Wet and gray

The new suet continued to tempt out birds.  The red bellied woodpecker got as far as the post before it panicked, twice!  A pine warbler visited the suet.   Carolina wrens and tufted titmice also tried some, and in between the downy woodpeckers worked on it.  Meanwhile, doves and white throats foraged below and chickadees shared seeds with more titmice.  Then a hawk swooped into the neighbors' pines and all disappeared.  The hawk didn't wait long before it flew upstream. The birds returned quickly.

Around 9am rain began.  A yellow rumped warbler put in an appearance about an hour later when the rain had stopped. By 10:30 it was possible to see where the sun was behind the cloud cover.

The song sparrow came for lunch.  And a white throat dug itself a pool in the soggy mulch under the camellia.  I wish I'd have gotten a photo of its pink petal bath.  (There was plenty of water in the official birdbath.)  A couple of doves sat in the hickory overlooking the creek. 

There was intermittent sun in the afternoon but, just before sunset, dark clouds swept in from the Southwest and the temperature dropped.  Enough light leaked through to tint the Northern horizon pink.