Naturally Speaking

About now, when we begin to move wood ever closer to home from its summer drying location, we should expect to see that other animals have been using the crude abode.
While most animals living in a woodpile are harmless if they are given a clear escape path, that doesn't always prevent us from a startling moment before pausing to admire the uncommon creatures.
Little brown bats usually hang on to their daytime sleeping arrangements, even to the point of their small house being tossed around several times.  Set the wood piece aside and they'll be gone within an hour.
Sinuous and deliberate are ways to describe a beautiful milk snake's escape deeper in the cord.
Cicadas that may have dropped from a nearby tree, or just emerged from the soil, can give a start by their rapid wing movement against dry vegetation.
After previously seeing a garter snake or milk snake, what comes to mind is the sound of a timber rattlesnake, but that is very unlikely.
Obvious mouse nests are probably empty, having served the purpose of raising a horde of little ones.  But left undisturbed, the nest may serve as a cozy cover if snow falls on the wood.
Most of these small animals are sure to fly, run or crawl away if they imagined the high temperature created by the wood inside a fireplace or furnace.