Been watching them again today. They fly around the yard looking for nest building material and then when they find something they like, off to the big boxwood they go. Then I can see branches shaking in there were they are doing something. I don't want to get too nosey about it and frighten them off so I only look from a distance.

We've got catbirds in residence also. They don't seem very shy. One day I was building a compost heap with quite a lot of material and I think it coincided with nestbuilding time. Every time I went away from the pile, this catbird would go to it. Every time I returned, it would fly a little way off in a huff but then go right back when I stepped away. Later, every morning when I'd go out to the vegetable garden, there would be this catbird on a wire just overhead, quietly squawking. Then I discovered a catbird ducking under the row cover I had over the blueberries and breakfasting on them. I really enjoy watching and co-existing with these birds - the slate-blue color is so beautiful and they are so clever.
-O

It's been an especialy productive nesting season on my property this year (with my property being but 1/3 an acre).

More than anything, developing/planting a native woodland garden has helped immensely. Early spring found 2 robins nests (in a threadleaf cypress and a cedar), 2 separate catbird nests (in yews on either side of the property), my first ever Balt. Oriole in one of the oaks.

I found one of the Catbirds carrying food (this weekend) which to me is indicative of a second brood. Also found another robins nest in the crotch of a styrax. Today, I found a cardinal book out of that part of the garden on the north side of my house. Figured it was hunkered down nesting in a huge skimmia (40 yo) patch. Later today found that the nest was in the crotch of a sizable Rh. nova zembla.

Carolina & house wren nested nearby (though I cannot say definitively they were on the property proper). The ruby throated hummingbird was also quite clost to the property.

Just a terrific year.

Isn't it wonderful when they actuially nest on the property?

My Catbirds are carrying bugs into the big boxwood so I belive they have hatchlings. I am very pleased with this. Maybe mine are a second nest with the first being elsewhere and then moving here. No way to know for sure.

I had both house wrens and chikadees nest in my birdhouses this spring. I have had chicadees before but this is the first year for wrens for me. They raised two broods. They fledged the first and then made a nest in the second box about 15 feet away.

I also always have nests high up in my two Blue Spruce trees but difficult to see as they are so tall. This year, I know a robins nest fell out of the tree early spring with two eggs after a nasty stormy night this spring. I think they rebuilt as the robins are always here in my garden. I usually have morning doves up there also.

The bug carrying continues. If I stand there by the shrubs and wait while they come back with a bug they give me the evil eye and refuse to go into the shrub until I leave and go further back a bit. Problem is that I just can't see the nest in there and going further back, I can't tell exactly in the big shrub they are heading into.

Do not get too close catbirds can be very protective. Trying to detangle their feet from you hair could hurt both the birds and you.

They can't be as bad as Mocking birds! Anyway, they don't do anything except look at me and wait but I have not really gone trying to find the nest. I do not want to upset them. Let them raise their babies in peace.

Yesterday was an interesting day. The Catbirds in my boxwood continued their bug carrying but there was another pair of catbirds that brought full grown fledglings that must have shortly left the nest. Those begged to be fed and the parents took them over to a row with blueberry and Red Currant shrubs and fed them berries.

I am reasonably sure these are the ones that were nesting accross the street in a big overgrown clump of winterberry shrubs. They used to come to the front yard and scarf down pieces of blackberries and then take some and fly back accross the street.

Here is a picture of the shrubs were the catbirds are nexting. They are really close to my back patio. The one with the actual nest is the evergreen boxwood in the back.