Bluebird season

Nesting season has begun for the Western Bluebird, and so I've been out monitoring birdboxes with the Southern California Bluebird Club.

A clutch of eggs-- is the one at top center starting to hatch?

Bluebirds aren't just nesting in boxes!
Last year several juveniles emerged from a nest here.

Not far away, cowbirds a-courting.
The presence of these brood parasites is slightly worrying,
but it will be fascinating to watch them in the next few months.