Went over to the C&O canal at Great Falls this afternoon to check on the
nesting Baltimore Orioles. I have three nests staked out.  Found no action
at two of the three, but at the thirds it was pure magic. i saw the female
fly in with food to the nest. She then left the nest, with the food, and
flew a short distance to a branch where the two, obviously just fledged,
hatchlings were begging for food. She fed them both and then flew away.  I
watched for about 20 minutes as the chicks hopped and then flew ever longer
distances in the branches at top of the Sycamore with the nest.  Just
wonderful!!  On the way out, in the reeds between the path and the canal,
where I had been seeing Red-wing blackbirds for some time, I heard a lot of
new 'Squawking.'   Didn't take long to find the nest in the reeds and just
outside of it was a still fuzzy very recently fledged blackbird chick.  It
could just barely hop and flutter from reed to reed.   Another generation of
our avian friends will soon be out and about in the world. .
-- 
Donald Sweig
Falls Church, Va.