At the beginning of June we had bluebirds with nestlings. All seemed to be going well when one afternoon, after seeing both birds active all morning, I found the female dead on the ground with no apparent signs of injury. I hoped the male would be able to fledge the nestlings on his own but after not seeing him the next day and hearing nothing in the nest box I opened it up and found the male dead inside and no nestlings. Very soon afterwards (maybe 3 days at the most) another pair built a nest in a nearby box. Could the new pair have killed the residents to take over the territory? I have seen some serious fights in spring. And on house wren, after not having any through May and part of June I now have a male with a nest in the box that the first bluebird pair had used. No sign of a female. Seems several people had late house wrens this year. And a yellow-billed cuckoo just called as I type this. Rob Ballinger Clinton