Thank you all! I was taking a little break, meanly too busy with too many things. >>I have tree swallows that like my purple martin house that fell down to about 6' above groundOh dear...everything still OK? >>How far away from the birds were you when you took the pic? About 2 feet, this picture was done with a cheap, second hand point and shoot camera Sony P43, about 4 megapixel, ....and was shot by itself by means of motion sensor/controlboard, camera needed to be hacked, 3 wires soldered inside and hocked up to motion board, this can be programed on how often pictures are taken. Camera and board is put inside a Pelican case/ sealed. 3 holes are drilled, one for flash, one for lens and one for sensor, glass is glued over for the lens and flash hole. Then all you need to do is put it up, in this case there was another tree beside the box, strapped on. Here another one, this one with a Sony P32...3 mega pix. Konrad

The last couple years I had Bluebirds nesting in snags in the back yard (both snags have since fallen over). I cut way down on the food in the feeders, which I usually do anyway in the summer, because I didn't want to attract House Sparrows. Would put out a little BOSS, but only put out the home-made suet nuggets if the Bluebirds wanted some. This Spring, I had a pair of Baltimore Orioles nesting in a large Pin Oak right above the feeders. Did the same thing, cut down on the food in the feeders, because the Orioles were very territorial about the tree. They were especially aggressive towards Blue Jays, Grackles, and Crows so I stopped throwing any tidbits on the ground (like old corn chips, which the Jays and Crows like). So I would favor the security of the nesting birds. During the summer and fall, there are normally abundant natural sources of food, so feeders are not critical. Birds eat a lot of insects and feed their young insects, so they are unlikely to starve if you aren't feeding them.

Nevermimd, found out my yard is far to small to accompany 2! Oh well. Maybe I'll put one in my front yard.

If at all possible, I will try to get a video. He was on top of the nest box just outside my kitchen window and facing the main tomato garden. Wrens are great for keeping tomato plants bug-free. He's hopping up and down on top of the box. Sometimes with both feet, sometimes on first the left foot - hop, hop, hop - and then the right foot - hop, hop, hop. Sometimes his hops take him up a couple inches; sometimes a foot or more. He has both wings dropped down with his head bobbing. Then holds first one wing and then the other out at various angles and contortions...all the while doing the multi-footed polka, and singing his fool heart out the entire time. He flies straight up a couple feet and then zig-zags back down to the nest box top. Again, singing that fool heart out. I expected him to have a major coronary at any second. She looked at him; she looked in the box, (a very fine Coveside chickadee box, with slate squirrel guard, by the way) did the birdy version of an eye roll, and zoomed off. Her mama raised her better than to hang out with that sort of boy. But then...good girls and bad boys...we know how that story plays out at times!