Neat photo! I hadn't thought of cow birds for a long time. When my kids were little we were watching a family of orioles and a cowbird baby was among them. He was so much bigger he tore up the nest and all the babies fell out on the ground. It was, "Oh Mommie, we have to save the baby birds." So we did; took them in and had fed them. (This wasn't the first time or only timel) The orioles were so cute and tame and we eventually let them go of course. The cowbird was sort of a sluggard and never would leave. So we kept him about a year until he eventually died of something. So that's my cowbird story ...

Those are nice pics! I wish I had a few birds around right now to to take pics of. I do have a few downeys. I am new in here. Is it hard to post a pic?

It's a baby cardinal! And it just finally left the artificial ficus while it's parents called to it from a nearby tree! It's little "mohawk" is in, and the colors are that of a baby cardinal and not a cowbird. It just was very reluctant to leave the nest. Yesterday, it began to crawl out further onto the branches of the ficus, chip-chipping and a parent would answer back. The parents have spent so much time with this particular fledgling...I have to wonder about the safety of the other two. They're still out there. The male comes flying out from under our window shrubs when blackbirds are in the front yard and issues his "alert." What a relief...but now, that little chipmunk from next door! I started tossing seed balls into their own shrubbery to keep the chipmunk away and am using live mealworms and safflower. Might have to take down the suet, since the cowheads/blackbirds seem to like it far too much and come into territory where the fledglings are hiding. I read they will fly within 20 days. It's now 14 days since I first noticed the birds were hatched. They could have hatched before I saw them. So when should they begin to fly? I know the parents do stay with them and "train" them.. But that chipmunk! Thank you all for responding to my "cardinal adventure." What a lovely song they sing. : ) ...And I just watched the little guy hop off with both parents very near. I don't hear them now. Just so they're all safe!

Sounds very much like the brown headed cow birds I have been having problems with. I'm in SW Ga. and they evidently are migrating, but are in huge flocks (50+) and are taking over areas usually visited by my song birds & other locals that stay all year. Firecrackers will help get them on their way to a different area...or a wooden spoon on an old pan.