Wind from the Northeast

The moon was between new and first quarter but the wind pushed the high tide into the grass.  Clouds covered the sky.  Cardinals were out and about, but not much else was stirring.

When I came home around noon, a bird got into the garage.  It was gray with a lighter belly and no distinguishing marks that I could see as it zipped back and forth. My one photo was a blur.  Other birds weren't much more cooperative, except of course for the feeder trio.  A titmouse slipped in for a seed but did not return.  Blue jays kept to the shrubbery and the oak.  A brown thrasher poked around under the cedar.  A yellow breasted chat and two red eyed vireos appeared, but moved too fast for the cloud-dimmed light.  A migrating hermit thrush was more stationary. 

Leaves on the canna looked chewed recently and today I noticed one rolled up.  There was a caterpillar inside that fit this description.  Given the size of the caterpillar, I was surprised it was such a small butterfly.  A dark butterfly struggled against the wind.  I couldn't tell if it was a black swallowtail or a red spotted purple.  I saw field crickets and even saved one from the water (which I was not motivated to enter.)  The spiders all seemed to be surviving the weather, even the argiope down near the water.