What great joy watching the activities of 'my yard' nesters!

Kingfishers - have made a hole in gravel bank just40 yds from by garage 
viewing area!  Last  2 weeks was spent deciding and excavating.  I haven't 
quite figured out was is going on now but Sat. M and F entered hole.  He 
remained about 5-7 min. but she was inside for about 15.  Then he arrived 
back (always vocalizing) and alternately perched and circled in the vacinity 
of hole.  She went in alone.  I have not been around to watch for a long 
period since.  Several years ago the same bank was excavated by a BEKI 
couple.  They appeared to incubate but never did pull off a family.  Here's 
hoping.

Phoebe - 3 mouths being feed daily.  Expect to fledge soon.

House Wren - must be incubating.

Tree Swallows - looking (again) on Fri.  When they stopped at box with wren, 
they encounted  a fiesty 'bulllet' propelled out of the hole who made 
frantic pursuit.  At this point I cleaned out the 'dummy' wren nest in 
another nearby box, and that seemed to satisfy the new tenants.  Sat and Sun 
was steady transport of nesting material.  Today - mating!  She just sat on 
a branch and he flew to and fro frantically mounting her at least 7xs.

Oriole - F just landed on fraying cloth strips that I have hung in front of 
our windows to deter bird strikes  - like 3 FEET from where I sit at 
computer!!!  calling, flying from one strip to another.  This despite the 
selection of yarn and cotton I have hung in a suet feeder nearby.

White breasted Nuthatch - they're in one of our nesting boxes!!   A first 
for us.

Chickdee - Incubating in another nest box

Song Sparrow - in our cedar bush near computer window - 3rd yr in a row.

To say nothing of the crows which have to have nested behind house judging 
from frantic activity in area almost daily.   I did once see them chasing a 
red-tail from the area.


Also - atlasing today in Winhall we had 2 Black-billed Cuckoos fly over Rt 
30.  I have NEVER seen 2 birds at once.  No calling heard.   The best thing 
was the lack of tent caterpillars ( and not many blackflies or mosquitoes - 
yet!).   They must be an altitudinal thing because they are dripping from 
the tree and munching away here in the Rt 7A valley.  YUOK!

Has anyone else see the Yellow-headed Backbirds?

Ruth Stewart
E. Dorset