3:00 snapshot #1366: (not that) unusual pest control issues
I have come to despise metal pipe construction. Any opening is an invitation to cavity nesting social wasps. In this case I was lucky that it was European paper wasps, which are fairly non-aggressive, rather than yellow jackets.
Anyone care to guess what pest issue is betrayed by the behavior of these grackles? Answer behind [Spoiler (click to open)]
The grackles are drinking from a massive puddle that formed in the sagging material of the tent. Trapped leaf litter and bird droppings turn the puddle into a stinking mass of bacteria-laden water, the kind of places that mosquitoes like to lay their eggs. I found a metal post and used it to push the puddles flat from below, splashing gallons of foul-smelling water all over the ground (and my pants).