September's end

A Carolina wren came to the feeder first this morning. The creek looks polished but the reflection has a slight ripple.  There's a light breeze and there are clouds but the sun is bright. 

At lunch the song sparrow emerged.  And the sun went away. I checked the feeder because so few birds were coming, but it is full.  The breeze has picked up and without the sun, it's chilly.

By mid-afternoon the sun was back.  A katydid lurked on a pea leaf that was too dark for camouflage. But, since this species comes in pink and orange as well as green, perhaps it doesn't know any better. 

Fox came out one cloudy morn

K and I remembered different parts of the song. At any rate, not one but two foxes paraded across the yard this morning under an overcast sky.  I think they are the juveniles from next door.  I thought the fox family had left the area but perhaps the young ones felt like a visit?  After they left, the song sparrow emerged. 

The Northeast wind is still pushing the clouds and making occasional rifts for the sun.  Low, dark clouds are sliding past higher, brighter cumulus.  Chickadees and titmice have been visiting the feeder. 

The sky cleared around the time the sun was overhead, and a Carolina wren came for lunch.  A red spotted purple paused on the peavine, but not long enough.  A couple of mockingbirds had a fight over the berry territory.  An egret passed on its way upstream.  It is quite windy now. 

Almost a Nor'easter

Today was the second day of wind and clouds out of the Northeast.  I spent the day out of town but returned for the evening cormorant commute.  The three regulars visited the feeder while the cormorants flew every which way against a dramatic backdrop. 

Golden dawn

The rising sun turned the tops of the pines to gold but left the clouds dark as smoke.  Now the world has returned to normal with green pines and white clouds on a blue sky.  K rehung the cleaned hummer feeder.  That's the last of the sugar water, so I think I'll put it away after this is gone. 

Doves joined the regulars this morning. Later, Carolina wrens arrived.  A buzzard circled.

In the afternoon, I saw a red spotted purple.  The sparrow tried out the feeder, first time I've seen a song sparrow do that.  Dogwood leaves are falling fast. 

Clouds and sun

A song sparrow and a Carolina wren joined the regulars for breakfast.  There are lots of clouds but the sun is finding breaks.  K said one of the squirrels appeared to be injured. 

Now that I've see the squirrel, I think it's a bad itch of some sort.  The poor squirrel was scratching and biting its shoulder. 

Meanwhile, we were flooded with doves, one of which has a white tail.  The song sparrow is still foraging under the peavine.  A titmouse visited the feeder.  Blue jays are up in the trees.  A woodpecker hid in the wild cherry - a hairy or a sapsucker.  A flicker perched high in the sweet gum. 


A tiger swallowtail fooled me with its convincing imitation of a leaf drifting on the breeze. Mid-afternoon, a black swallow took an interest in the rue. 

Still summery

A bumblebee was an early visitor to the morning glories.  Cardinals, chickadees and titmice visited the feeder.  I heard jays and a pileated woodpecker but could not see them. The clouds are streaky to the North, frothy overhead and fluffy to the South, kind of a gradation from cirrus to cumulus. 

A thirsty male finch showed up at lunch.  Later the song sparrow and a mockingbird appeared.  A couple of great blue herons flew up stream and then one-by-one returned.  A buzzard circled. There are honeybees on the rosemary and beetles rafting on leaves in the water.  It is hot in the sun but chilly in the shade. A green pondhawk drank from the pool. 

Early birds!

I looked up from my cereal and the feeder post was covered with birds.  I reached for the camera and they all flew away.  In addition to the usuals, there were titmice and a woodpecker.  I think it may have been a sapsucker as it had some red but was smaller than a red-bellied.  Two doves landed on the railing and a blue jay attempted to join them.  A tiny wren rushed under the rosemary.  I think there may be two song sparrows now.  The sun is bright on the glassy creek. 

Now, at 9, there are dark clouds building on the Northern horizon. Cormorants, gulls, and an egret are using the wind.  A skein of geese passed overhead,  And a hummer visited the feeder.

Before noon, the sky cleared and it has been gorgeous.  Lots of dragonflies in parking lots, seduced by cars reflecting light like water.  Speaking of water, the pool is down to 70 degrees and full of leaves.  Chilly!  But an eagle circled very high up in the clear blue. 

Windy

Intermittent sunshine and streaming clouds.  The waning moon was high in the West when I got up but it has grown cloudier since.  A chickadee imitated the wren by poking around under the grill.

The prediction of sunshine was way off, it's mostly overcast with clouds coming out of the NW and cool, damp wind.  In addition to chickadees, I've seen a couple of blue jays in the cherry, a couple of doves on the ground, a Carolina wren, and some cardinals.  Bumblebees are working the rosemary.

The song sparrow is still here and I think it is still molting - it looks rumpled and feathers are coming off.

Rainy equinox

Cardinals, chickadees, and titmice were hungry for breakfast.  One cardinal kept poking any other bird that tried to land on the feeder.  Everything is dripping and a slug wandered across the top of the door.

A little after noon, a chilly North wind swept away the cloud cover.   The song sparrow foraged under the peavine. A buzzard circled under the dissipating clouds. A skink ran across the patio and the sparrow ventured out, albeit under a chair.  A dark butterfly is busy around the cherry, probably a purple. 

The clouds have sneaked back from the South and it is windy and chilly.  A hummer stopped to feed.  Finches finally showed up, but mostly chickadees. I think I saw a brown thrasher. The squirrel with the white spot passed through. A female cardinal was munching on beauty berries and a squirrel on dogwood berries. 

Last of summer

Titmice appeared early, then I had to leave.  When I got home, wrens were foraging and bathing.  A juvenile cardinal watched askance.  There are too many cardinals for their peace-of-mind.  The song sparrow is still here.  A tiger swallowtail floated overhead.  The paper wasps on the front porch have multiplied.  The argiope spider is still hanging out over the light with her egg sacks. 

Heavy, dark clouds rolled in from the South mid-afternoon, but only about six drops of rain fell.  Pool rescues were mostly crickets and spiders, some of whom were carrying their offspring.  The titmice and other birds returned when the clouds lightened.

Warmer

Cardinals and finches on the feeder, jays in the oak, and wrens flitting around the bushes.  A red-spotted purple worked its way through the hillside bushes.  They also touch down on the water.  Honeybees joined the bumblebees on the rosemary.  A hummer fed - this one hovers constantly.

As I crossed Lesner Bridge this afternoon, a pelican crossed over me.  Coming back, the tide was way out and old pilings poked up out of the bay. An egret was perched in the tiptop of a small tree on Pleasure House Creek, looking very insecure.

When I got home in the late afternoon of a truly gorgeous day, I was greeted by a brown thrasher.  A wren scurried under the pea vine while four cardinals held court.  Then I realized that one bird was not a finch, but a returning sparrow.  I believe it's a song sparrow though it doesn't have a dark chest spot. 

The usual suspects

Chickadees, cardinals, and house finches are at the feeder.  Squirrels and doves on the ground.  Crows and blue jays in the oak trees.  Gulls and cormorants over the creek.  Bumblebees on the rosemary.  It is a little warmer today and very bright.  Acorns keep plopping into the pool. 

A brown thrasher worked under the oak and beautyberry.  It was too far and too shadowy for a decent photo. A mockingbird hid out in the hickory.  A hummer hit the feeder.  A Carolina wren showed up late afternoon. 

K asked why the critters in the oak keep snipping off branch ends and dropping them on the ground.  I wonder too. 

Tuesday, Eye for Nature pulled out most of the morning glories, which I had not intended.  But a few peeped out today. 

Sunny, with a rocket launch

The wind seems less fierce today and a cardinal came for breakfast along with a chickadee. The sky is cloudless to the North.

Oh, now there are some clouds.  I hope they don't obscure the Wallops Island launch.  A Carolina wren is bobbing up and down on the grill's gas hose. 

The sky was clear to the North when the rocket took off.  It went straight up, then bent East - a silver spot leading a short contrail.

Around noon, a hummer kicked a chickadee off the hummer feeder.  Palamedes swallowtails showed up during lunch.  A couple of skinks came out.  Honeybees joined the bumblebees and wasps.  Then, around 2pm a cicada landed in a rose bush. Dark clouds started moving in from the East.


But nothing came of it and the sun still shines. 

A bright harvest moon is rising. I think something got to the feeder before I closed it for the night. 

Cricket song

Buttercream puffs of cumulus are floating in the sky, moving SW.  The tree crickets are still making a sound somewhere between ticking and ringing.  Chickadees are up and breakfasting.  Likewise squirrels.  There's a stiff breeze and it is cool. 

Now it has gone gray, alas.

By afternoon, the gray broke apart but the clouds are big.  The wind is making me chilly and keeping birds and bugs out of sight.

Chickadees visited again, but no others.  Cormorants and crows and a few gulls are out flying.  An egret went upstream.  Bumblebees are busy on the rosemary, but no honeybees.  I saw dragonflies elsewhere but none here.  Now I hear geese. 

The clouds dwindled as evening came on and now a bright, almost full moon is rising. Earlier I visited the Vaughn market stand at the Kempsville Library - ripe tomatoes!  And the makings for ratatouilli. 

Hazy early, then rain

The sunlight is muted.  The creek was glassy earlier, but now there's a breeze.  Where is everybody? Just chickadees and bumblebees.  Then finches and honeybees.  The morning glories are indeed glorious.  Did I see a hummer?

If so, it hasn't returned.  Rain started after 3:30 - earlier than I'd hoped.  Clouds boiled out of the West and the wind blew every which way.  A crow sat on the dock bench and proclaimed doom.  A dark butterfly fought the wind into tree shelter - not sure if it was a swallowtail or a purple.  The chickadees kept right on eating. 

A cold front is passing with dark clouds and a fiery sunset. There was a great photo in the newspaper. 

Quiet

I noticed the hummer feeder was dry yesterday so now it is refilled.  But there's not much action at the seed feeder either.  The creek was golden at dawn and it is still sunny though there are clouds. It was cool and we had the windows open overnight but it was surprisingly quiet.  Usually the tree crickets are singing till dawn. 

I spent the late afternoon on the dock but didn't get any good photos except this feather floating in the spartina.  An egret had passed by earlier.  Cormorants and gulls and maybe an eagle flew over.  Mallards and geese paddled.  Titmice flitted among the trees.  Spider threads floated on the breeze.  Crows kicked up a fuss but it was not clear why.  The spartina is blooming.

Cold wind blowing

A front moved through and carried summer away.  But it left sunshine behind.  The glow on the trees and water at dawn was lovely.  Chickadees were hungry.

The wind out of the Northeast has pushed heavy clouds in and the sun only comes in flickers now.  Cardinals and a Carolina wren came for brunch. Crows, cormorants and buzzards are flying high. 

And now it's blue again with cardinals calling. An orange sulphur looked for something among the patio plants.  One little skink scuttled with a pale tail.  A finch perched in the rosemary - I think it was catching bugs!  A couple of others got greedy and tipped the feeder shut.

In the evening, a couple of raccoons hustled past.  The moon is just past first quarter.  

Dull morning

It's overcast this morning.  Cardinals and finches and a hummer had breakfast.  A sulphur butterfly went past.

It cleared by lunch and was sunny and breezy.  A skink ventured out and a palamedes swallowtail floated by.  

Hot & sunny

I got up early but was not rewarded with anything but the sound of tree crickets finishing the night's concert.  A couple of bumblebees got into aerial combat like yesterday's hummers. 

Overall, It was a much better day for insects than birds.  I finally got a cicada killer to hold still.  I found a black swallowtail caterpillar that had run out of parsley eating lavender.  And I rescued a tiger moth from the pool, twice.  The third time I left it to its fate. Acorn shrapnel is everywhere and the pool is full of floaters and sinkers.  Also stupid black mulch beetles.

 The sunset was very red.

Bright sun

Little puffs of cloud in the West were buttered by the early sun and silver on the shadowed side against the blue sky - very painterly.  The grass was wet on my feet as I looked for an angle to photograph the sky. 

While I was doing dishes, a hummer came to the window, maybe to investigate me, maybe to make sure its reflection was no threat?  A couple of titmice joined the cardinals, finches and chickadees at the feeder.

After lunch, a Carolina wren inspected the grill.  Then it and a cardinal foraged under the Egyptian pea vine.  Yellow sulphurs flitted through the yard. The hummer warz continue - there are two in this photo.

Just like yesterday, the clouds made an afternoon spectacle, then cleared before sunset.  A hummer and a family of cardinals came for supper. 

Quiet

There's some condensation on the windows and no apparent breeze.  The creek is still and pilings merge into their reflections.

By lunch, there was a light breeze.  Tattered black swallowtails were laying their last eggs.  Hummers were warring over food that was plentiful.  Skinks went about their business.

Cumulus clouds passed by making sunbeams and shadows but were mostly gone by late afternoon.  Two long tailed hawks, probably sharp shins, have the crows in an uproar.  Cormorants flap off to every point of the compass.  I rescued two wolf spiders that were carrying their babies on their backs, and got an infant in my hair as thanks.  The honeybee brought a sister to work on the rosemary.  A giant swallowtail floated across the yard just fast enough to evade the camera.  A fine fat black swallowtail caterpillar was hidden under the lavender. 

Humid, white sky

The sky is more white than blue.  Finches and chickadees came for breakfast.  I glimpsed a hummer. 

The palamedes swallowtail pulled the same trick today but a sulphur posed on the pea flowers.  There are other butterflies around.  Titmice joined the usual birds at lunch.  There are more caterpillars on the azalea. The sunshine is fitful but it is hot.

A squirrel keeps tossing leafy twigs down and dropping acorns - it's getting dangerous.  I finally saw a honeybee today, on the rosemary.   I rescued a lot of spiders, including one carrying a pearl of eggs.  The argiope has laid a second egg sac by the front door. 

Warmer, more clouds

An early hummer tried the morning glories, the pea flowers, and the lavender before deciding on the morning glories.  She nearly disappeared into them.  Titmice joined chickadees and finches for seeds.  A large V-formation just passed over headed Southeast. A dove dropped in briefly.

At lunch, a palamedes swallowtail tasted the pea flowers but flew away before I was halfway to the camera.  Yes, I cursed.   

Later, a tiger swallowtail binged on the lantana again.  Carolina wrens are around,  A cardinal has started eating the beauty berries.  I saw other butterflies: cloudless sulphur, red spotted purple, and pearl crescent.  A female eastern pondhawk landed on the patio.  A grasshopper flew across the pool doing a good imitation of a hummingbird.  Acorns keep dropping into the pool, thanks to the squirrels and maybe birds too.  Crows were up in the oak making odd croaks and creaks, not cawing.  The clouds have pretty much gone.

Cooler and lovely

Clouds are slowly drifting Southeast.  A bumblebee pollinated the morning glories.  A nuthatch and a titmouse joined the usual three at the seed feeder.  The hummer feeder is clean and fresh.  A jay flew loudly across the yard.  A hummer rejected the feeder and tried the peavine. 

It is a lovely day.  Now the clouds are moving Northeast and dissipating as they pass over.   A tiger swallowtail feasted on the lantana out front. 

Skinks were out, including one I rescued alive from the pool.  They can swim!  Blue jays swarmed raucously in the oak.  Wrens have been lurking.  A pair of swallows were fussing and flew right over our heads.  A gulf fritillary landed on an azalea, then a painted lady on a dogwood.  A sizable jumping spider scurried out from under the rosemary. 

Clouds and sun

Either the sun is shining on heavy clouds or here's blue sky with no sun because the clouds have moved East.  The usual feeder birds were joined by a nuthatch as they jostled and pecked for space on the perch.  At one moment the nuthatch joined a cardinal and a finch and proved to be the last straw.  Doves have been hanging around.Hairstreaks are everywhere - they seem more interested in the pea vine tendrils than the flowers.  I also saw sulphurs and swallowtails and some very fast dragonflies.  Also the wasp I think is a cicada killer.  I wish one would pause for a photo!

The sky cleared in the afternoon.  Cormorants seem to have a lot of traveling to do - they fly in all directions all day.  Laughing gulls pass up or down the creek alone.   A dove checked out the area below the feeder and then settled in for a siesta.  Then a squirrel appeared and acted like it had never seen a dove before.  It circled and then crept forward the way a dog does with something unfamiliar.  The dove swelled up as big as it could.  The squirrel moseyed off and then suddenly a sharp shinned hawk swooped out of the trees across the pool and skimmed above the feeder.  It did not seem to see the dove in the mulch.  And I just sat with my mouth open. 

September fog

It was just a little misty at first.  Then thick patches flowed down the creek and spread out.  Now it is thinning after most of an hour.  Cardinals were feeding before the fog. Later chickadees, finches and titmice joined in.  The morning glories are profuse.

When I got home in the afternoon a bright green pondhawk was resting on the patio.  Cumulus clouds are piled high and casting sunbeams in Hallmark images. 

Yet another skink drowned.  Carolina wrens foraged under the pea vine.  I evicted a cardinal to hang the brick on the feeder perch for the night.  Since we've been doing this, the seeds have lasted much longer.  Those raccoons were really taking a lot.

Beautiful day

The early sun tinted a mass of small puffy clouds with watercolors.  The creek is glassy though there is a breeze.  A Carolina wren began grill inspection early.  As soon as I was out of sight, birds congregated on the feeder. They included a couple of titmice.  A male hummer appeared for a pick-me-up.  I guess the females sleep in.  The beautyberry is starting to turn purple. 

The clouds disappeared but there's a nice breeze.  Skinks came out to enjoy it.  Green and brown bird grasshoppers are flying around.  So are all three kinds of swallowtail and other butterflies.  A few saddlebags were on the hunt.   

Around 5pm clouds came in from the West and by 7pm they were dramatic as the sun slowly dropped beneath like an egg and fired their edges.  Titmice returned in the late afternoon. 

Hot and humid

A heron soared through the clouds.  I'm not sure why I'm not seeing more feeder activity.  A female slaty skimmer is patrolling the pool.  A sulphur flitted through the yard.  I think I saw a squirrel plunge to the ground in the neighbor's yard.  It made an awful thud, but I can't see through the bushes to tell if there is a corpse.  A goldfinch perched at the very top of the sweet gum.  They like the seeds in the gumballs. 

A male hummer visited and drank his fill. No others showed up to drive him away. By lunch time, the sky hazed over. 

After lunch, I picked about a dozen azalea caterpillars off the plant by the window before the threat of rain drove me inside.  It's been thundering and now drops are falling.