What could be building a nest in my mailbox? Starting mid-April, we
found moss and grass in the bottom of a brass horizontal mailbox with
a lid that doesn't quite close. Every day, under the letters, there
would be more moss. When I emptied the moss and put it on a nearby
bush, the next day, under the letters, was some fresh stuffing. Is it
too late for a bird to lay eggs? Could it be a rodent? I put the moss
bedding back and it is now one inch thick, 12 inches long.

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Request for Question Clarification by mathtalk-ga on 02 May 2004 06:09 PDT

Hi, duncanesque-ga:

What an interesting mystery!  How far off the ground is this mailbox?

Also, please describe the surroundings, e.g. tropical or temperate,
heavily forested or thoroughly urban, etc.

regards, mathtalk-ga

Until you see the critter, it's difficult to know who is building the nest.

A neighbor of my grandfather, who had a large, rural-style mailbox,
once found a family of shrews living in the back of the box. He put up
a second mailbox for the mailman to use, and let the shrews have the
original one.

Don't know - but be careful of bird mites if it is a bird.  Robins,
and many birds this time of year will be building their nests for
their young,  I've personally experienced bird mite problems.  They
are very very tiny crab like entities,  and can appear in multitudes
if 100,000 + within a few days, equally, they can go away as soon as
the nest is removed.   Be careful you're not moving the nest of an
endangered species, this can get all crazy.

WEAR GLOVES if you reach in there,  don't bring the mail in until you
are sure you are mite free.  Real treat mites are.

D'you have any teenage neighbours? :-)