Windy morning

Shreds of clouds streamed East on a mostly blue sky, but at ground level the wind whipped around from all directions.  The bluebirds sought wild cherries in addition to mealworms. Squirrels were acting nutty all day.  An eagle circled over the creek and I got one decent shot. 

The clouds got bigger and darker in the afternoon.  The wind did not drop as much as I'd hoped, but it was enough to bring out dragonflies.  I also saw a few small butterflies, mostly snouts.  There were a lot of spiders in the water, some of them mama wolf spiders with spiderlings clinging to their backs.  One mama found a leaf raft and was joined by a ground beetle that kept a very low profile.  As I was watching to see if another mama would also climb aboard, rain began.  It did not amount to much, but by then I had taken the camera inside.

As I came up the steps, I surprised a skink that had been basking on the retaining wall.  It hid under rosemary that did not conceal it very well.  The great golden digger wasp was back on the rue.  A hummer visited the feeder - I'd begun to think it was dry.  A couple of egrets got territorial about the dam outfall.  A pair of doves foraged around the dry birdbath.  The female bluebird gave me a dirty look because she'd carried off all the mealworms. There were fireflies again at dusk.  Better than fireworks any time!