Ep 7. Chirp

In season 2 episode 7 of Modern Family titled "Chirp," the Dunphy family is seeking to save the day with a bit of low-level espionage for their daughter Haley.

As Haley prepares for her 18th birthday, she's faced with a sobering revelation: her parents, Phil and Claire, have been monitoring her every move on the Internet. Seeing this as a massive breach of trust, Haley decides to push back and deletes her parents from her Facebook friends list.

But Phil and Claire won't simply let Haley's big day slip by without wishing her a happy birthday. Determined to get back in her good graces and not disappoint her on her special day, they employ a bit of subterfuge to keep tabs on her party plans, with hilarious results.

Meanwhile, Jay and Gloria plan a surprise trip to Palm Springs for Jay's birthday. Gloria's romantic gesture is complicated by the fact that she hasn't told Jay that their friend and neighbor Shorty (guest star Chazz Palminteri) will be joining them on the trip — which leads to some awkward moments for both Jay and Shorty.

Elsewhere, Cameron begins experiencing symptoms of a certain famous bird flu when he mysteriously becomes absorbed with a new electronic device. Mitch isn't sure how to handle the behavioral shift, but it eventually comes to light that Cameron has become obsessed with "Birds of Prey," a popular bird-watching app that allows users to identify different species of birds based on their songs and calls.

Ultimately, "Chirp" is a sweet and funny episode that highlights the importance of communication and trust within families. It also features plenty of comic moments and endearing character interactions, as well as some great guest performances from Palminteri and other notable actors.