Katydids, Birds, and Baby Wrens

Ladybugs are not the only bugs around.  Another nice-looking insect that had been appearing in my yard was the katydid.  There was one bright green katydid on my flowers every day.  Katydids eat flowers, but it was alright with me as there was only one and it was very pretty.  They always come in the spring, but recently, there haven't been as many.  A few years ago, they were all over, and I could hear them all buzzing like cicadas at night.  Each year since there have been less and less, and this year there was only one.  I'm not sure why there are less.  Below is the one that was on my flowers this year.

The western scrub-jays have been causing a great disturbance in my yard.  They love to eat the nuts, bugs, and especially catfood in my yard, but since scrub-jays also eat bird eggs, the mockingbirds do not want them around.  I don't believe the scrub-jays know where the nests are, because they only ever try to get catfood.  However, I think the mockingbirds have eggs, so whenever a jay comes to the catfood, they chase it away.  Below is a scrub-jay in my yard with an acorn.

Western Scrub-Jay

Below is one of the northern mockingbirds.  It was fighting with another mockingbird.  The two nests in the yard have caused rivalry between the two pairs.

Northern Mockingbird

I haven't seen the red-tailed hawks as much, but occasionally I see them fly over the yard. Below is one of the hawks.

Red-Tailed Hawk

The Bewick's wrens have already had chicks like the Anna's hummingbirds.  They've been a bit confusing, however.  There is a nest in the backyard with at least one chick.  There is also one in the front in a rosebush with at least three chicks.  What's puzzling is that the pair (not the chicks) go in and out of a birdhouse.  They also bring things into it, though I'm not sure what.  I don't know what they're doing in the birdhouse, since they have the chicks in the rosebush.  I suppose that the pair could have second nest, or the pair going into the birdhouse is a separate pair that also hangs around with the other pair's chicks, but it's still a little odd.  Below are two photos of the wrens.  The first photo is one of the adults going into the birdhouse.  The second is of one of the rosebush chicks.

Bewick's Wren

Bewick's Wren