If you drill a hole in the cd air and or water will get to the aluminum coating and oxidize to a non reflective frosty look. A light coating of glue or clear fingernail polish can seal a small opening. Have to be very carefl cutting them or the foil will rip off. On some cd's the foil isnt fused to the plastic except around the perimeter. A good sun catcher can be made by tying a string through the hole and around the cd. Give yourself 3 or 4 inches of slack then tie on another cd. Keep on going to make as long a string as you like. Put a weight on the end of the cd chain and hang it from a high limb where the morning and afternoon sun can hit it. Pretty interesting light show. Cats and dogs are often freaked by the display, but birds just kept right on like nothing was new. If you would like a little neater chain, use silicon glue to put the cds together with a 10 of 15 pound test clear fishing line running through the middle. Just looks like cds hanging magically in the air. Real flashy. Hanging the things way up in a tree. Bow and arrow beats rock on a string. Have fun!

I don't know if they're wrong about the date, Bonnie, but they claim that both are accurate: a compact cherry tomato with a maturation of 120 days (at least, the envelope claims it's a cherry). I agree: it makes no sense. Here's the blurb from http://www.mckenzieseeds.com/English/store_product.php3?ID=130127&SID=bd6a9ce3ed8f258960abeba59d0189dc Tomato Balcony Charm (130127) Reliable high yields from this early maturing tomato will definitely please your taste buds. Round firm fruits on this tomato bush make it a perfect variety to grow in pots or balcony containers. Whether in the garden or container be sure to keep soil evenly moist. Determinate variety. Days to maturity: 120 days after transplanting ~~~~~ And here's a bit of info I found with Google, though I can't seem to connect to the site: " Greenland Garden Centre Talk Show Topics Balcony Charm. This is a great replacement for Tumbler Tomatoes, which will be very difficult to find this year. Early maturing with very high yields. ..." And finally, from http://ventmarin.free.fr/passion_tomates/tomates_b/tomates_b.htm Balcony Charm Fruit rouge de 3 centimètres de diamètre. Plant nain de 30 centimètres de hauteur. Variété originaire de Russie. (Fruit is red and 3 cm in diameter...so I guess it's a large\-ish cherry) So... yeah. It's apparently a cherry-size, and it's got 120 days to maturity. I hope my Tumbling Tom Reds fare better.

I put up two boxes, expecting the blues to choose the typical NABS approved style but they chose the Gilbertson PVC model and Mama is incubating five eggs in there. This is her third try at nesting this year. The first two were total failures, for several different reasons I won't go in to here. I left the NABS box up and it was close enough to the Gilbertson that the bluebirds have been perching on it and defending it too. This morning early I saw a bird perched on the NABS box and without my glasses I thought it was Mama blue. I looked through my telephoto lens and saw it was actually a male HOSP, all puffed up and chirping. Then I saw him fly into the box and he stayed in there a few minutes. I went down to install the VanErt in that box and my worst fears were realized. My male of 5 years (the one with the broken toe) was dead in the empty box. There was lots of feathers in the box and they were all blue. All of the damage done to him was above the neck. His eyes and even his bill were gone. I took pictures, mostly because I take pictures of everything, I guess. They are probably too graphic to post here. I removed the corpse and installed the VanErt. In less than 5 minutes the HOSP returned and entered the box. I removed him using the clear bag method mentioned by Donna and Kathy. I disposed of him by swinging the bag against a post. I don't think Mama knows what happened. She in on the nest but peeks out a lot as if looking for him. It should be interesting to see how this plays out; whether she attracts a new mate or tries to raise these babies (assuming they hatch) by herself. I intend to help her all I can but I worry about her not having Papa outside the box and on guard for her. Dave

Lisa, I thought that I read on this forum that some birds are more sensitive to disturbances than others. All I know about nest-box monitoring I learn from this forum. I respect and appreciate the efforts (and results!) of bluebird landlords, who reestablished EABBs in the eastern US. I do question, personally, the monitoring of other songbirds whose populations are not in trouble; my concern, also, is that some people, way less knowledgeable than the pros here, will think that they can and should monitor all nests, including cup nests. On the BWF, someone took a picture of almost fledged 'dees. I worry about flushing out chicks that age. Not that anyone knowledgeable on this forum would do it, but you all know your stuff. Many people glean information from forums instead of researching, and cannot keep their hands out of nests. Not that I am "scolding" anyone; it's just what I think of, as a visitor, when I come here. Not everyone knows there stuff. But I guess we can't help that. My instincts and background urge me to leave nests alone (except EABBs), because unknowingly, we create more trouble than help with birds that are doing well already, and need the experience of nesting failures to get them right in other tries. Although Janie's save is impossible to argue with!! But Janie, your gut (sorry for the metaphor) is greater than most other's : ) Which nest boxes then are you supposed to not check? Which species was I thinking of? Thanks!