Halloween hawk!

The sky was mostly cloudy with fitful sunshine but darker clouds arrived in the afternoon.  A Cooper's hawk visited at lunch.  It landed on the bench behind the roses so I had to fight the camera for focus.  After a good look around it flew off, spreading its barred tail, but that I did not capture.

Later in the day blue jays and mockingbirds chased each other around the front yard.  The regulars cautiously came to the feeder when the hawk was long gone. 

Many strange critters came to the door in the night, lighted by the first quarter moon. 

Clearing sky

The sky was overcast when I got up but the clouds moved off East.  Enough rain fell overnight to fill the birdbath.  The regulars have visited the feeder and the Carolina wren investigated the grill.  Canada geese and cormorants flew by.

Squirrels bounced across the pool cover.  Several came to the birdbath for a drink.  One idiot sat in the birdbath. 

Little brown inky cap mushrooms along the retaining wall have been nibbled at.  The weeping conks are weeping while a different fungus grows closer to the oak trunk.  I think it is a "chicken of the woods" but I'm not sure.  And I'm certainly not going to eat it to find out.  However I hope it is growing on the dead roots of the tree we cut down and not the living one! 

It was considerably colder today after the front that passed through last night.

Quiet on the home front

I saw very few birds - just crows and some swallows high up.  I know others have been seeing tree swallows so I'm guessing that's what they were.  Something left its skull in the backyard, maybe a rabbit.  It had a rodent-type upper jaw but looked big for a squirrel. 

The black swallowtail caterpillars have been devouring the parsley and there are some on the rue.  Yellow jackets and other wasps were busy.  A yellowjacket was chewing the bench slats to make paper in the nest.  Another walked on my hand when I passed the rosemary.  A cabbage butterfly made the rounds.

The saltmarsh fleabane and the saltbush have both gone to seed and their fluff is blowing in the wind. 

The temperature had dropped when I went out to brick the feeder but the night was still clear enough that I could see the crescent moon.  An hour later it was raining. 

Home

I saw a road-killed deer this morning in New Jersey and many vultures all day which led me to muse on how roads have changed the ecology for scavengers.   I noticed that birds congregate on cell towers now.  But these were old-fashioned and stuck to power poles. 

When we got home, doves were pecking under the feeder. I guess the raccoons didn't empty it. 

Rainbow!

Morning was sunny and mild.  Lots of sparrows congregated on the way to brunch.

The sky glazed over midday and the temperature dropped.  While we ate lunch seaside more sparrows feasted on weed seeds.  We only had phones for photos.  Pigeons practiced aerial formations and landed in the sea wrack.  The sun burned through and got a bit warmer.

Then, near sunset, dramatic clouds piled up and dropped scattered showers, one of which caught the sunlight and made a gigantic sky-spanning double rainbow.  Gulls and maybe other birds prowled the shore and waves.  I only got blurry photos of some kind of sandpiper/plover. 

Wind and rain

A Northeaster has settled on the Cape.  Yesterday I stayed in.  An odd duck bathed and then preened on the beach while gulls and cormorants fished. 

Friends have identified this as a Common Eider.  It's a first for me. 

Various birds

Can I count a dead "life bird"?  Yesterday I found in the street just in front of a shop window what I think was a golden crowned kinglet.  I moved it out of the street in case it revived but I think its neck was broken.  I was with someone so I felt funny about hauling out my phone to take a photo of a dead bird. 

Lots of gulls and cormorants perch on the wharves and silhouette against the sunrise.  Sunday evening, they were driving fish close to the shore.  A flock of smaller birds performs aerial maneuvers in the morning.  And pigeons flock to the sea wrack.

Windy

The sun was back and it was pleasant but the wind deterred most fliers.  Squirrels continually hustled down the steps with nuts.  Chickadees and doves visited.  A great blue heron sailed directly overhead - I was warned by the shadow but not fast enough on the camera.  Later an egret flew downstream. 

The rosebush reflected in the birdbath filled by yesterday's rain.

Bees braved the wind for the rosemary, as did a cabbage white, skippers, and tiny moths.  A damselfly landed on the patio.  I tentatively identified it as a Rambur's Forktail.

At midday the sky was clear but by the middle of the afternoon cream-puff cumulus massed on the horizon.  There will be no more water rescues this year.  The pool was closed today. 

Spectacular dawn, wet day

Dawn was glorious, albeit warm and humid.  The last quarter moon overhead was surrounded by tinted clouds.  Not much occurred down on the ground.  A female cardinal with a beak not yet orange poked in the mulch.  White spot had a look too - she has more warbles.  An egret flew downstream.  And a spider popped up on the window frame. 

Bands of rain pushed through starting in the late morning.  In the intervals between there were glimmers of sunshine and the birds came out.  A couple of towhees argued in the dogwood.  A titmouse visited the feeder and doves the mulch.  Blue jays flew between the trees along with unidentified flying bugs. 

The wet put off the pool closing.  I rescued many spiders and some crickets though more had drowned, and yet another black caterpillar.  At twilight the clouds were moving North fast and there were some patches of sky and a hint of color. 

Humid and warm

Dew was heavy this morning - I saw drops falling off the rose.  Sunrise tinted the thin cloud streaks, first pink, then gold.  The creek caught the light falling on the pines which seemed to float on the water.  Chickadees came to the feeder even though I drank my coffee a few feet away.  The sun picked out spider silk everywhere, not organized webs so much as single strands.  Droplines, perhaps.  That made me realize that, despite the dew, I was not seeing any webs in the grass.  I don't know why.

This afternoon was probably my last chance at the pool.  In the skimmer I found spiders and crickets and an assassin bug nymph.  A snail clung to the pool wall.  A spider with a white ball of eggs lurked behind the brick. 

There were doves and blue jays but not much else.  A squirrel with a stained tummy came to the birdbath. 

Warmer

The temperature was pleasant even before the sun was up, but clouds moved in soon after.  Squirrels were busy.  One seemed quite young. By late morning it really looked like rain.  I heard but did not see a kingfisher.

After lunch,  a few drops of rain fell, not even enough to freckle the pavement.  Then the sky reverted to passing clouds from the South and the day turned lovely.  An egret flew upstream.  I heard blue jays and cardinals behind me and a woodpecker tapping somewhere.

In the pool I saw a mama spider with a bundle of eggs, plus many more spiders, many crickets and beetles, two snails, a grub or maggot, and the prize of the day: a Florida predatory stinkbug.  More weeping conks have sprung up.  Lots of honeybees and carpenter bees grazed the rosemary along with a fiery skipper. It was so pleasant that I sat outside wet till 4pm. 

The big cumulus clouds disappeared leaving mare's tails and contrails that turned rose at sunset.

Cold and gray

I glimpsed a titmouse and a dove.  White spot came for a drink.  An egret and geese were out on the creek.

A sprinkle of rain hit the North windows in the early afternoon.

A flicker of color touched the clouds around 6:30 and I could see blue sky between, but then twilight took over.  Cardinals and doves came for supper.

Overnight rain

It had just finished raining when I got up.  The sky steadily cleared through the morning.  In addition to the regulars, a brown thrasher and a Carolina wren paid brief visits.  The squirrels looked wet and matted as they carried off pecans.  For some reason they bring the nuts from the front yard around and through the back making three quarters of a circle.

At lunch an eagle flew past.  A squirrel chased three doves.  Then the sky began to cloud over again and the temperature dropped.  I ventured into the water anyway and rescued yet another tiny black caterpillar. 


After considerable image googling, I think these have been soldier beetle larvae, not caterpillars. 

Warmer

The West was clouded when I got up but by sunrise the sky was clearing.  The sun gilded the clouds.  Titmice, doves, and a brown thrasher joined the feeder birds, though I expect the brown thrasher was hoping for bugs, not seeds.  Squirrels were busy on the ground.  The creek reflect the sunlit pine trunks.

And by mid-morning the clouds thickened. By lunch, they'd cleared.  A cabbage white flitted through.

In the pool were: another velvety black caterpillar, a tiny click beetle, cricket nymphs, an assassin bug nymph, and a small wasp.  Something upset the bluejays but I could not see what.  It might have been a crow, or the crow might have been helping. 

Another weeping conk has emerged. A lone cicada buzzed in counterpoint to the crickets. 

Beautiful day

However, not much is stirring.  Doves arrived early, then the regulars. The saltbush is in full feather. 

I saw a cloudless sulphur butterfly.  Blue jays flew into the oaks.  Baby spiders were in the pool skimmer and a large spider was in the bathtub!  Bees were all over the rosemary.  I found some gray and pale yellow feathers here and there in the yard - one flight feather and several small body feathers.  An egret worked the creek.

The day-past-full moon was huge and brilliant. 

Lunar eclipse

I tottered out around 5am and watched about three quarters of an hour of the eclipse.  There were passing clouds that made ice halos.  Eventually the pines interfered with viewing so I didn't stay for the full show.  The crickets were in fine voice.

When I got up again, the regulars were busy on the feeder.  White Spot Squirrel got her drink from the birdbath I cleaned yesterday.  A great blue heron circled twice low over the yard. Jays flew across too.

While I saw out during the morning, I saw two large orb webs.  At lunch time I saw a cloudless sulphur butterfly and a dragonfly. A hawk zoomed through just above the feeder and landed on the neighbor's roof.  Bees and wasps were hard at work. 

An egret stalked along the bulkhead.  In addition to the usual complement of spiders, beetles, and crickets, there were two very small, velvety black caterpillars in the pool. 

White sky

While sunny, there was a definite layer of cloud glazing the sky.  Titmice joined the regulars at the feeder.  The white spot squirrel visited as did a young male.  She drank from the creek - I'd better hose out the birdbath. Cardinals made the berry bushes shake.  A slug stopped half way across the patio. 

A persistent black swallowtail laid eggs on my parsley and rue. 

The sky cleared toward evening and the sun lit wispy clouds.  At twilight, a mockingbird shook the beautyberry as it plucked off a late snack.  Meanwhile the cardinals were having their bedtime snack on the feeder. 

Warmer

Doves congregated under the feeder and around the patio.  Squirrels, including white spot, alternated between dropped seed and nuts.  The regulars appeared for breakfast, but nothing more exotic.  Something - maybe fish, maybe methane - kept popping to the surface of the creek and making ripples that caught the sun.  Otherwise the creek was glassy till mid-morning. 

Spiders, a snail, field crickets, and black beetles were in the water.  A spider fell off the brick and apparently died almost immediately.  I fished it out but it did not revive.  A mama wolf spider also clung to the brick.  I put a twig for the spiders to use to climb out but none did.  More honeybees found the rosemary.  A black swallowtail visited the parsley and a cabbage butterfly flitted by.  A big darner dragonfly zoomed back and forth.

Cold and bright

A front moved through.  I'm not sure if I can face swimming today!  The feeder area attracted doves, titmice, a carolina wren, a blue jay, and the regulars.  Something with a long tail preferred beauty berries.

Four doves poked through the mulch as I cooked.  The red rose is blooming again.  It is a beautiful day, but downright chilly. 

On the road

It rained in the early morning before we left around dawn.  The sky cleared on the way and the rest of the day was bright.  I saw a big Araneus sp? spider cut a dead crape myrtle flower out of its web, presumably before it ate the rest of the silk.  When we passed again in the afternoon most of the web and the spider had disappeared.  I'd left my camera in the car so all I got were phone photos.

All I saw on the road home were gulls around the HRBT.  The moon was high when we started back and we got home
right around sunset.

Early surprises

Right after sunrise a flicker and a female towhee showed up along with the usual feeder crowd.  The flicker stayed down in the mulch and the towhee in the rosemary.  Doves hung around.  I saw a blue jay cruise through the yard and an egret reflected in the creek.   Here's the creek reflecting the sunlit bank through the dogwood and saltbushes. 

When I came home a butterfly was fluttering around the lantana.  I can't be sure but I think it was a red admiral.  The sky clouded over in the late morning despite the predicted sunshine.  Titmice visited at lunch.  Several great blue herons flew East overhead toward the Western Branch.  I startled a squirrel making off with a pecan. It dropped the nut and watched me. Then, when I didn't move, it came back and picked the nut up and scampered.  There's been no sign of the infected finch. 

Cloud streaked sky

The birds (regulars & titmice) were confused by the absence of the feeder which was getting disinfected.  The squirrel with the white spot knew where the sunflower seeds were but could not get into the bucket.  A mourning dove poked around for a bit.  A blue jay ignored the whole thing and went after acorns.  A mockingbird preferred dogwood berries.  Unfortunately, the infected bird is still around.  I don't know what to do about that. I was advised to catch the bird and take it to a rehabber.  Well, I can try.

At lunch al fresco, a skink wandered along the mulch and a skipper visited the rosemary.  Chickadees visited the nice, clean feeder but a cardinal ate dogwood berries instead. 

Honeybees continued to find the rosemary.  The salt bush has begun blooming. 

Sunshine and fluffy clouds

The creek had that fall reflective quality until around 9am.  Titmice were up early with the regulars.  A white cabbage butterfly and a honeybee joined the bumblebees on the rosemary.  A cardinal went for berries instead of seeds. 

A brown thrasher poked around the azaleas by the fence.  A house finch with infected eyes was on the feeder so now I need to disinfect it. 

Spiders continue to occupy the pool.  I'm beginning to think they are grass spiders not fishing spiders.  Thread-waisted wasps and honey bees and carpenter bees enjoyed the rosemary.  I hope the dock gets fixed soon - "Club Mallard" and duckdock are getting to be way too accurate. 

A mockingbird entertained me with a wide repertoire but I never saw the bird.  I heard and glimpsed a red-bellied woodpecker.  Jays were everywhere calling but only flashes across the yard.  But I caught the brown thrasher up in the oak. 

The first quarter moon was overhead a little after sunset.  I got some pictures despite clouds.