*gulp* So, I'm either going to really enjoy these...or really hate them! :D I haven't watered them at all, and they're still growing, albeit not quickly enough to frighten the cat. I plucked some smaller leaves with some buds attached (pic below). If it does end up being the infamous Convolvulus arvensis (bindweed), which I HAVE seen growing down the road next to the farm fields, then I hope I don't have to move to get away from it. It's growing amongst established plants that I really like, so I guess I'd have to try to dig them out. I guess I'll know for sure when they bloom. Brenda

The guy I took a photo of (#2) didn't move, no tail pumping...so I don't think it was an Eastern Phoebe and I looked up both in all my bird references and none showed either with a yellowish beak...only flycatchers seemed to have a yellow beak. It's hard to tell tho. I've been doing some more searching and wonder if it could be either an Alder Flycatcher or a Willow Flycatcher. Both are in my area in Illinois this time of year and both seem to have a yellowish beak ...the problem is, according my my sources there's no way to tell one from the other except by their song, so it could be either one of them. The only thing maybe would be that I saw this one right next to a river in a wooded area. I think it was the Willow Flycatcher that lives in that sort of habitat. I wish I knew...either would be new birds for my sister and me tho so I'm pleased if it is one of them. Thanks for all the comments and ideas! I really appreciate it!

You didn't give us much to work with (no location), but I find Great Crested Flycatchers to sound like frogs. You can listen to their sounds on All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) or Xeno-canto.

Ecology: English Ivy prefers open forests but is adaptable to many habitats and moisture conditions. English Ivy serves as a reservoir for bacterial leaf scorch that infects maples, oaks, and elms. This invasive vine colonizes by vine growth and seeds that are spread by birds. Very few species of wildlife use English Ivy because it is mildly toxic. taken from the site linked below: https://projects.ncsu.edu/goingnative/howto/mapping/invexse/englishi.html