Six squirrels at breakfast

They were foraging and chasing and doing a lot of scratching this morning.  One came and sat on a chair to watch us eat.  Another hotly pursued what I assume was a flea, and then washed its face. 

I scared off a raccoon last night and this morning it had left a mess on the steps.  It also tried to open the feeder lid, but didn't quite get the latch undone.  I put out fresh hummer juice.

There was a flurry of activity at the birdhouse this morning.  I cannot tell if the wren is still nest-building or has moved on to other activities.  The sky clouded over while I was photographing the wren (and doing dishes) but the sun was back when I got to the computer. I guess it's going to be that kind of day. 

Blue sky morning

The usual.  Raccoons got a lot of seed before we remembered the brick last night. K is refilling it now.  I should refill the hummer feeder soon.

I've lost most of the day indoors, alas.  But I did see some dragonflies.  Chickadees and finches had trouble with the new feeder perch - it kept rolling on them making them do the lumberjack dance.  The sakaki is blooming.  It is loaded with blossoms this year. 

Magnificent piles of cumulus in the evening sky. 

Hot!

I'm late posting, but I've got a story!  Nothing much was going on this morning, just the usual three. At lunch a lovely widow skimmer took up a post near the parsley.  Other dragonflies zoomed and glittered.  Cabbage butterflies were also around.

I went for a swim mid afternoon and heard the wren scolding.  It was atop the post and buzzing like mad.  Then I saw why.  A fox cub had come calling.  It studied the bird and I thought I was going to get to see a fox climb a post, but the wren flew off.  Then the cub nosed the mulch while I maintained a low profile in the pool.  It caught something and I distinctly heard crunching.  I think it might have been a skink or possibly a mouse.  I sucked my teeth to get it to look up.  It was totally unwary, but then I think its mama called because it looked over toward the next yard and ran home.

Clouds and sun and rain

K refilled the feeder which pleased the finches.  A white breasted nuthatch also stopped in briefly.  At least, I think that's what I saw - might have been a titmouse. 

At lunch, a Carolina wren shared the feeder with cardinals and chickadees. Afterward, A pileated woodpecker buzzed the feeder causing hysterics.  I believe two more pileateds joined it over in the oaks and pines.  Then both adult towhees came to check out what had fallen.  Meanwhile a couple of squirrels spent more time chasing than eating.  The sky is very changeable with cumulus piling up and then clearing off.  It is dark in the East.

Mid afternoon the rain began.  Titmice and towhees didn't mind till it got heavy.  When the rain slacked off three Carolina wrens came to feed. A hummer came several times.  And a great crested flycatcher appeared in the cherry, flew over to the redwood, and then out of sight.   One titmouse preferred to stay and hammer its seed right on the perch, till a cardinal surprised it.

Tonight is the actual night when the full moon is particularly close to Earth, but It's still overcast.  The sunset was a delicate watercolor of cream and gray. What with the rain, I forget to hang the rock earlier.  When I hurried out with it the raccoon was already there.  So much for negative reinforcement. 

Up early

I woke and saw dawn's rosy fingers of cloud in the East so I got up and took the brick off the feeder.  A cardinal was on it before I got inside.  Chickadees showed up next.  A Carolina wren preferred to poke around the grass.  A second gladiola stalk was broken - they're in a vase now but I'd prefer to have them on the plant. A flurry of finches arrived after breakfast. 

Clouds have thickened, especially to the South.  The geese paid a short visit.  A skink scampered across the steps.  A tiger swallowtail and a little green heron swooped over the house and me, not at the same time.  The male towhee came for lunch.  A cabbage butterfly is flitting around.  Wasps, bees and beetles are enjoying the parsley.  I saw a Japanese beetle on the rosemary.  Later another skink hid behind the downspout to watch me. 

A skipper fed on the lavender.  I rescued a robber fly from the water and then it either died or pretended to.  The afternoon got grayer and chillier.  While in the pool, I heard a kak-ak-ak ratchety sound and discovered a pair of crows mating up in the pines.  A lot of noise came from the birdhouse, mostly a fussy buzzing. 

At supper, tufted titmice came to the feeder.  I went outside to see the extra big moon that is promised.  The female towhee showed up just as fireflies were beginning.  Then a fox sauntered past.  A little later I saw all four of them scampering around the neighbor's yard, but by then they were only shadows.  The moon still hasn't cleared the trees and it's supposed to have risen over an hour ago.

Finally, around 9:30pm the moon appeared.  I had to go down the drive to see it free of tree limbs.  Instead of craters, I saw a halo from the cloud remnants. 

Summer begins

At least three chickadees are tussling over who gets to perch at the feeder.  They are apparently too young to know what other things to perch on and what is too weak.  The hummer came, as did a Carolina wren, house finches, and cardinals.  It is cool and cloudy.

I spent the morning with children building fairy houses.  Despite the prediction of 0% precipitation, it has rained off-and-on.  Toward evening, the sky began to clear and the clouds tinted up. 

Beautiful morning, beautiful day

Titmice have been busy.  The male towhee whistled piercingly from the top of the post. He kicked mulch then perched on the shadow of the feeder.

More titmice and a hummer came at lunch. I was indoors way too much of this lovely day. Here's the brick closing the feeder.

Hazy sky

Carolina wrens joined the finches and cardinals at breakfast.  They emptied the feeder. I'm thinking that a raccoon must be raiding it at night.  A raccoon, unlike a squirrel, could sit on top and reach into the feeding slots.  So, either I put only one day's worth of seeds in and refill each morning, or I bring in the feeder every night and put it out every morning.  Hmmm.  K came up with a third solution - hang a weight from the perch at night.

Dragonflies and wasps were busy and a small skipper butterfly paused briefly.  I saw a female pondhawk, a female widow skimmer, a golden skimmer, and something fast and red. The male towhee announced himself with a piercing whistle.  The hummer appeared while I had the feeder inside to clean.  She hovered exactly where it was supposed to be, then checked the gladiolas and lavender and left.

A skink made its way from the steps to the house wall.  The spider is still handing out beside the gardenias.  An egret is fishing under the bulkhead.  The chaste tree is budding. An osprey swooped overhead.  A serving-plate size turtle just came to the front door.  It has beautiful red markings on a smooth carapace and a red edge to its lower shell.  Its face is striped with buff.  I believe it is a northern red-bellied cooter.

I waited while the cardinals got their bedtime snacks and then hung a half brick from the feeder.  We shall see if that prevents it from being depleted in two days.  Low hanging dark wisps of cloud like smoke sailed West while higher up a thicker pattern of puffs and streaks moved East.  Sunset brought lovely pink tints to the clouds and fireflies below.   A couple of hours after dark, something rattled the feeder and set the brick swinging.   

More gray

It looks like a repeat of yesterday.  Finches and chickadees were up before me. A hard rain began around 8am and only lasted about 20 minutes.

The day continued gloomy with spatters of rain.  Lantana and gardenia are blooming, as is the magnolia.  The gladiolas are a bright spot though something snapped a second flower spike.   The lavender is attracting pollinators.

Tufted titmice, chickadees, and cardinals came to the feeder while we were having lunch. In the afternoon a cabbage butterfly visited ever lavender floweret. 

The sun peeked through cumulus mountains in the late afternoon and rain started not long after.  The evening was very wet. 

Gray day, humid

Squirrels are running around and acting silly.  Wrens, I think, are fussing around the birdhouse.  Hungry chickadees have emptied the feeder.  Sigh. The male towhee came to scratch in the mulch.  A hummer stopped briefly, but seemed wary of me.  I was outside and pretty close.  The sky is overcast with some texture and a light breeze comes and goes.  The creek is smooth.  Bees and wasps are working but I don't see other insects.  A heron passed overhead.  I saw a crow with twigs - second nest? 

A few glimmers of sun occurred around mid-day,  but the afternoon turned into a steady rain, right after I refilled the feeder.  A male cardinal and a male towhee came to feed anyway.  The cardinal was very wet. 

Around 6pm the sun came back but it was very cool and damp, dank actually.  The rain didn't fill the birdbath but it did make puddles in it.  The wren started work on the birdhouse again.  It was very industrious but had trouble getting twigs through the hole. 

Graduation

There are fledglings everywhere.  Some bird fathers are working hard, some are long gone.  But it sounds like all the kids have graduated from the nest.  A juvenile towhee came to kick mulch.  Titmice are back in force.  I guess they quit eating seeds while they have nestlings.  Doves seem to follow the same pattern.  A female hummer got breakfast.  The sky is hazy and it should be hotter today.  The gladiolas are showing red. 

Two pileated woodpeckers just swooped through.  One landed on the feeder post 10 feet from me, but on the back side.  One seemed to be following the other, maybe a graduated offspring trying to cage a last free meal? Then a tiny wren appeared with no eye line and smaller than a Carolina.  At lunch, dragonflies and butterflies passed by, including a tiger swallowtail laying eggs on a cherry tree. 

The wind was very gusty all day, hard on critters with wings.  I saw a dragonfly give up and seek a more sheltered perch.  In the evening, the male towhee showed up to grab a snack. The first quarter moon was very hazy in the west. 

Perfect June morning

It's cool enough to have windows open to hear the birdsong.  A Carolina wren, a mourning dove, and a female hummer have joined the usual crowd.  I think the chickadee brought the family as there was much excitement about who would perch where.  They also made a fuss around the birdhouse.  A pair of squirrels raced across the yard and circled back across the roof.


It's getting warm fast.  The seed feeder is empty but a Carolina wren found some bits left.  The dragonflies have resumed their widdershins circling of the house.  A black swallowtail got all excited egging the herbs.   A cabbage butterfly passed through.  I think I identified a small mantis nymph on the gardenia.  The orb spider is still camped between the gardenia and the ferns - beware pollinators! 

The afternoon was full of fledglings.  The Carolina wrens were particularly bold - the fledglings are trying to feed themselves but haven't figured it out yet.  And then, the fox cubs appeared.  I believe there are two.  The birds were scolding so I went to peer over the fence and saw one.  Later two came up to the fence.  They seemed to be playing hide and seek.  I saw no sign of the parents - probably in exhausted sleep under the neighbors' gazebo. 

Back to spring

The cold front yesterday dropped temperatures back into the 70s. I don't think any measurable rain ever fell.   It is still windy and the early blue sky has gone overcast.  Squirrels never stop.  One appears to have been bitten on the eyelid.

The usual bird trio was joined by a Carolina wren.  A female hummer visited several times and also took an interest in the lavender.  Egrets are haunting the bulkhead across the creek.  A smaller bird chased a raptor across the clouds but all I could see were silhouettes.  The first day lily has bloomed and the Egyptian pea vine has some blossoms. Since yesterday, the gardenia bush has burst into bloom.  Spatters of rain appeared around 9am and the sun has come-and-gone since.

The afternoon brought more blue sky but with menacing clouds lurking on the horizons.  I cam home down Witchduck and saw a turtle crossing.  It arrived safely at the lower lake. 

Hot haze

Squirrels are foraging and chasing each other.  Otherwise, not much is going on. I filled the birdbath and tied up the gladiolas because severe weather is predicted.  As soon as I went in, a titmouse appeared, as did the usual three.  A parade of large dragonflies crossed the patio from East to West and over the roof for about 10 minutes.  One diverted to bang into the window and knock itself onto its back.  It recovered quickly, but first I got this shot.  I think it is a Swamp Darner. 

The storm finally roared in a little after 5pm.  The clouds were very dark but the sun found some cracks.  The wind whipped the trees and drove the birds under cover.  Rain didn't begin for nearly an hour. After the winds died down, the birds were very hungry.  The female towhee showed up along with the usual suspects.

Early birds

The titmice have returned and were busy on the feeder early.  The female towhee came around as well. Dragonflies are battling for the perch I set out.  I believe this is a goldfinch eating pine buds.

I cleaned and refilled the hummer feeder.  It is really hot today.  I also set out a new dragonfly perch right at the corner of the steps, beside the birdbath. 

Widow skimmers, amberwings, and pondhawks are perching on the herbs and snatching the smallest bugs attracted to the flowers.  Larger wasps have tried to drive them off.  I tried to photograph them against a background in shade but the camera could not figure out the focus.  This is a female eastern amberwing on lavender. 

I had meetings all afternoon.  A sliver of moon is descending behind the pines and fireflies are winking.

Threatening clouds

Patches of blue open and close but the clouds are dark and heavy.  Mockingbirds are everywhere but my yard.  A dragonfly buzzed my car, the shiny blue may have looked like water.  Squirrels continue their antics.  The male towhee came for breakfast along with the usual species.

Well, the clouds have not carried out any threats.  The seed feeder was empty and it was time to change the hummer feeder.  While the seed feeder was down, a titmouse landed on the hanger, looked at me and defecated.  The thanks I get.  Dragonflies have come into their own today. A huge fly appeared while I was in the pool.  It looked like a horsefly.  I left.

Toward evening, an osprey flew over, hovered, then landed on our side of the creek.  Apparently that was far enough that the crows didn't notice.

Dull sky became downpour

K saw two adult foxes and a cub when she went for the newspaper.  I glimpsed a hummingbird that didn't stay.  I think I need to check the feeders.  Both towhees came to forage.  Egrets are out on the creek.

The feeders were fine.  The overcast broke up, a few sprinkles fell in the morning, and thunderheads climbed up the sky to the South.  The first downpour began the minute we got lunch off the grill.  Thank you, whoever was responsible! 

After a while, the clouds moved off Northeast and the sun came back.  Birds and squirrels hurried to stock up.  Then another deluge began and it rained the rest of the day, alternating heavy and light. Thunder and lightning have been in evidence, but nary a rainbow.  The soggy finches and cardinal overloaded the feeder. 

The fox returns

At 9am, the fox sauntered up to the steps, eyed the bird feeder, then moseyed over to the fence and headed out of sight toward the creek.  I now wonder if the den is under the East-side neighbors' gazebo.  When I first saw the fox, I was thinking the West-side neighbors' deck.  Before all that, the female towhee, Carolina wrens, and the usual cardinals, finches, and chickadees visited.  Squirrels continued their silly chases.  The sun is hot but the sky is hazed and cloudy.  Skinks are scuttling through hard-to-photograph corners.

At lunch, the male towhee came to eat.Something with small chisel teeth gnawed through the hose from the propane tank to the grill.  Grrrrr.  Butterflies are around - something brownish, a hairstreak, and a tiger swallowtail. The lavender is just beginning to bloom. 

Sun and clouds

The sky is in peek-a-boo mode.  The female towhee was up early to get her turn at a meal.  The usual suspects were out in force, accompanied by a brown thrasher.  I think I glimpsed a titmouse, a beady black eye in a white face.  Lots of beetles are flying around the parsley flowers.  The geese came back.  I went to turn the hose on them and it was shut off.  It drooled at them.  Very impressive, I'm sure.  And me barefoot. 


A little after 1pm, a real frog strangler blew through.  Torrential rain lasted about 15 minutes.  Then the Carolina wren and a female towhee came out to eat.  And then blue sky reappeared. 

Tropical storm Andrea

It is raining but there isn't much wind so far.  A band of heavier rain went through and now has slacked off.  Squirrels are out in it, though one sheltered on a window sill for a bit.  I haven't seen any birds or other wildlife.  The storm is supposed to creep Northward all day and pass us around sunset.

A few minutes ago there was a flash of sun but now the rain is back. For the last hour it's been flicking between sun and rain, sometimes at the same time.  A wet little squirrel has been chowing down.  A male towhee took advantage of a brief lull, then a male finch and a male cardinal showed up.  The wind has gotten much gustier and clouds are moving NNW very swiftly.

The sky was nearly clear for a little while at lunch.  A brown thrasher came to check out the mulch.  Finches kept a wary eye on me.  I heard wrens but they stayed out of sight.  A chickadee made a belated appearance.  Big dragonflies ventured out - maybe green darners but I didn't get a good look.

The wind is getting really high, straight out of the South.  Rain is alternating with sun.  It cleared some int he afternoon, then began again.  I cleared leaves out of the pool.  At some point geese left their turds on the patio.  Towards evening, a Carolina wren came to the feeder.  I heard rain in the night. 

Squirrel singles

One squirrel was following too close and the other went up the feeder post.  He followed her up so she went out on the feeder roof. He made to follow and she fell off!  So, after landing like a cat, she picked up a seed like nothing happened.  He came back down and a couple of minutes later he was nosing her tail again.  She left, then he left.  I am assuming the sexes from the behavior.  Some finches were about to land on the feeder, but the goings on were too much for them.

I fished out of the water the largest ant I've ever seen - black shading to red underneath.  I thought it was a wasp, but it had no wings.  There were several click beetles in the pool too.  Dragonflies are out in force, finally giving the wasps some competition.  This is a male pondhawk.  A cabbage butterfly and a tiger and a black swallowtail passed through.  The orb spider is still in the same place.

Both feeders have been cleaned and have fresh food.  The usual feeder birds were joined by a Carolina wren.  Some excited cheeping was going on up in a pine tree.  Mallard drakes napped down near the creek.  K saw a skink and a female hummer at lunch. The sky has been gradually clouding up all morning and the first tropical storm of the season is expected tomorrow. 

Sunny and still

The creek is reflecting the gardens on the North bank.  Squirrels are busy under the feeder. Lots of cardinals are around.  (Four can seem like lots when they are flying around.) The male finch sang for breakfast while the female ate it.

Towhees and brown thrashers have been in the mulch all day. This one found something. Dragonflies are finally becoming common along with wasps.  A lovely orb spider is lurking by the Christmas fern. 

And with the coming of dusk, I saw a firefly.

Sun's back

Apparently we got through the cold front faster than predicted.  The elegant towhee couple came to breakfast but were disturbed by the rowdy adolescent squirrels.  I saw five of them at one point.  They climbed all over the furniture.  One scared off a butterfly that had landed on a table.  Another crawled into the watering can.  Another went for several rides on the bird feeder.  And one hid under the gladiola leaves.  A brown thrasher shouldered past them and emerged triumphant with a worm.  Lots of chickadees hung out in the rosebush.  House finches and cardinals shared the feeder.  The sky is a hazy blue and the wind is gusty.

The towhees and thrasher have been back and a Carolina wren took over the feeder.   Then the wren flew into an azalea bush.  A little while later, a moth emerged with the wren in hot pursuit.  The wren caught the moth in mid air and took it off to the family while I sat with a camera in my hands unused.  A green dragonfly cruised over the flowers, probably a pondhawk. 

In the afternoon, a brown thrasher got into the garage and couldn't find the way out.  The birds that get in the garage always land on top of the open door and then can't see the opening. Eventually it disappeared. 

Rain clouds and rain birds

The first sight of the morning was a brown thrasher atop the feeder pole against an overcast sky.  Mid morning, rain began.  The usual suspects were joined by Carolina wrens, towhees, and brown thrashers.  The towhees and thrashers made a mess of the wet mulch. 

At one point there were two brown thrashers, but the towhees showed up one-by-one. One female cardinal is losing head feathers.  Two finches joined her on the feeder and overbalanced it.  One finch hoped to the back exactly as if it understood counterweights.