A Few Backyard Birds

After Monday's big thunderstorm the sky cleared and I was able to do some more work in the garden. Late in the afternoon I spotted a small kettle of Mississippi Kites and Broad-winged Hawks circling overhead. I went to get Michelle, but by the time she came outside they had already disappeared. This is very typical of raptor migration here - one or two birds appear, more arrive and a kettle quickly forms, and then just as suddenly the sky is empty again. Other sightings...a male Eastern Bluebird was briefly observed in the backyard (hopefully they will nest again), and an Orchard Oriole singing in a neighbor's yard was my first for the season.