Another possibility is the American Tree Sparrow which looks a lot like the Chipping Sparrow but has a breast spot. Where are you located? From the All About Birds site: "The easiest species to confuse with American Tree Sparrow is Chipping Sparrow, but their ranges don't overlap much in winter (the only time most people are likely to see American Tree Sparrows). If you are north of roughly Kansas in the winter, American Tree Sparrows are much more likely than Chipping Sparrows; south of this line Chipping Sparrows are more common. In winter, Chipping Sparrows have a less rufous (reddish-brown) cap than American Tree Sparrows. Look for a black line through the eyes of Chipping Sparrows; in American Tree Sparrows that line is rufous, the same color as its crown. Look for American Tree SparrowâÂÂs distinctly bicolored bill - dark on top, yellowish below. Chipping Sparrow's bill is often dark or pinkish. Song Sparrows are heavily streaked on the breast, whereas American Tree Sparrow has a plain breast, sometimes with a single dark spot. Field Sparrows have a pink bill and a white ring around the eye. Lark Sparrows have a much more complex head pattern including rufous on the cheeks." The tree sparrow is a winter bird in many regions where the chipping sparrow doesn't winter over. Here in southeastern MA I see tree sparrows all winter long but no chipping sparrows. This one was seen in January a few years ago in Plymouth, MA: Claire This post was edited by claire on Mon, May 6, 13 at 10:23

Possibly a starling pair? These birds usually breed earlier and do build their nests in such places. Very aggressive birds.

Can't really tell anything from a fuzzy picture taken at that distance. If you can wipe off the lens and get up close (3 inches is close), then take a picture. Pictures in the shade turn out better. Also if you can get a picture of the grass with seed heads on it that makes identification easier. Here's a picture of a hybrid buffalo grass with seed and flowers. This might be what you have.

We have been having storms, mostly heavy downpours rather than wind. I do not have a lot of squirrels this year, possibly coyotes ate them. I do have a lot of wrens. Several years ago a wren placed a nest in a bird houser that was attached to the house under cover on my back porch. All was well, eggs hatched, and then one day I saw the parents fluttering around. A garder snake was in the nest. It had climbed the wall somehow. My husband eventually got the snake out of the nest with thongs, but it disrupted the nest materials on its way out. The babies were ready to fly, so we hoped they made it out OK. Never really knew. They were gone. The snake did not seem large enough to eat them. Figures crossed for this next brood.