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.