Shore, Ha! I guess gardening can get you into more than one 'sticky' situation? And thanks for the Bday wishes! If anyone is really planning on growing all of these, well, lets just say there better be some pictures forthcoming this summer. :)

There are some birds that lay their eggs in another birds nest. The Cuckoo, Cowbird, Whyda, Honeyguide and Black-headed Duck come to mind. "These birds, called brood parasites, lay their eggs in another bird's nest and let the other bird parents feed and raise their chicks. The "egg abandoner" is then free to mate again and lay more eggs in another nest. The cuckoo is the best known brood parasite and an expert in the art of cruel deception. Its strategy involves stealth, surprise and speed. The mother removes one egg laid by the host mother, lays her own and flies off with the host egg in her bill. The whole process takes barely ten seconds. Cuckoos parasitize the nests of a large variety of bird species and carefully mimic the colour and pattern of their own eggs to match that of their hosts. Each female cuckoo specializes on one particular host species. How the cuckoo manages to lay eggs to imitate each host's eggs so accurately is one of nature's main mysteries."

More than likely a screech owl nearby. Did you see the movie, "My Cousin Vinnie"? When Vinnie was sleeping in that log cabin in the woods in Alabama and heard a screech owl he went out on the porch and fired off six rounds from a .357 magnum.

Baby Raccoon calls...I had this as a stand alone post but I think it belongs here. I have been spending lots of time out in my gardens of late and have been hearing one of my all time favorite sounds of spring. Next to the spring peepers, this sound my be my favorite. It is a sweet trill and it comes from the trees in the mid afternoons during the spring. At first I thought it may be the mating call of a Red bellied woodpecker but I now believe it to be the sound of a baby raccoon calling it's mom. I have a link to a Youtube video I found yesterday, below. The first sound you hear is the call I have been hearing. Have any of you heard this sweet sound and if so, do you think this is a match? I would be interested in hearing your thoughts. Just one more fun and educational aspect to gardening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cQAACCyHUc&list=PLD-jnvzNKmD2VvnuHcpnqN4M0smrER1sZ&index=2