Very gusty

 It turns out that a tropical depression developed late yesterday off North Carolina and was forecast to be named Chris.  It sent fast clouds and fierce wind gusts at us out of the Northeast.  The tide was pushed quite high considering that the new moon is a week off.  Late in the afternoon there were a few breaks in the overcast and a little sun in an otherwise chilly day. The wind grounded most insects, but not the wasps.  And it brought down a palamedes swallowtail that hugged the ground for a while before taking off.

The birds, even hummers, ignored the wind.  I saw several blue jays in the oak and think they may have been parents with fledglings.  Later, one chased off a brown bird that looked like a great crested flycatcher.  In the cherry, another brown bird looked like a brown thrasher but I could not be sure.  A fledgling bluebird landed on the feeder hanger.  The wrens, however were still ferrying food to the birdhouse.  House finch fledglings were still bugging their parents.  The goldfinches and cardinals seemed to be taking it easy, with a little courting.  Titmice returned.  Downy woodpeckers hunted lunch. A hummer chase almost ended in tragedy as one bird hit the window, but both flew off. An egret monitored the dam outfall. 

One squirrel nibbled on the suet, which suggested that its pepper was fading.  Another squirrel was quite athletic but still couldn't solve the seed feeder puzzle.  The clouds broke apart far enough to admit sunset light and some turned orange.