I'm at my parent's house in West Virginia, redoing their flower gardens. Was watching and listening to the redwinged blackbirds this morning--we don't get them in my neighborhood--too dry--and I really miss them. I love their call.

Re: Cardinals. I am always amazed at how low to the ground they build their nests. Cardinals build a nest almost every year on a rose trellis in my front garden. And every year, a feral neighborhood cat gets the babies. I hate that the cat does that, I also notice him watching the birdfeeders and bath on the other side of the house. But he does a great job of controling the voles, baby rabbits, and keeping the squirrels out of the pots on my front porch and steps. He has been around for several years, no one feeds him, and he is really healthy and beautiful.   

We also have black racers and black rat snakes that we leave alone to control the voles and mice. One of them lives in the basement and goes in and out through the grates for the crawlspace adjacent to the basement. I'm sure they get some bird eggs and rabbits also. We just figure that it is all part of nature and a balanced ecosystem.

Janie