Garden, congrats on your babies! I just looked today and have several more showing signs of life. I dont have many perennials comimg up though, mine seem to be sleeping still. The hardy annuals are what are coming up for me here in MA.

It has been over a year since my last post so I will post an update. SUCCESS! I am happy to report that all the hard work has paid off! I've had three RTH's vist my garden since the last posting! Two males and a female, the males came in March. They were both migrants and only stayed for a couple days. Both of them showed up on tail ends of cold fronts, feeding only from my feeders. The female showed up around the end of May and stayed until the end of August. She would feed only from my flowers, she would look at my feeders but would not feed from them. She wouldn't stick around all day either, rather she would come and feed and then fly off somewhere else. There was a point where she wasn't seen for two to three weeks. I assume she was sitting on a nest? The flowers she seemed to favor was coral honeysuckle, black and blue salvia, batfaced and matchless cuphea. Was a little sad to see her go for the winter. But I'm hoping I can get some winter birds to spend some time with me this winter....we'll have to wait and see! This post was edited by TroyinLargo on Mon, Oct 28, 13 at 13:48

It really helps if you put a zone in your address, so we can tell if you live in a temperate climate, where the trees shed in winter. If they do where you are, THEN go out and start exploring for nests. You'll find them in the bare trees. I always discover an oriole pouch every year and it's always in a different tree. Once you see where they are, you'll get an idea of why they aren't so visible in summer. In breeding season, I watch for adult birds with insects in their beaks. When they travel with food, then they are taking it somewhere. I listen! You can hear babies when the parents approach. I watch for adult birds defending territory. When you get fussy wrens or catbirds, or swooping jays, they're protecting a nest. I look for haunts where I know they would likely build nests. My hawthorn trees or any tree with thorns are favs of mockingbirds. Study up on which birds use what kind of nest when you read about them or look them up. You need to know what birds are cavity dwellers, and what birds use mud to cement nests and what birds use unlikely places, like wrens (clothespin bags, boots, hanging baskets). We once uncovered and exposed a song sparrow's nest in the heart of a clump of fountain grass one foot off the ground. Keep in mind that most birds seek secretive places to sit their eggs for a reason. Their babies are exposed to predators and they are at risk, especially when the parents are off foraging.

Best bet is a Common Nighthawk. Hear them here in the wee hours of the morn....love the sound....