Hi Sandy! Glad to see you. Sorry for your kitty. oops! Magpie is a rescue and it took her a good year to get somewhat comfortable with me. Another three years to get fully comfortable. Loads of coaxing! But now she trusts me so much, I was able to give her a bath without her trying to get out of the sink yesterday. She seems to know I will do nothing that hurts her, only helps. I relished the first time I saw that big white fluff. I didn't even know that much of her was white until she did that. What's your kitty's name?

Autumn Olive, and the related Russian Olive, are both very invasive. If you have one in the yard there are probably thousands of others in the area. That means that removing your one bush wouldn't make a whole lot of difference and might not be worth the hassle since you don't own the yard. On the other hand, one bush is a small step in the right direction, and if I was you I'd remove it. It almost certainly grew there on its own so the owner won't mind or even realize it is gone. the berries are edible and sort of tasty. i think they are better later in the year, even after the first frost.

DBD your fledgling looks like a cardinal to me. A fledgling robin has a chest covered with spots. Your bird still has the fledgling gape (big mouth with bright edges) so that's probably why one person said the beak looked "wrong." But keep taking pics as he/she grows if you can, because it won't take long to see.

Nothing unusual; this is the time of the year our summer song-bird migrate. Several small song birds migrate at night, therefore, you may not notice. Ornithologists think they may do this to avoid enemy predators. Starlings and blackbirds are forming large flocks and will move south. In spring and early summer, these same birds vie for nesting and feeding territory and will space apart. After the nestlings have fledged, that behavior subsides and by fall, these same birds flock together with their new offspring. Hopefully, the new birds have developed sufficiently to withstand the rigors of the flight south. I have not seen any juncos yet, but when I do, I will know that winter is coming. The juncos over-winter here and in early spring, they will leave for their northern nesting sites. When the juncos arrive, it signals the end of summer-like weather. At my house, the average temperature has lowered and last week, I turned on my furnace. The autumn forecasters here are predicting that our fall colors will peak a week earlier than last year. This forecast is based on several factors, all weather related throughout the spring and summer. Our colors normally peak around Oct.1 to Oct 10. This year, it may peak by the end of the 3rd week of September.