It started with the arrival of a charm of goldfinches (one of my favorite collective nouns) early one morning last week. While they were worked over the already decimated sunflower stalks and leaves, and picked through the edges of the tomato and basil plants, we noticed a rustle in the blueberries, where a couple of robins were eating the few remaining berries. Over the course of that morning and the next, the parade of familiar backyard birds continued, as if they knew the hot weather was coming and it was going to be tough to get at their favorite foods for a while. I pulled up a chair and sat quietly with my camera; here are a few of the images that rewarded my patience.