Watch Out Idaho: That Ball of Leaves In Your Tree Isn’t a Birds’ Nest

Despite the fact that here in the Treasure Valley, snow continues to fall into the first week of March, the brief 'tastes' of better weather and sunshine have many ready to get outdoors.

For homeowners, getting outdoors may mean picking up the rake and the yard tools to start cleaning up the lawn. Over the winter, most things get out of control. Take a look up into those bare trees and you'll want to shake down as much of the dead stuff as possible so that you can have thriving plants in the Spring and Summer!

Don't shake things down too hard, though...

Ever notice a big ball or bunch of leaves in the tree?

Looking up into your tree wondering what on earth is up there? Perhaps this closer look can help you determine what's going on above. 

Have you spotted a 'drey' in your trees before? 

Birds don't nest through the freezing cold winters but it's likely that squirrels might--so, knocking down those leaves assuming empty birds' nest isn't always the best option.

After doing some digging online, we learned that in order to help you identify these 'dreys' that squirrels will build in our trees, there are a few things that can help you identify them.

First, birds tend to nest higher up and further out on the branches. They'll also often leave behind leaves and only use twigs to build their nests.

Squirrels will build closer to the trunk and you'll notice significant amounts of leaves. Other signs include scratch marks on the bark.

We love seeing these little squirrels run around the Treasure Valley--they're adorable! Let's not knock them out of their homes!