Catbird

Catbirds are so secretive that this was the first year I've been able to get a decent picture of them. Earlier in the spring they were nesting in the neighbor's shrub, but now it appears they've moved on to a nearby pine tree. They spent the majority of the day clucking and mewing their warnings at me and our nesting robins, often with a mouthful of food.

The upside of having weeds...

We have a full-on thistle farm waiting to be destroyed by the landscaper later this month. In the meantime the weeds are an eyesore and I'm totally embarrassed by them.

But, I found the silver lining! They feed the goldfinches! 

Just today we had at least two females and one male fighting over their turn at the lavender bristles.

Three-eared rabbit

This three-eared bunny likes to eat the bird seed under our feeder, so I'll include him on this blog. I don't actually think he has three ears as the questionable ear (on his right) may simply be a birth defect or possibly the result of a predator (my brother noticed he was favoring his right paw). He's still pretty cute, and because of his silly ear I call him Flopsy.

The Deck Robins

We got a new deck last fall and the robins have once again made a nest under it this spring. We like to sit out on there in the evenings but the incessant barking from mom and dad robin make the experience less than enjoyable. How they think to nest there with all the activity of us and the dog is beyond me.

In years past the robins haven't been successful in this location. Last year Dallas killed the babies that fledged, and I'm not even sure if past nests have even seen anything hatched. So this year when I noticed the nest my heart sank. 

But those parents kept at it. We were out playing in the kiddie pool when a little black squirrel got chased out from under the deck right next to us, froze when he saw us, then darted back under the deck only to be dive-bombed again. The poor thing was then chased all across the yard and up the oak tree. As for Dallas, simply minding her own business too close to that nest has warranted an attack from mom and dad robin. 

So I carefully checked the nest and I saw this, around mid-June (a month later than in years past, most likely due to the snowy spring and cool temps earlier this summer). Two babies!

Last week I didn't see much activity in the nest, and it was empty, so I was hoping they had fledged safely. Yesterday I heard baby robins in the backyard and found this:

The two babies waiting for a meal.

One baby with its mouth ready for a worm

Now I hear those two babies every day, all over the yard. Hopefully they will find a quieter spot to nest next year! 

Baby birds!

Several birds have brought their babies out to feed recently, and here are some of them in the act...