The baby house wrens have hatched and are peeping away. The parents are extremely sensitive to my presence (I can't get close to the window without them chattering at me). In fact, even sitting at my desk away from the window I get a scolding.
I took down my office window feeder because it had attracted the attention of a crowd of ravenous house sparrows (I counted at least two dozen). They would also land on the wren house, knocking one suction cup off the window. And they were really bothering the chipping sparrows. So I took the feeder down and, magically, no house sparrows. Its disappearance is confusing a few birds who grew to take it for granted, particularly the goldfinches and nuthatches.
I've been getting down to the CRP pretty regularly. Lots of breeding down there! The bluebirds, mourning doves, red-winged blackbirds, tree swallows, and chipping sparrows have all successfully fledged. I was also happy to see a yellow-billed cuckoo collecting nesting material and a pair of cedar waxwings doing the same. The bobolink did not make an appearance this morning (I hope he hasn't given up). Oddly absent this year at the CRP are phoebes (replaced by kingbirds and willow flycatchers, it seems). [I do hear a phoebe every morning from the trees behind my house].
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