Yikes! Thanks Josh! Like I said, this is my first evergreen/spruce and I didn't realize repotting at this time was a bad idea! I have it in an East facing window that gets morning sun, would this suffice? I live in a 4-family apartment and worry about setting it outside as it may get knocked over or what not Also, I am still curious about the brown/black bumps on the branches...are those normal(cones/buds), or something to worry about(galls)? Thank you!

I feel bad about taking the nests down, especially considering all the work they put into it, but after seeing the cooked eggs in there the one year I kind of wondered how they felt. Maybe they just don't care. Gotta give 'em credit though, they're persistent! I didn't think about a rubber snake or something. I used to tack a piece of cardboard up just setting on the sensor unit up to the house. At first I thought they might try to build under it, but they didn't. Looked tacky, but it worked. And I have to go check the dryer vent too. They built in there one year too. I really jumped when the bird poked its head out at me the one day! I noticed some grass hanging and I went to pull it away and the vent pops open and the bird sticks its head out! Then pops back in. Maybe they thought I was selling something or a religious recruiter! All I know is she made it clear: GO AWAY! :)

In a planter without a drainage hole " a layer of porous lava rocks lining the bottom" DOES NOT ensure proper drainage. Only porous soil and drainage holes ensure proper drainage. You need to get a pot with drainage holes.

I'm going to take a shot at my own question after just now finding a similar post from 7 years ago... also in a propane tank, same kind of materials. Consensus was Carolina wrens -- which I love, and which have been around a great deal. Do others agree? Carolina wrens?