Rainy

The old saying was that if March entered like a lion it would leave like a lamb. Well, it has been windy and warm all month, so I'm not sure if that qualifies. The newspaper said, "Temperatures have been warm all winter — several degrees above historic norms — but March was in a different class. As of Friday, March had been 10.3 degrees warmer than usual. It was the warmest March, in fact, since 1945."

A sparrow, titmice, and (I think) a female bluebird showed up in the drizzle. Later it dried out but stayed cloudy. A cardinal hung out in the front yard. The columbine is blooming but almost smothered by azaleas.

An osprey circled in the afternoon. The sun peeked out briefly but the evening has gone gray again.

Arthropods

A good day for bugs - I saw a bee fly for the first time, plus a green damselfly and more black dragonflies, the tiger swallowtail, sulfurs, and cabbage butterflies. And flies and bees of all sorts busy pollinating. I glimpsed a couple of beetles. A tiny spider with a green abdomen visited my finger. The bee fly is the honey-colored, furry fly with dark wings visiting the azalea.

An osprey circled. I saw finches in the redwood but no birds on the feeder. Clouds were blowing fast out of the Southwest and by md afternoon there was little sun.

I found a blog by another local librarian that suggests the black dragonfly that won't hold still for a photo may be a common baskettail. The damselfly, she says, is a male Fragile Forktail.

More sun and wind

Only the squirrel is out this morning.

Around noon a black swallowtail showed up despite the wind. It was interested in the rue, as usual, but also the vetch. Is the vetch good for nectar or as a place to lay eggs?

A little later, I caught a glimpse of a yellow swallowtail. And mid-afternoon, there were a couple of black dragonflies patrolling over the paving stones where the woodpile used to rest. I took a dozen photos but was never fast enough to catch one, and they never stopped.

Still windy

A great blue heron flew low over the house. The sun is bright. A squirrel is all I've seen around the feeder.

I was gone much of the day. There were bluets blooming in the grass at Oscar Smith High School. Here's an egret I saw in the lake above the dam.

Cold and clear

And very windy - flags are flying straight out. There are some small clouds in the East but otherwise the sky is clear.

The money plant is sending up stalks of blossoms. I believe it is a biennial and this is its year to make silver "money" seedpods.

I hung the hummingbird feeder. We will see if any hummers are migrating through. I still haven't figured out what to do with the birdhouse.

Sun returns

Before dawn, it was overcast, but now it has cleared. It is quite breezy. I want to get the bird house and the hummingbird feeder up but I'm afraid they will blow around too much.

I looked up the difference between bumblebees and carpenter bees and now I have to re-label a lot of photos!

At lunch I saw not only a cabbage butterfly but the first black swallowtail of the year.

It stayed windy all day and the temperature has dropped making it pretty nippy. A waning crescent moon hangs in the West with a planet just inches away and another, fainter closer to the horizon. Venus and Jupiter, I assume, but which is which?

Wet everywhere

Gray sky. The overnight rain washed more pollen swirls into the creek. A disturbance in the yellow coating revealed a muskrat swimming. It's dripping from the blueberry blossoms but that doesn't deter the bees. The newspaper was late so we enjoyed birdsong.

Then at 7:45 there was a sudden rush for the feeder. First finches, then a female cardinal, then a chickadee and on the ground a chipping sparrow. A few minutes later a dove landed on top of the feeder.

The mist is getting thicker, almost fog. The far bank of the creek is fading. The pollen swirls have disappeared and the creek surface is no longer smooth. It looks very foggy but I can feel tiny raindrops falling. But the concrete is damp, not wet. And the fog has passed and visibility returned by lunch. Now waves of mist are flowing upstream. And that describes the rest of the day - rainy mist in waves.

Bright early, didn't last

The creek is glassy. Only a squirrel is around, checking out the feeder. The fig has begun to leaf out. A cardinal is carrying on up in the sweet gum

Now at mid-morning the sky is overcast, but still bright. Fish have been jumping all week and the shadbush in front of the library is blooming. I'm not sure my shadbush is still alive. I hear blue jays. A robin walks down the driveway.

Geese are acting out. One pursued another down the creek and there was a lot of honking out of sight. Mid-afternoon thunder followed by rain. It's washing the pollen into puddles and the creek again. Wisteria is blooming in March!

Hot

I was in another morning meeting and missed much of a beautiful, bright, warm day. However, in the parking lot I was entertained by this squirrel who had gone out on a limb to eat buds and appears to be spitting out the chaff.

Marbled water

The rain washed heavy pollen into the creak where it looks like the bath used to marble paper. Lots of bird song, but no feeder visitors. A squirrel made the rounds. Sunrise was very Easter-like with cream puff clouds. Now the sun is come-and-go.

Pollen is visible in the air as a golden haze. Egrets stalked the creek and an osprey hovered.

Soft overcast, rain & sun

I left at dawn. The sun was visible but overhead was a soft gray. A mockingbird greeted me. It rained while I was inside and now, late morning, the overcast has broken into distinct clouds.

I haven't seen the mergansers for a while. The last time I noted them was March 10. A year ago it was March 11. So I assume they have migrated. Juncos were here through the 29th of March last year so I may still see them.

We ate lunch outside to get away from the paint. A pair of bluebirds landed on the dock light. Violets are blooming as is the poet's narcissus and the coral honeysuckle. The azaleas have opened. A cabbage butterfly flitted all around - I think it was laying eggs. Then a sulfur butterfly flew across the creek. I think I saw a big orange hornet too.

Now it is raining again.

That's over but enough clouds are hanging around to make sunset dramatic. Nope, I guessed wrong. The clouds coalesced into a wall with blue sky to the North. Then about sundown rain started again.

Dogwood fog

It is very thick. Most years, when the dogwood blooms we get morning fogs. The forsythia is also blooming despite having bloomed in early winter. Birds are singing all over but I can't see them. A woodpecker is hammering. A jay swooped past. A mallard pair is checking out nesting sites. The paper says blooms are two weeks ahead of usual but the mosquito control is beginning almost a month early.

All trace of fog burned away and the sun is bright. The painters are still discouraging feeder birds.

Bright sun

The prediction was for fog and cloud, but there's none to be seen. Several egrets flew upstream.
But the painters are keeping birds away from the feeder. And work is keeping me indoors.

It has been a beautiful day, ending in interesting clouds to the Southwest and a band of haze in the West that often predicts rain. The night sky is mostly clear with two bright planets in the West - Venus and Jupiter. The equinox occurs in the middle of tonight.

Still cloudy

Squirrel, junco, finches and a cardinal are munching sunflower seeds. A great blue heron flew past.

By mid morning sunshine and soft-edged clouds prevailed. At lunch, an osprey hovered briefly.

This was the last time I noted juncos this spring. They hung around till April 8 in 2011.

Juncos haven't left yet

They're pecking around the patio. Last year they were here through April 8. A great egret is perched on the back of the dock bench. Pollen is already scumming the water. Last night's rain has left a mist that is not quite fog. It also lowered the temperature.

Sunshine burned through before 9am. And then clouds returned by 4pm. Later it grew misty again and gray wraiths blew upstream.

Still warm, but gray

And a pelican greeted the day by plunging into the creek in front of us. It labored so hard to get aloft again that it's hard to believe the fish was worth the trouble.

By 10am the clouds are clearing off to the East. Flowers are coming out all over, including azalea buds. But not much feeder action - a lone female cardinal.

Afternoon was hot and sunny till clouds boiled up out to the South with lightning. Chickadees, titmice and finches came for a late snack. Finally, after dark, the rain hit hard.

Last year there were pelicans till April 4, but this was the last sighting this year. Instead, I saw the first laughing gull in summer plumage in a grocery parking lot in Berkley.

Another summer day in March

Sunny. Cardinals on the feeder. Cabbage butterflies and bees. The newspaper had a photo of a carpenter bee which resembled some of the ones on the rosemary. Two cabbage butterflies darted around each other while rising to thirty feet in the air. Is this courting or territorial behavior?

Apparently at some time a peach pit ended up behind a pine tree and today blossoming twigs poked around it into the sun.

More warm sunshine

But I have to be inside where I have been sweltering. The heat has popped the dogwood buds - no slow unfolding this year. I think this is a month in advance of when dogwoods bloomed in the 1980s here. The rosemary is again swarming with bees - there isn't all that much blooming yet that makes nectar. But the fruit trees and the red buds have begun. (I wish I had a red bud.)

Rain, then sun

Nothing much else. The sun came out after 11am.

Lots of birdsong this evening. Robins, finches, chickadees, crows, a jay, and a what-is-it up in the blooming oak. I thought it was a mockingbird but it seems small.

Geese landed next door. Lots of bees on the rosemary.

Still sunny

No bird action. I need to check the feeder.
At noon finches and a cardinal found seeds, so I'll wait.
I spent too much of this beautiful day inside. I managed to get out in the evening and saw this great blue heron, glimpsed an eagle, watched a pair of geese to the head-tossing honking again, and saw an egret stalking along below the dam.
Today nearly reached 80, but by evening out on the water it was nippy so I didn't wait for sunset.

Saving daylight

So why does this mean getting up in the dark? The waning moon was descending West. At dawn, it looked like the lake was steaming but the temperature rose quickly. The earliest bird was a song sparrow. Then everyone arrived: a cardinal pair, finch pairs, chickadees, titmice, juncos, and on the ground sparrows and squirrels. Suddenly a honking over by the new tree turned out to be a pair of geese. One threw its head back and shook it while honking. I suspect I know what that meant.

At lunch we were entertained by aerial combat between two crows and a hawk. The squirrel and the song sparrow are still busy, but the feeder is not. A small orange-brown butterfly flitted around the mulch.

Bright and cold

Geese woke me up - they sounded like they were in the bedroom. Titmice and chickadees came to the feeder while the song sparrow hunted below. The wind is still gusty. Hooded mergansers are still out on the creek. The song sparrow is hunting through the mulch. Several juncos scurry around the patio and a female chases a male off the feeder. A wren watched from the rue and then hopped onto the feeder. A squirrel has been nosing about everywhere.

Pattering rain

The weather prediction was correct. And the late afternoon sun yesterday was obscured by a glaze of cloud which is often an indicator of rain to come.

The wind is gusting now and then, making it really nasty. Despite this I saw two uncommon birds - a red-bellied woodpecker and a rufous-sided towhee. The towhee photo was taken through wet glass but I opened the door for the woodpecker. Chickadees, titmice, house finches, sparrows and juncos also came out. A squirrel was busy grubbing seeds out of the birdbath. I guess it figured it was already wet.

The osprey and cormorants showed up at noon. By then the rain had stopped.

Beautiful morning

The creek was like a mirror reflecting the far side trees glowing in the early sun. But then the wind picked up, so no more mirror. We have workmen on the patio side of the house so the wildlife are absent.

Now clouds are coming out of the West. A pelican sailed past, then an osprey. The oak buds are bursting - you can see what the squirrel was eating yesterday. While the workers were at lunch a chickadee snatched a quick meal.

Warmer and sunny

A squirrel seems very pleased with the rearrangement of feeder and birdbath. Finches, cardinals and chickadees visited the feeder. Juncos and sparrows hunted on the ground. I glimpsed a mockingbird.

Now it's shirt sleeve time! Titmice showed up at the feeder, pelicans on the creek. Bees are all over the rosemary and drinking from the birdbath. Hyacinths are beginning to bloom. It is still quite windy. A squirrel was up in the oak eating the buds.

Still clear sky

But very cold - I poured hot water in the birdbath because it was frozen. No visible frost though. Geese, mergansers and mallards paddled in the early sunshine. Pelicans are busy cruising the creek and a cormorant swam by. Jays and grackles called from the trees. The wind is gusty and very cold.

I took the feeder down and scraped the muck out. Rain had turned the dust off the seeds into a nasty sticky mess. I left the open feeder in the sun for the wind to dry. First the female cardinal came to the window and fussed, then the male. So I obeyed them and refilled the feeder. Note the leucojum blossoms.

The sun has warmed things up Finches were busy with the feeder. More mergansers were out on the creek. An osprey perched first on this side then across the creek. Then it spotted something and circled and hovered. But the camera is still having problems with sky exposures.

Another gray day

It's cold too. Sunlight leaked sideways under the cloud cover briefly, but now it is just gloomy. I glimpsed a pelican. It rained off and on, and occasional patches of blue appeared.

Then in early evening it cleared off to the West. The disgusting Bradford pear trees are starting to bloom. Some oaks have visible buds. This seems to be about the same time as last year.

Steady rain

The newspaper says we are an inch behind on rainfall for 2012 but it has seemed like a very wet winter. A female cardinal ventured out briefly.

Around lunch, a titmouse tried the feeder. The blueberries have budded. Mary Reid Barrow's column recommended the eagle photos at this blog.

It may be clearing in the West to a faintly pink sunset, but heavy dark clouds persist in the Northeast.

Thundering rain

A long roll of thunder woke me at 5:30. The rain has fluctuated but came down in sheets at breakfast. A song sparrow and a junco ventured out briefly and a rabbit dashed past.

By noon the storm was retreating South. The feeder is nearly empty and damp, but a chickadee did visit. A crow called and I could hear a lot of other birds, maybe a titmouse and I'm not sure what else. A little grayish bird perched on a piling and darted off to catch bugs, very like a dragonfly. A returning swallow?

Henbit and dead nettle are creating purple patches and daffodils are out everywhere. I saw the first violet. It is still quite warm.

Bright morning

It is supposed to rain and to be cooler than yesterday, but so far the sky is hazy blue. Crows are calling. Last night a raccoon visited the feeder but did not get it open. I've glimpsed a sparrow and a titmouse. A pelican flew upstream.

The bumblebees are back at the rosemary but it hasn't warmed enough for honeybees, I think. I noticed yesterday that the honeybees stayed low while the carpenter & bumblebees preferred the upper flowers, perhaps because of the wind? Patchy overcast blows in from the West, then away.

At mid-morning the honeybees show up. Suddenly the feeder is popular with chickadees, titmice, and house finches. A junco, a song sparrow, a dove, and a cardinal are hunting lunch on the ground. The camera caught out-of-focus glimpses of a yellow rumped warbler flitting around the yard. The red rump on the house finch is getting conspicuous. Ah, Spring.

March wind and sun

It is very warm. The wind is banging the just-hung birdhouse against the tree trunk. A squirrel is picking up fallen seeds but no birds are attempting the feeder. The song sparrow was out on the patio for a while, followed by a junco. Blue jays were up in the redwood.

On the creek a lone goose and a male merganser were displaying the same colors in large and small. A mallard pair walked up into the neighbor's yard, perhaps looking for a nesting spot? But every photo I took was overexposed or out of focus. I guess I'll have to read the manual. And the blog must be content with this daffodil.

The day got amazingly warm and the wind finally calmed somewhat, after it blew the birdhouse down. The first quarter moon was quite bright overhead in late afternoon. Carpenter and bumblebees joined honeybees on the rosemary.