We have many nests currently in our yard and continue to observe birds brooding or busily feeding their young. The House Wren young are noisy and chirping loudly and are likely ready to fledge. The Cedar Waxwings continue to sit on their eggs in the nest. We suspect a Song Sparrow has a nest in our prairie garden. The Catbirds are working non-stop feeding their young in a nest located somewhere in our Washington Hawthorn trees. We see them flying by with large insects in their beaks headed to the nest. In addition, Robins have built another nest in our tree in the front yard. I think that makes at least 3 Robin nests in the yard so far this year. Our greatest thrill is watching Bluebirds that have laid 2 eggs in our nestbox. We think that this is probably a second brood for this pair.

The holes in this thistle feeder are small and designed for Goldfinches but this young Red-winged Blackbird seems to be able to get some seed from it.

Here is a picture of a Grey Catbird (actually we've seen a pair) that has been feasting on the oranges we've put out. We had originally put out the oranges for the Baltimore Oriole but have not seen much of him lately. He is in the area but is likely busy raising young.

A Rose-breasted Grosbeak has been frequenting our tray feeder for the last few days. Here is a picture as he was feasting on sunflower seeds. Read more about the Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

The last of the White-crowned sparrows left about 2 or 3 days ago. They are on their way to breeding grounds up north. We will miss them around the feeder but welcome them again in October. In the meantime, our "summer residents" have returned. There is nothing better than observing and hearing the bird activity early in the morning from our backyard...with a good cup of tea of course!