Backyard Birds

Each year, as spring blossomed in St. Louis, Missouri, I would look out of my room's window to find an American Robin dutifully constructing a nest, secured snugly in the crotch of a bifurcating branch. During the subsequent weeks, I would have the privilege of a first-row seat to the nest's daily drama, from the moment the clutch of pale blue eggs appeared until the final nestling fledged.

Though there's a distinct pleasure in spotting rare species—perhaps a vagrant, usually only seen across the country—this album is a celebration of those more common birds I've observed in backyards of my family and friends.