Birds and their offspring. . . . . . . .

The garden has been exceptionally busy these past few weeks - many new

 family members now learning the ropes regarding eating, bathing and doing

whatever parent birds teach their youngsters. We keep the feeders filled - not cheap

 by any means - however we love our birds. The birdbaths are cleaned and refilled for both

 the birds and squirrels during this hot weather, and to get rid of pesky mosquitoes.

Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinenis

Handsome slate-gray bird with black crown and long, thin black bill. 

Often seen with tail lifted exposing a chestnut-colored patch, 

just visible here.

This young catbird is busy learning its way around my garden with
 a parent (male and female have same appearance) close at hand
 on the suet feeder.

A secretive bird, the catbird was named 'Bird That Cries With Grief' by

 the Chippewa Indians due to its raspy call.

Brown Thrasher - Toxostoma rufum

A baby Brown thrasher perched on a birdbath considering a drink or

 a dip perhaps. . . . . . . . 

. . . . . . . . while one parent watches from the bench. . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . and the other checks out the food supply!

Again, male and female are identical, a little larger than the American robin,

 with streaked breast, rusty coloring, and yellow eyes. The male has the largest

 documented song repertoire of all North American birds with over 1,100 song types.

This pair have either two or three youngsters - lovely to watch them interact.

I actually parked myself in a chair - with a camera of course - on the back deck

 for a while yesterday morning to watch the busy birds and squirrels.

Guess what? Cute squirrel photos coming next time!