An intense battle for territory breaks out between Eastern Bluebirds and House Sparrows. One of the greatest threats to Eastern Bluebirds and a key reason for their gradual decline is competition from the invasive House Sparrows, who are as tireless as they are ruthless.

A male Eastern Bluebird was not happy with my attempts to monitor his nest box. Many parks officially maintain and monitor nest boxes and are always looking for volunteers to help them make the rounds!

Red-eyed Vireos are typically found very high up in the canopy, so pictures of them are usually spotty at best. This one, however, was down at ground level with a recently fledged and very hungry juvenile. Parental care continues even after the babies leave the nest!

Finally, an adult Red Headed Woodpecker. I've seen this elusive bird in passing and as a juvenile, but it's always narrowly avoided having its picture taken.

A couple of Cedar Waxwings perched in a tree growing out of the roof of a long abandoned paper mill in the mountains of PA. No fun fact to share with this one, I'm just obsessed with this unique triple-layered ecosystem that can form on our modern concrete ruins.

The best picture I've gotten to date of a Red Headed Woodpecker. You might notice one small problem though - no red head. This is a juvenile, and the red head won't grow in until it's older. Instead, we have to settle for the small red feather tuft behind its eye.

A Black-Necked Stilt that I saw in northwest Ohio. The Great Black Swamp was a massive feature in that region before it was drained, and modern efforts have slowly restored pieces of it. Black-Necked Stilts are primarily found west of the Mississippi, but this habitat is truly exceptionally rich.

A Gray Catbird perched in the thicket. It's a close relative of the mockingbird and even shares some of its mocking abilities, but it instead spends most of its time mewing and meowing. Whomst among us wouldn't.

A Yellow-Rumped Warbler preparing for a late fall takeoff. This bird is named for that tiny smear of yellow under its tail feathers, which earns it its more common name: the Butterbutt.