Bobwhite have been calling in and about the yard for past week or so ... 
very vocal this morning.  Turkeys were also gobbling from the woods.

Yesterday, a newly fledged cowbird begged for food for most of the day.  I 
spent a lot of time in the garden yesterday and it was tough to miss the 
constant whining.  The Surrogate Mama, a Peewee, was working hard to keep 
stuffing the insects in.

A male Red Bellied visited the feeders yesterday accompanied by his son. 
The red on the juvenile's head was noticeable.  Dad was hoping for something 
in the suet feeder but finding it empty, he settled for a sunflower seed. 
He carried it to the top of a short snag by the feeder (a ragged 10 foot 
section of dead tree that I 'planted' by the feeders), stuck it in a 
crevice, broke it open and then fed it to Junior.  Neat.

The Goldfinches have been checking carefully the sunflowers for 3 weeks now, 
ever since the first flower opened.  I noticed this morning that they have 
started taking out the seeds from the flowers that are ready.  If you want 
Goldfinches, plant a nice patch of sunflowers.

Other birds of note:  Yellow Billed Cuckoo and Scarlet Tanager.

The rat in the brush pile by my feeders nearly met its end yesterday.  We 
watched the cat catch it as the rat made its feeding run last night about 
6:00 pm.  Unfortunately, the cat could not hold on.  Please, no comments 
about cats outside.  Thank you.

Enjoy this glorious day! and God Bless America.
Jim Wilson
Queenstown

ps:  Four Cattle Egrets were in their usual field across the entrance from 
the Centreville Sanitary Landfill Collection Point.  Did you know that the 
highest point in Queen Anne's County is the top of the old town dump?