While walking around the yard clipping some greens for holiday decorating, I found a few gifts in the form of bird nests along the way. We’ve let part of our yard grow a little wild and the birds have filled it with various cherry trees, hollies and a host of invasives, such as privet and Rosa multiflora. It’s a tangle in there and the birds and squirrels like it that way. It also serves as a privacy fence, at least in the summer, in the middle of our busy, almost urban neighborhood.

There in the back cherry tree was the catbird nest that housed at least two, possibly three broods. Over in the big, overgrown hollies that predate our 40 years in this house, was the blue jay nest. The cardinals nest in one of the sprawling yews and yup, there was their nest.

I leave these birds alone in th

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