Fog

I left the house early and there was a glimmer of sun through clouds in the East.  But by mid morning fog was thick and wet.  I saw a male towhee on a mailbox and heard a mockingbird.  The feeder was empty again. The lake above the dam that is across the creek and downstream is always a good spot for fog photos, but there were no birds this morning. 

Around lunchtime, there were some breaks in the clouds and a little sun, but it didn't last.  A misty gloom returned.  A chickadee visited the feeder and the squirrel with the white spot rummaged in the mulch.  A family of geese came through the yard down to the creek.  When I went to photograph them, something scolded me from the trees.  A cardinal flitted around.  The air is just full of water, and chilly.

Gentle rain

The rain is falling soft and straight, with no sign of wind.  Chickadees and a finch came to the feeder.  Sparrows were busy in the wet mulch.

Later a Carolina wren visited.  The rain has been steady but not heavy. More chickadees, finches, and sparrows foraged. 

Toward evening the rain had slackened and the clouds looked like they were thinking of breaking.  A hint of sunset color touched them.  

Bright till afternoon

The mallard pair were back this morning.  They snoozed and drank and preened and then left about 9am.  As long as the drake is around, she's not nesting.  A crow also came to the pool cover for a drink.  White throated sparrows are still feeding in the mulch.  A female finch was on the feeder.  I saw an egret flying very high into the sun.  Canada geese made a racket on the creek.  The newspaper says it is supposed to be overcast, but bits of fleece are all I see - the sky is very blue and the sun intense.

Still blue at 10am.  A Carolina wren is pecking at litter in the crevices of the patio.  And at 11:30 there are no clouds. A skink crisscrossed the patio.  Two tiger swallowtails danced together in the air. 

Finally, well after 1pm, clouds gathered and now it is overcast.  The breeze has freshened too.  Cardinals, finches, and chickadees are visiting the feeder.  A dove joined the sparrows in the mulch. A pair of blue jays flew across the yard. The male cardinal contrasts with cinquefoil, rue, and blue-eyed grass. 

More sun

A female mallard was using the wet center of the pool cover as her birdbath.  A white throated sparrow kicked the bark nugget mulch.  The wind is soft ant the creek smooth.  The sky is white with a cirrus glaze but the sun shines strongly.  No birds visited the feeder - I'd better check it. I refilled the feeder.  A drake joined Mrs. Mallard and they are dozing on the pool edge.

At lunch, two tiger and one black swallowtail appeared.  The black laid eggs while the tigers flitted just fast enough to beat my camera.   The dogwood petals continue to flutter down like butterfly wings. A rabbit hopped through a neighbor's yard reminding me that I have nt seen any sign of rabbits in our yard this Spring.

Sparkling morning

The pool cover is wet but nothing else so I suppose there was a heavy dew.  The sky is cloudless.  Cardinals, finches, and chickadees were joined on the feeder by a male and a female nuthatch and a Carolina wren.  White throated sparrows are exploring the new mulch.

After lunch, I startled a blue tailed skink that was sunning on the retaining wall. A tiger swallowtail, a small orange butterfly, and a cabbage butterfly passed by.  Some of the dogwood petals do excellent imitations of fluttering white butterflies.  Wasps, flies, and bees are busy pollinating. Yellow jacket queens are looking for nest sites. 

As predicted, a white haze moved in from the West after 5pm.  The sun is still strong though. Today has not been nearly so windy though there has been a breeze most of the time. 

Wind!

Gusts are thrashing the trees and rocking the feeders.  In between, there have been visits by a house finch pair, a male cardinal, a female nuthatch, and a tiny wren.  It didn't look like a Carolina and I wonder if it was a marsh wren.  Geese, crows and gulls are on or over the creek. The overcast has pleated into bars of cloud with sky between, so there is some sunshine. 

By mid afternoon the sky cleared and the wind calmed somewhat.  Crows chased an eagle.  A chickadee fussed at me.  A great blue heron stalked along the bulkhead.  The sun set without a cloud in sight. 

Misty morning

It is supposed to be hot and sunny today but now it is cold and gray.  A white throat appeared, and a cardinal. By 10am there was sunlight but the sky was still white. An hour later the last puffs of cloud were fleeing.  A Carolina wren visited.

At lunchtime, I saw a dark dragonfly with unmarked wings, a cabbage butterfly, a little lime-green beetle, bees and wasps, and a very small skink. Later a larger skink explored the bedroom window frame.  The first flowers appeared on the blue-eyed grass. A cormorant sat on a dock piling.  While I see them often in the sky or the water, it is much rarer to catch one drying out. And the first hummingbird arrived - a female. 

The sky hazed over around 6pm followed by thicker clouds from the West.  So I didn't take my camera, which I regret because the sunset was quite dramatic.  And even as the West turned peach and gold with glowing cloud edges, a fat moon peeked shyly between bands of cloud in the East.  This was about 8pm.   

Windy and dull

The azaleas are bright under a nondescript sky.  The wind is keeping most wildlife at home.  A Carolina wren came to the feeder.  Squirrels have been around.  And crows are playing daredevil in the wind. By the planter in front a coral lily is blooming, as is the yellow iris by the door.

K says the wrens were investigating the grill when she went to start lunch.  The sky is clearing in mid afternoon but the wind is still high.   The mulch people came back today. 

By sunset, the sky was clear and the wind had dropped.  Chickadees and finches informed me that the feeder was empty.  A white throated sparrow hung out in the rosemary.  A Carolina wren found bits on the patio to peck. 

Still windy

A finch greeted us, but no other birds.  Early sun through new leaves makes wonderful shades of green. There are soft, edgeless clouds. By 9am the clouds coalesced and blocked the sun.  Finches and cardinals have endured the wind to feed.  This female was guarded by her mate.  On the ground there are still plenty of white throats.  Bees are foraging despite the wind and chill. 

It's been a month since I've seen a song sparrow and about two weeks since the last junco sighting.  That was the last day I saw pelicans around the creek too.  I wonder how much longer the white throats will linger? Just before noon, a fine rain started.  Eye for Nature is weeding the mulch beds and spreading new bark.

The rain has settled in for the duration and gusts of wind make curtains sweep across the creek.  One squirrel was terrified of the new mulch.  It prowled around the edge like a dog smelling something strange.  Finally it leaped from the patio across the mulch to the feeder pole. Then it ran away.  After a bit, the squirrel with the white spot appeared.  The mulch did not worry her at all.  Then a half dozen sparrows arrived and poked around in it.  I had been worried that the mulch would discourage them.  Meanwhile cardinals and finches came to the feeder.  And still it rains. 

Sun and wind are back

The birdhouse blew down.  Sparrows and a cardinal came to breakfast. Finches showed up later.

The Carolina wren just conducted its daily grill inspection.  A blue jay flitted round the front yard.  It is chilly despite the sun, especially when there are gusts of wind.  Overhead, an osprey, cormorants, and crows are out despite the wind.

Cardinals, finches, and chickadees are the only birds on the feeder.  But they stayed till dusk. 

Morning after

The storm was loud with wind-driven rain through much of the night.  Now all is quiet and wet.  The creek is brown but placid.  At least two white throated sparrows are still here.  A cardinal came out for breakfast.  Sweet gum flowers are all over the ground.  I wonder if the storm disrupted pollination?  I would not weep if there were few gum balls this fall.

A pair of bedraggled goldfinches just came to the feeder.  The male's black cap isn't quite right.  They both look a bit green - rough flight?  Actually, I suppose the male is molting into mating colors. Later, two egrets flew upstream, then back the other way, startling white against the green leaves.

At lunch, there were moments of sun but now it is back to gray.  A breeze comes and goes.  I need to reposition the birdhouse because the wind slid it out toward the tip of the branch.  Cardinals, house finches, and chickadees have visited, and a female nuthatch has still not migrated. A great blue heron followed by a great white egret flew upstream low to the water.  Geese and crows, of course, have made themselves known.

The sky continued overcast till around sunset when suddenly it turned pink.  Had I been willing to run down to the dock, it might have been spectacular since the water was so calm. 

Wind and rain

Things were moist this morning, whether from rain or dew, but at 9am rain began in earnest.  Before that, finches, sparrows, and wrens were all I saw.  I suspect the feeder needs a refill.  According to the paper the rain was supposed to come tomorrow.  A cold front has been moving East, pivoting on a low pressure center around Chicago.  The warm front has swung North ahead of it.

The sky cleared somewhat in the West, then clouded again. The wind has been fierce, keeping most birds out of the air.  A Carolina wren sang its heart out in the front yard on a dogwood over the azaleas.  Blueberries are blooming but I don't see as many blossoms as last year.  I refilled the feeder which lured a few chickadees.  I also planted some flower seeds in anticipation of rain tomorrow. 

More sun and clouds

House finches and white throated sparrows are all I've seen so far.  I've been thinking about how the house finches moved so successfully into purple finch territory.  Of all the songbirds that are sexually dimorphic, they seem to accept the presence of other males most easily.  Two were on the feeder together this morning.  Does that give them a survival or reproductive advantage?  By contrast, the male cardinal spent a lot of effort driving off another male last month. 

The two Carolina wrens are conducting their daily investigation of the grill. After lunch, a skink dashed across the patio.  The oak flowers are beginning to fall and the air is full of writhing brown "caterpillars." It makes me think of Pern. A bumblebee was overloaded with pollen. 

When I got home around 5:30, I went outside and discovered the gnats are awake.  Too bad the gnatcatcher migrated.  Blue jays  were loud and one had a standoff with a crow.  Another crow made a strange sound calling its brethren to help attack an eagle.  The eagle was backlit by the sun but the crows drove it off before I could focus.  Then buzzards appeared and surveyed the same area.

Something has built an nest inside a screen of jessamine on the top of a drainpipe.  The towhees are still hanging out under the azaleas.

The first quarter moon was passing through cirrus clouds.  A cloud moved through the spot where the sun can create a sundog. 

Sunshine

The sky is blue and white, like faded jeans, from high, thin clouds.  The male house finch likes the hummer feeder. I don't know if it is drinking from the center well or catching bugs in the water.  It looks like it is piloting a flying saucer.  Sparrows and Carolina wrens have been scurrying around.  A female cardinal is sharing the seed feeder with a male house finch. 

A mockingbird was hanging out in the front yard when we got home. When K went out front to get the garbage cans, a pair of brown thrashers fled to the back yard.  A robin tried to get a drink from the swimming pool cover.  A white throat was snapping up bugs from the rosemary flowers. Pecan and hackberry are beginning to bud.

As the sun descended, menacing clouds swallowed it.  I thought we were in for a storm. But on my way back three hours later, I saw the bright first quarter moon in the midst of a swirl of clouds. 

Clouds and sun

Big, soft cumulus clouds were tinted at sunrise.  On the feeder, sparrows, finches, cardinals and a titmouse fed.  The creek was placid.  A brown thrasher was tossing mulch in the front yard. 

At noon, I saw the towhee pair hanging out under the azaleas in the front yard.  The wind has picked up. A mature skink with a red head and no blue checked out crevices in the landscape timbers. The two wrens were busy singing and poking into things.

Later, a blue tailed juvenile skink scuttled across the steps.  A tiger swallowtail stopped flitting to enjoy the money plant flowers. Other butterflies fluttered around - cabbage, and maybe sulphur, and an orange one.  A male house finch and a bluebird landed on the feeder together quarreling.  The bluebird flew off immediately. 

Later, a half dozen swallows passed high overhead.  I could hear them but they were almost too small to see. 

Overcast

The gloom seems appropriate to tax day.  The sky has that old gray mattress look.  It is pretty quiet.  Pollen has dusted all the outdoor furniture.  A Carolina wren investigated the gas grill to see whether anything had changed since yesterday.  It is funny how fascinating they find that device.  Redbuds are in full bloom.  I saw robins and mockingbirds elsewhere. 

Around noon I was sitting outside when I heard a soft voice like a hummingbird.  When I looked, it was a nuthatch.  A little later a pair of brown thrashers flew across.  Hopefully, when the fresh mulch arrives, they will come and toss it into the grass.

Cardinals and sparrows are around.  The sky got a very corrugated look with bands of heavier and lighter cloud.  Then the sun appeared though muted by thinner cloud.  Now it looks like rain. Caterpillar-like tree flowers are beginning to fall. Blueberries have leafed out. A hoverfly took an interest in the rose leaves.  They often join the bees on the rosemary but usually they move too fast for the camera or I cannot get the focus right. 

Beautiful Sunday

Blue sky and the usual suspects: cardinals, finches, chickadees, wrens and sparrows. Midmorning a titmouse showed up and somewhat later a tiger swallowtail.  At lunch one squirrel entertained us by sprawling on the concrete, getting up on the furniture, and generally keeping an eye on us. 

The birds emptied the feeder again.  K refilled it and I refilled the hummer feeder and the birdbath.  Some of the seed spilled on the patio and the squirrels were very suspicious of their good luck.  The afternoon grew warm enough to bring out skinks.  One went up the bedroom wall, down the window, and under the flashing at the bottom. Lots of wasps hunted for a good nesting spot while bees fed on the rosemary.

Toward sunset the sky clouded over. 

Blue sky and blue jays

A pair of blue jays investigated the mulch.  They didn't seem satisfied.  All the other bids vacated till they were gone.  Other than the jays, nuthatches, white throated sparrows, Carolina wrens, cardinals, house finches, and chickadees came to breakfast.  Geese are honking and flying up and down.  Crows are everywhere.

The fig has begun to leaf out.  A tree I thought was a hackberry has white flowers like a domesticated cherry.  Its leaves are serrated and more crinkly than the wild cherries but it has smooth, cherry-like bark. 

Late afternoon, K saw some ducks she couldn't identify - small with white markings.  They were gone before I got to the window.

Windy and gray

The lowest clouds are flying Northeast on a roaring wind. Upper layers are moving more slowly and more Easterly.  Cardinals, sparrows, finches and wrens have visited, along with a squirrel.  Crows zoom around.  One got forced out of a pine by squirrels, on this side of the creek.  A layer of yellow pollen coats every surface and there are wind drifts of the sepals that are no longer needed to protect buds.

Rain started around 9am and got heavier as the morning went on.   Then, around noon, the clouds broke apart and there were flickers of sun.  A wren played peek-a-boo on the dogwood trunk.  A female skink lurked in a hole in the pool cover, until I got too close. After lunch the rain returned. 

Now, as sunset approaches, it is clearing again.  The clouds are still moving fast but down on the ground, the humidity is high.  Nuthatches came to the feeder along with cardinals, sparrows, and chickadees.   I was thinking they might have moved on. 

Sun and squirrels

The squirrels are into everything including the watering can. Cardinals and finches came to breakfast. Today's newspaper reports this is an outbreak year for brood II cicadas.  It also reports a prediction of high hurricane activity.

I swept out the birdbath and refilled it.  Chickadees showed up.  Bees, wasps, and cabbage butterflies are all over.  The wind is strong and the creek is showing a lot of current.  It is warm enough for a bathing suit.  An osprey and some gulls braved the wind.

It was warm enough to wake a skink!  A tiger swallowtail, a hair streak, and a rusty-colored butterfly joined the cabbages.  I saw a ladybug.  As I was sitting outside, only the chickadees were bold enough to visit the feeder, but I also saw bluebirds and robins, doves and crows, a red bellied woodpecker and a white throated sparrow that hopped up the steps. 

And when I came in, titmice seized the opportunity to visit the feeder. I came in because around 6pm a sheet of white slid in from the West dropping the temperature.  The sun is still distinctly shining, but muted.

Bright and hot

Chickadees and sparrows are all I've seen.  The sky is blue and there is a breeze. Later a finch and a junco appeared.  At lunch, a black swallowtail laid eggs on the fresh green rue leaves while cabbage butterflies flitted about.  Wasps tested the glass seeking a dark space while bees stayed in the sun on the rosemary. I suspect the feeder needs refilling.

Cardinals, chickadees, and titmice were polishing off the last seeds when K refiled the feeder.   Tonight is a new moon.  I do not understand why high tide was between 8 and 9 am at the beach.  Shouldn't it be when sun and moon are overhead on at new moon?  Of course it was later here, but that's because of the lag in water pushing up the creeks. 

A temperature record of 89 degrees was set, beating a 1922 record.  

Pale sky, bright sun

It is windy and the sky is hazed with white.  It is supposed to get up to summer temperatures and I have the window open already to hear the birds.  One makes the feed-me cry of a fledgling but I think it is probably a mating call this early in the year.  Chickadees, a nuthatch, a cardinal, and a pair of Carolina wrens have been on the feeder.  Sparrows and squirrels in the mulch.  Actually, the wrens have been into everything.  Crows, geese, and possibly an osprey have flown past.  Dogwood and cardinal, and yesterday's tiger swallowtail are state symbols.

It was warm enough to eat outside.  The wind has dropped and the creek shimmers.  The sky is now blue except for fast-fading contrails.  Only chickadees were bold enough to dine with us. 

Wasps are flying.  A dark butterfly landed on the iris. The crows have been carrying on something fierce all afternoon, but I cannot see why.  I've been hearing a woodpecker and this afternoon I saw it in the oak. It is a red-bellied, but I cannot see which sex.  I could hear more drumming, plus robins and blue jays and I think the twang of a red wing blackbird.

Then a flock of golden birds began to eat the oak flowers.  The photos look like they are goldfinches.  Cormorants and geese are commuting home. The sun set with a lot of color but again no clouds to make it really interesting. 

Birdhouse visitor, new bird for me

A great blue heron swooped in and landed on the dock bench as I was coming into the kitchen.  Today, the creek is ruffled, not reflective at dawn.  Nuthatches, finches, and cardinals visited the feeder while white throated sparrows and Carolina wrens joined squirrels on the ground.  The birdhouse has attracted a possible tenant! 

Some dogwood blossoms have opened.  Violets and vetch are blooming.  The fried egg narcissus is beginning to bloom but the early yellow daffodils are done.  The sky is not a clear blue this morning but more like someone started to erase it and left white areas.

A flock of small gray birds moved around in the bushes.  After looking at numerous photos that caught different details, I think they were blue headed vireos migrating through. They have a very definite eye ring, a bluish head, a white belly and a bit of white on the wings, and they are about the right size. The Backyard Birdcount group on Facebook corrected me.  It was a blue-gray gnatcatcher. 

Meanwhile, cumulus clouds moved in and created drama.  An osprey circled.  It is very warm. I saw several cabbage butterflies during the course of the day and one tiger swallowtail.  By evening the clouds were gone and sunset was just a golden sky. 

Brilliant day

Nuthatches and titmice joined the usual suspects (cardinals, chickadees, house finches) in emptying the feeder.  Sparrows and a female junco kicked mulch.  On the glassy creek, a cormorant looked like a tiny Nessie as it dived.  I refilled the feeder.  A light breeze is stirring the twigs but it is warm. Bees were on the rosemary by 9am.

A pelican, an osprey, and gulls hunted over the creek.  The crows were everywhere.  The feeder is still unoccupied but I saw a wren in the camellia.  A cabbage butterfly and a dark butterfly with a gold edge flitted around.

The breeze has picked up a bit, making it more comfortable to sit in the sun than the shade.  Ospreys keep circling and hovering only to be driven off by crows.   All sorts of bugs are flying around.  The feeder is still ignored but I can hear birds singing.  And a kingfisher's rattle.  I aimed at the osprey, but I caught a gull as well!  And the laughing gulls have their black heads back.

The blue sky is getting smudged with cloud as it becomes evening. The smudges have become peach-colored streaks behind the pines. 

Windy and bright

The creek was glassy but now it is ruffled.  Nuthatches, sparrows, and squirrels are feeding. As I backed the car out, I noticed a nuthatch on the pecan tree in the front yard.  Apparently it is using the holes made by sapsuckers to hatch its nuts!  Carolina wrens, finches and cardinals finally showed up. 

Gray and wet

A few raindrops are just plopping, but everything is already soaked.  White throated sparrows and squirrels are in the mulch and house finches, chickadees, and nuthatches on the feeder.  Wind is shaking twigs and ruffling the creek.

9am and the rain has stopped precisely as predicted. And, at 10:30, suddenly there was sunshine! It played peek-a-boo for a while.  The creek smoothed out and produced a trembling reflection.  A pelican checked out the creek and the lake.  Two Carolina wrens that I think are a pair shared the feeder, but wouldn't share with any other bird.  They defended it against nuthatches and chickadees.  Then, after they left a new bird appeared!  A white breasted nuthatch landed on the feeder, but a chickadee soon sent it away.

While we were cooking, a yellow rumped warbler in summer plumage stopped in the camellia, but it left before I could get the camera.  A kingfisher landed in the sweet gum tree and an osprey hovered above. A female junco is still hanging around. 

The sky cleared during the afternoon and by 5pm was blue with a hot sun.  Blue jays were courting.  Honey and bumble bees were feeding on the rosemary.  A mallard pair slept on the dock while a female merganser paddled in place. I think it is a red breasted merganser.

Increasing clouds

The sky is smudged with cloud cover though the sun is strong.  It is supposed to warm all day and then rain.  Squirrels are up along with white throated sparrows and cardinals.  The heron is back but this morning it's down below the bulkhead. A pair of Carolina wrens are poking their beaks into everything  - they are the monkeys of the songbird world.  The narcissus that look like fried eggs have started to bloom. 

The nuthatches are hungry.  One snuck onto the feeder as soon as I turned my back from sweeping out the birdbath.  I heard a soft tsuk-tsuk behind me.  On Cornell's recordings, it's the final one, the sound of two nuthatches conversing, that I heard.  A female junco also visited the feeder. 

The birdbath is too close to the feeder, but I think it would fill up anyway from the mulch kicking that goes on.  I wanted to clean it out before the predicted rain made all the hulls soggy.  And I added water because yesterday the squirrels were looking into the watering can.  I don't know if that was curiosity or thirst, but I decided not to wait for the rain.

A bluebird appeared on the West side of the house, which can only be seen from the bathroom windows.  I had to shoot through window screen.  The net behind the bird is where our neighbor trains vines to give him shade at his grill. 

The cloud cover thickened in the afternoon and the wind got chilly.  Chickadees, nuthatches, and wrens continued to feed.  I saw and heard an osprey but only heard a kingfisher.  I planted some seeds in anticipation of rain, but was too cold to continue.  Squirrels both fed and acted out dominance.  One twitched every time the other looked up.  Then the anxious one, a female, went up the pole and tried to get into the feeder.  Failing, it washed its face, then peed on the roof of the feeder.

Rain began before sundown.