We had a beautiful, almost early Spring-like, weekend last weekend here in the Northeast, so I got the bug to open up my shop-garage-igloo. I've had an easy initial project for the early Spring in mind for a while, so after finding plans I went to the local lumber store and picked up the necessaries and began cutting. It was good to hear the old saw whining again.

The project? Pis? Bob Brines Fostex? Martin King Lowthers? A subwoofer? Nah. Bat houses! Bats are our friends. They're really cute in an icky sort of way and they eat tons of insects. Plus, maybe they'll stop hanging out (literally) inside my folded-up black patio umbrella this summer.

After the bat houses, maybe a barn owl house?

• Scott's Bat House Page

• http://biology.astate.edu/faculty/rickmcdaniel.htm

Thanks to you, I've learned a new word: artiodacytl, "A placental mammal having hooves with an even number of functional toes on each foot." Includes cattle, deer, camels, hippopotami and goats.

More misguided, probably, is the second project I'm planning, a barn owl box. I've got the right sort of physical location (according to web sites I've seen), but the same sites suggest that barn owls are fairly uncommon and that you've got to be pretty lucky to have a pair move in.