Family troubles

 It rained overnight and the sky became overcast though no rain was predicted for today. The hummer was up early.  The pair of goldfinches continued to visit, and she continued to move in on whichever flower he picked.  Meanwhile two chickadees got into a fight.  And the house finch fledglings begged. A bluejay stopped in for wild cherries.  The wrens had not yet fledged today. 

At lunch, two female goldfinches had a midair tussle that left one on the steps panting while the other fled.  Later, chickadees would fly up to the feeder and dodge away.  Lo and behold, a bee was sitting on the perch intimidating them.  The flame-colored skimmer was back.  I also saw a skipper and all three swallowtails - black, tiger, and palamedes.  The great crested flycatcher dodged among the trees. 

I think I may have seen a giant swallowtail, though it never paused for me to verify that it wasn't a palamedes.  The chickadee pecking order continued to play out in the late afternoon as one glared another right off the feeder, only to be displaced by a third.  The female goldfinches were at it again as well.  The loser sat in the cherry and complained.  The house wren was reduced to hunting in the trash barrel. 

Sunset was dramatic with clouds first turning gold then rose and finally smoke.