Sherry, Thanks, I'm glad you like the picture. Your place sounds like paradise! I wish other people would be so careful of what and how many trees they cut. There's someone building just up the road from us on a property that was always wooded and I'm cringing every time I hear their power saws going because it seems like there's never an end to it. I'll really be unhappy when the woods next to us gets cut down someday to make way for a house, but there's no stopping "progress". We live in an older house, but this area is getting more and more developed (as I'm sure most areas are). It's a rural area, but we live right along a pretty main road. We get lots of birds here too. I was into birds before I was into butterflies, so now I feed both and love to watch them. I guess I'm pretty lucky despite not having many butterflies so far this year. It's just that it's a little disappointing having all of the host and nectar plants that I have and hardly any butterflies show up to enjoy it and so we can watch them. My daughter (grown) surprised me today by letting out two Red Admirals for me when I wasn't around. I also let one out later on. Just when I think that she's become disinterested in butterflies, she warms my heart by doing that. She used to help me raise Monarchs but then got away from doing that, so I thought that she was no longer taking an interest in the butterflies. I'll let you all know if butterflies start showing up here. At least I got to raise the Red Admirals, something that I never raised before. Most of them had been parasitized before I brought them in, but I saved at least a dozen from harm's way. I'm glad that you're having such a great butterfly year. finchelover, That sounds about like here with the lack of butterflies. I had also seen some Clouded Sulphurs here at least a month ago, and I also had a Question Mark checking out my small potted hackberry trees, but I never found any eggs and haven't seen it since. Cathy

Hi, Randy! Good to hear from you! Is this bird smaller than a House Sparrow? I have a little guy I just saw outside that looks quite similar. He is reddish brown (at least compared to HOSP) with white streak on each cheek like your image. I just saw him hopping around on the ground in quick, jerky movement, flicking tail as he jumped. Also at the feeder. Love the image! Susan

Hi, I'm not that far south, actually. I have not heard even a peep from them! I have a birdcam (outdoor camera) and I have watched them feed whenever the bluebirds come to the mealworm feeder. They'd let the blues eat first but they would line up on the feeder's perch. I have never had this happen, that's why I've noticed their absence. I'll have to go through my videos and see when the last day was that I filmed them. Not that I expect that to give me much info. We did have two days that it snowed but that's happened here before. Snows one day, melts the next, just the way I like it! Linda...

Tara, I would leave the eggs alone as there is a good chance Mama hasn't really abandoned them. She knows where they are. Carolina wrens normally build a dome shaped nest and will add material on top to conceal it. I had them nesting last year in a wall planter and the only time I checked the nest was before she laid eggs and you couldn't even see the nest, as the bottom seemed pretty deep into the dirt. Since you posted this on Friday, do you have an update? I'd love to know. Donna