro centipedes, and a big long legged brown and black spider! The spider was aggressive and took me by surprise but didn't dare crawl onto my hand. He just went from layer to layer, in and out looking for a better place to hide from the flash of the camera. I decided to bring the whole gang inside the house with me and placed it in one of my plant pots. :)
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Mouse Nests

Animals are hunkering down for the winter, and the mice have built some really well insulated nests! These were found when lifting up various pieces of canvas that had been stored outside and were going to be used for a project...that is till the puffy spectacular mouse houses were discovered. This first nest was near a few colored tarps which ended up making it's nest speckled with brightly colored string. :) I like to think about how when our backs are turned the mice are pulling our fabric apart.
This second mouse nest was found under thicker tarp in a field near the pig pen. It had access to the canvas strings (or soft stuffing from the pig's blanket), hay & sticks.
Something to note about the way animals & birds build their houses is how airy, puffy and thick the walls are - and the way they weave into circles. These qualities are to insulate from cold winds - which originally baffled my trained human mind... I would have guessed without learning that the thicker tighter weave would keep me warmer, but it's not the case.
Maybe the critters are onto something too- with their natural built temporary houses - I doubt they get very attached and when it falls apart they build the next one... without paying a penny.
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