Determination

It has become a battle of wills.  After suffering two defeats the day before, I would have thought Mama Wasp would have moved on.  However, she was building a new nest in exactly the same spot yesterday.  While I admire her tenacity, I do not want to be roommates with her.

The construction really is amazing.  Only a little larger than a quarter, this partial piece is lighter than a feather.  The material is as thin as tissue paper, but it is tough and doesn't tear easily.  Mama had begun the compartments for her eggs and, given the chance, would continue creating a safe nursery.  I wonder if she lays eggs in each tier as she goes.

After a hiatus, Shaddup is back on sentry duty.  Not only that, there is now a Shaddup backup in training.  It is hard to describe the irritating, repetitive, high-pitched, metallic yip of a ground squirrel, and now there are two.  Shaddup sits atop the juniper bush and Junior perches on the fence behind him.  Sometimes they take turns and sometimes they yell in unison.  Either way, they're driving me nutty.