Woodpecker Box Squatter.....

Last week, I got excited because the woodpecker box I made last Fall had some pecking at the side of the birdhole as if a woodpecker had widened the hole a little bit.  Previously House Sparrows had made a home out of it so this was a refreshing change....

I watched the box for a while but didn't see any activity but I could hear things from time to time.  I climbed up a ladder to inspect the situation closer.  I was greeted by something with bushy fur.  I poke a little bit with a garden trowel but whatever it was must have been in a deep sleep.  One moment more and I got a quick growl/chirp and a swipe at the tool.  It was time to get down -- I knew what I was dealing with.  From the ground, the long handle of my hoe spade sufficed to acknowledge that I was dealing with a squatting squirrel in my woodpecker house.  A few mad jabs at the handle and a quick exit by the squirrel was an immediate confirmation.  I'm just glad it was in such a deep sleep and not a hood ornament on my face with a future of rabies shots from my ladder point of view.  Long story short, I now have a squirrel taking up residence in my well-intentioned woodpecker box.  Oh well.....