I discovered the nest empty on June 1. This is the last picture I took on May 29. I have to assume the chicks fledged as the nest did not look disturbed and I have seen the parents around the yard quite a bit. I have seen a few young ones staying close to the thickets, coming out to get a few bites from parents. With so many around right now, it’s impossible to tell if any are from this nest. 🙂 Click on picture to enlarge.
There are three nests of starlings (that I know of) in our yard and our neighbor’s. I can see the openings in the trees and have been waiting for a glimpse of the chicks. I finally was able to see them yesterday. I also watched a woodpecker feed her/his young. The robins are doing quite well also. Very nice! Click on pictures to enlarge.
It’s been wonderful watching the progress of all the families living in and around our backyard. I think we have a catbird pair building a nest back there now. I watched one come flying in carrying nest materials, including a plastic bag. I wish people would think about the consequences of throwing their garbage every which way. Click on pictures to enlarge.
We checked in on several nests today and wandered around the state park for a while. Parents incubating and feeding everywhere. Lovely day! Click on pictures to enlarge.
We now have robins, mourning doves, cardinals, starlings, house finches, and probably house sparrows all nesting in and around our backyard. I strongly suspect we may also have a brown thrasher nest somewhere back there as I saw them gathering nest materials. We have a row of trees, bushes, and brush along the back fence that we are trying to keep bird friendly. It seems to be working so far. Click on pictures to enlarge.
Yes, it’s that time. I observed a robin this evening busy gathering nest materials. Click on pictures to enlarge.
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The robins are scouting out a nest. The cardinals and starlings seem to be pairing up (not with each other). And it looks like the sparrows are building at our neighbor’s house. However, the starlings and sparrows seem to be competing for the same piece of real estate. We’ll see who ends up with it. No housing collapse here. Click on pictures to enlarge.
Last spring, we had a nest right over the light next to our front door. It was wonderful that we were able to watch all five of the chicks fledge. I hope they join us again this year. Click on picture to enlarge.