In May or June (2011), I noticed hearing a bird I hadn't heard before and the call was very distinct and beautiful. Eventually I was able to see the birds and associate the call with them, and came to discover the nest which by that time had mom and two young in an elm tree in my neighbor's yard just behind Watson Jr. High's track - not sure if dad had been around earlier before I figured out who was making the calls. By the end of the summer, the babies were calling for mom pretty much non-stop whenever she wasn't on nest, and when she came back they gave excited little welcome noises and as soon as she left would start calling for her again. The fledglings eventually showed themselves on branches near the nest and were attracting quite a bit of attention because they were so noisy. They didn't fly until September, and shortly after they did, the family was gone. (If you click on the pictures, they do get larger).
Mom
the tree
babies/nest
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