The circle of life: baby birds edition

This year a cardinal family built a nest right on the fence between us and our neighbors on the west, in a mass of honeysuckle that we intend(ed) to cut back.

Usually we get one or two bird families nesting in our backyard each season, although mostly it has been wrens.

These birds hatched a couple days ago.

Now they are a seemingly interconnected mass of hungry birds, struggling to stay warm.

-- Certified backyard habitat program, National Wildlife Federation

(We don't have our backyard certified, but we did add a birdbath last fall, and birds drink from it and bathe on a daily basis. We have to be sure to frequently change/clean/refill the water. It goes pretty fast.)