Quiet morning, lively afternoon

The early clouds cleared but there was little activity.  A few finches and chickadees were joined by a titmouse at the feeder. Later, dragonflies came around, including blue dashers and a lovely emerald pondhawk.  A tiger swallowtail stayed high in the trees while a black swallowtail hovered in the herbs. 

After lunch, I went looking for something worth recording.  And I heard the first kingfisher of the post breeding season.  It landed on a dock piling but before I could turn on the camera or see which sex it was, it left.  After sharing the bench with a paper wasp, I went around the house and sat on the retaining wall in the shade.  A female pileated woodpecker landed in the pines.  Then a mockingbird flew out of the pines over to the dogwood.  And a blue jay flew back to where the woodpecker had been. 

A hummer stopped briefly at the feeder, then flew off either because I was too close or because there were too many candied ants.  I really regret letting the morning glory climb the post. 

I rescued some more spiders and some kind of Thysanura, not a silverfish though.  I find them in the water when we've had a dry spell.  A skipper visited the mint.  A great egret stood around on the dock.  A whole lot of buzzing and other sounds filled the air. 

A few clouds made a pretty sunset.  The crescent moon followed close behind.  Fireflies are still abundant.  The buzzes and whistles of the evening are different from the afternoon.