The usual baby birds here on the Palouse. The Great Horned Owlet is
screeching for food all the time. Found a magpie wing with short primaries
in the yard today. Probably a baby magpie that became baby owl dinner.
Robin nests all over. Two or three starling nests. The quail have a
prominent sentry posted who is probably watching over the baby quail I
haven't seen yet. Etc.



The most interesting report is for the House Wrens. Several weeks ago, I
started hearing wren burblings from around the window A/C unit in my office.
I peeked around the foam insulation strip to find a collection of sticks
between the window sill and the bottom of the A/C. Weeks passed by with
lots of wren warblings and chitterings from the window sill, but nothing
that sounded like baby bird peeps. I was afraid to look behind the foam
insulation because the adult might fly into the room or I might frighten a
baby bird off the nest before it was ready. I couldn't' tell what was
happening from outside. It's a second story window and when I look up with
the binos, both parents hop around in nearby trees and do their rattlesnake
alarm call.



As the weeks passed, I began to doubt it was a nest. The books say the baby
birds take a couple weeks to hatch and only about 12 days to fledge. But,
lo and behold, on June 22, I heard the first baby peeps. Now there is a near
constant chorus of baby peeps from sun-up to sun-down. They are loud enough
that it's sometimes hard to concentrate at the computer. All the pre-baby
noises must have been the parents discussing household issues.



Kelly Cassidy