A Loss and A Gain

I've lived in my current house for over a decade. The neighbor's oak tree which shades my driveway in the summer has always had a squirrel's nest in it. Unlike the other squirrels' nests in the neighborhood which are located in the branches of trees, this one was built in a crotch:

I've always marvelled at how sturdy those nests in the branches are, seemingly made of only sticks and leaves. Why do they never blow away? What holds them together? What holds them on to the branches? I never worried about the nest in the oak tree. Nestled securely between two trunks, it seemed invincible.

After the blizzard in February, I checked on all the squirrels' nests in the trees around my house. As usual, they had all weathered the storm with no problem. But horror of horrors, the nest in the oak tree was gone!

I've missed that nest. I never realized I always looked for it when I came out of my back door. The squirrels still chase each other up and down the oak tree. They still run up it for safety when I come out of the house. But it seems empty with no resident squirrels.

This morning, as I was pulling into the driveway on my way home from work, I noticed a new squirrel's nest. I know that it is a new one because it is located in the tree in front of my house. That tree has never had a nest in it. For years I have wondered why there was no nest in that tree. I wondered what it was about it that made it such an undesirable location. Not large enough? Too close to the street? Too close to the house?

Whatever the reason, it didn't stop this squirrel. Thanks to all the wind storms we have had lately, there were lots of sticks and leaves for him or her to use to build his/her new home. I left some sunflower seeds at the base of the tree as a house-warming gift.