Phoebe

There is bird drama going on here, involving our resident pair of Eastern Phoebes. For some reason this year, after appearing to be going to use their usual nest atop the light under our back porch, Mom decided to build a new nest two stories up, under an eve, on top of an L-shaped turn in a downspout. It is a good place from a standpoint of being bothered by wandering people, or preyed on by wandering cats, but it turns out it isn't so great from a standpoint of fledging. So this morning I went out to go to the garage and head into town and nearly stepped on a fledgling huddled on the stoop at the bottom of the stairs. I tried to move it to a safe spot and then walked back and discovered a second one as well. So I put that one where I'd put the other one and - fingers crossed - went on about my business. When I got home I looked and both of them were still in the place where I'd tucked them, one was dead, and the other not looking great. Plus there was a third huddled on the stoop. Sigh. So I put #2 and #3 in a small nest like container nearer the place where they'd landed - since it appeared Mom didn't know where they were and wasn't helping them at all. Then I went out a bit later to look and see what was going on and found that #3 had gotten back out of my makeshift nest, and #2 was dead. Heavier sigh. So then I left #3 alone and have been watching out the window to see Mom going back and forth with food, which is good, but I'm still very worried about how vulnerable it is there. And also, I think there could conceivably be a #4 still in the actual nest, because Mom is going up there from time to time as well. I suppose some would bundle the one on the ground up and take it to the Wildlife Center, but really - I'm more of a *let nature alone* type when it isn't human intervention that has caused this situation. I rather think the odds are slim every year, which is why they generally have two clutches out of which a couple of young might actually make it to adulthood! Still, I'm fretting about her and her babies. This blip, of course, is Mom.

Meanwhile, it's still extremely hot here, and the extra pic is of one of our deer enjoying the creek behind the house.