As the weather has warmed other birds have come to investigate the hole. Chickadees and house sparrows seem to be the most interested. Last week a pair of house sparrows started moving in. The male would come to the hole with a beak full of dead grass. He'd go inside for a bit & then fly away in search of more. While he was gone the female would go in the hole and come out with the stuff her mate had just deposited & cast it to the wind. Guys - what does this remind you of?

The other evening the sparrows were hanging around and the woodpecker came back and dove into the hole. The sparrows freaked out and started sticking their heads in the hole - probably pecking the woodpecker. The downy would stick its head out and peck back. I rooted for the downy since it did all the work and because house sparrows aren't native and aren't even true sparrows. Anyway, the battle went on until dark.
The battle repeats almost every day. It doesn't look like the downy has a mate so I'm not sure what its stake is other than maybe a sense of justice. And the sparrows are losing time - sooner or later they need to get serious about building a nest. Time will tell who wins out. Have to wonder how often this scenario plays out throughout the natural world.