What made this nest?????

[Mandolinrain]

So tonight I walked out the front door to go throw apples out to the edge of the woods for the deer. We have a little sidewalk across from the front door that I have a long mulched flower bed against it. I did not see this nest yesterday, so it is new. I see not a thing flying around it. It is raised about 1 and half inches from the ground width of it is about 3-4 inches. The hole is centered and about an inch wide or slightly less perhaps? In all the years at the farm, I have never seen a nest like this and I have seen many yellow jacket nest in the ground in the pastures...but this?????? It almost resembles puppy chow with a hole in the center...and no, my dog was not in that area.,..or any other dog. HELP!

Would a hummingbird do that?

Meanwhile I am going to be watching it with binoculars in the morning to see what the heck made it.

[JonesCarpeDiem]

I don't like stingy things.

That thing's a horror movie in a nightmare loaded.

[Giulia]

That's okay, Dale, when you come for an overnight, we won't make you go out on the porch to visit it!

[Barbscloud]

It's quite amazing.  I can understand whey you kept relocating it.  I assume it's currently vacant?

[JonesCarpeDiem]

Okay

I'll call it an artmare. 

[Mandolinrain]

Or me please

[Mandolinrain]

I am with you Dale

[Giulia]

Yes it's been vacant since I cut the branch off the tree back at the turn of the century.  And no, I won't make you go out on the porch either, Missy.  Artmare indeed.  Pshaw!

[Giulia]

So did you ever discover what it was????

[JonesCarpeDiem]

a mudholio

[Mandolinrain]

Although nothing was ever spotted going n or out of it we decided it looked more like a crayfish hole than anything. I smashed it down and nothing ever redeveloped from it, So it is still a mystery