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.