A pair of Northern Cardinals nested in a shrub beneath my wife's office window and laid and incubated four eggs. On Monday four hatchlings were in the nest. On Tuesday the nest was empty and abandoned, apparently robbed by a jay or some other predator. While disappointing, it wasn't particularly surprising. However, on Wednesday a pair of House Sparrows appeared and began to dismantle the nest and fly off with the materials. By the end of the day, not a single twig remained. While certainly a cost-effective strategy for the sparrows, it is not a behavior I've seen before. And it's kind of nice not to have the sad reminder of the cardinals' misfortune.

Happy birding,

Paul Gardner
Columbus, OH

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