Very warm

It was shirt sleeve temperature most of the day, but quite humid.  White throated sparrows, titmice, and red breasted nuthatches ate seeds but I think the others were catching bugs.  A brown thrasher flashed in and out.  The kingfisher was back on the dock post.  And a bit later, a great blue heron stood on the back of the bench and preened.  Occasional breaks in the clouds let a bit of sunlight through but it was a gray day with a strong South wind.  

Around 4:30pm, a frightful cloud swept up from the Southwest, lit from below by the setting sun.  Rain blasted through after dark, the temperature dropped somewhat, and the sky may have cleared but I didn't go check.  

Lake Lawson/Lake Smith park

There was heavy dew on the sunflower seed feeder.  That didn't deter nuthatches and titmice from competing with the regulars.  Pine warblers and downy woodpeckers argued over the suet.  Juncos and a white throated sparrow scurried over the patio.  Then I saw something on the bark butter ball cup that wasn't quite right for a female house finch - my first pine siskin! 

During lunch we were entertained first by a red bellied woodpecker. A dove marched up the steps, poked into everything, and peered in the window at us.  Red breasted nuthatches and a brown headed nuthatch made repeated sorties to the seeds.  A female bluebird studied the situation, then sampled the suet.  I spotted a yellow rumped warbler in the wild cherry.  The brown thrasher got away again.  The kingfisher came back and a blue jay dropped in. 

After lunch we went to the

Lake Lawson/Lake Smith Natural Area, and so did a lot of other people and dogs.  The result was very little wildlife, just a cormorant, a couple of squirrels, and something small and dark that climbed a big tree trunk out of sight before I got it in focus.  But the lakes and trees were beautiful.  As we were leaving, there was a mockingbird.  When we got home, a little bird flitted around the Hollywood juniper but I never got a good look.  I did see a red bellied woodpecker high in the oak. The sky was hazy and after dark the moon was just a bright round light. 

Buffleheads, at last

After breakfast, a kingfisher alighted on one of the posts that holds our floating dock in place.  Unfortunately there was too much vegetation in the way for a decent photo.  Pine warblers, Carolina wrens, and then the brown thrasher arrived for brunch.  On the ground, a white throated sparrow and a titmouse foraged.  The mockingbird came back and so did another.  They had quite an aerial fight.  

Hooded mergansers paddled by on the creek.  I spotted a couple of turtles sunning on the lake logs.  I was watching the kingfisher which had relocated to the neighbors' dock piling, when I noticed a riffle moving through the water.  That sometimes means a school of fish.  This time the fish were being chased underwater by a flock of buffleheads.  I had begun to wonder if something terrible had happened to them over the summer or during migration.  Other years, they arrived with the hooded mergansers for Veterans Day, but those came early this year. So with the buffleheads late, there was about a month between them. 

The brown thrasher came back in the afternoon.  The red breasted nuthatch  showed up.  Warblers were back too.  There were no clouds to add interest to the sunset, but the Western sky glowed orange.  The moon looked round though it isn't supposed to be full till the 30th.  

Fog

The fog made the fall leaves in our yard seem bright even as it washed out the distances.  A  Carolina wren was hungry but then the tabby cat showed up. I shooed it away and it jumped impressively.  Then the red breasted nuthatches came for seeds.  I don't know how many there were but one had a pale breast and another was dark orange. 

The fog at home had dissipated by mid morning when we went to the Norfolk Botanical Garden.  We hadn't gone very far on the way before we were back in fog. I walked around and looked at a formal garden and a greenhouse of tropical plants, but spent the most time in the Japanese garden.  The only wildlife I saw was a couple of cormorants and some squirrels but the plants were interesting and I enjoyed the foggy landscapes.  

When we got home the birds made up for their lack at the Garden.  A yellow rumped warbler sampled suet and bark butter balls.  Pine warblers wanted both.  Even a downy woodpecker succumbed to the lure of bark butter.  A brown thrasher only wanted bark butter balls but it got kicked off by the red bellied woodpecker.  Then bluebirds wanted their share.  And a mockingbird arrived that was even ruder than the woodpecker.  It didn't eat anything but kept the others away.  The usual sunflower seed eaters were all present joined by a brown headed nuthatch in addition to the red breasted pair.  

The gray overcast began to break apart near sunset.  Hooded mergansers paddled on the creek then all flew away.  The kingfisher perched on the navigation sign downstream.  I went down to the dock to watch the sunset.  At twilight, a white throated sparrow came for a drink at the birdbath.  

Yellow bellied sapsucker

A rain squall hit as we were getting up and I think there had been more rain earlier. The 99% humidity dropped as the temperature climbed.  They met somewhere around 70.  A brown thrasher hit the bark butter balls several times but was always too fast for me. So were a blue jay and a Carolina wren.  Titmice were more cooperative but I have all the titmice photos I ever want.  Both cats wandered through, the feral black-and-white and the tabby with a blue collar. 

As we were finishing Thanksgiving dinner (Mole Con Pavo), a heron landed on the dock and a kingfisher zipped past.  Then the red breasted nuthatch rewarded my patience. It didn't even flinch when a squirrel got on top of the feeder.  Downy woodpeckers went at the suet, of course.  

Finally the clouds broke apart and a half dozen turtles bunched up to sun themselves.  Then I spotted the sapsucker on a pine tree and I ran the battery down taking pictures of it.  When the sun came out, I went outside though it still seemed quite damp.  I wandered around taking pictures of sunlit leaves. A slug was chomping into the fungus.  

But I heard something scolding sotto voce so I came inside to let it appear.  It was a red bellied woodpecker, making the third woodpecker species in one day.  

Cloudy

We went to the garden center and got some pottery.  K plans some hanging plants to help with air quality.  I re-potted the native clematis to add to the trellis plants on the front patio.  The domestic cherry turned a brilliant red.  Between that and its Spring flowers I won't grieve over the lack of cherries.  The swamp red maple was more gold than red, but still lovely. 

A robin was busy high in the neighbor's oak.  Downy woodpeckers continued to work on the suet.  I also saw a great blue heron, a couple of hoodies, downy woodpeckers, a white throated sparrow, and a red breasted nuthatch.  

I got curious about what ruby crowned kinglets eat and whether the bird I saw a week ago was likely to over0winter here.  This chart suggests it will follow the availability of insects as it migrates South. 

Birds!

At breakfast there were birds everywhere.  A pine warbler and a goldfinch gathered at the water cooler, AKA ant moat.  The pine warbler then joined a downy woodpecker on the suet.  A yellow rumped warbler watched from the sunflower feeder roof.  A bluebird showed up briefly.  Juncos and a white throated sparrow scurried around the mulch under the feeder.  A blue jay and a red bellied woodpecker joined the throng.  Titmice poked into everything and, of course, there were chickadees and house finches.  

Then there were hardly any birds for the rest of the day.  The red breasted nuthatch finally showed up for lunch.  It does not seem to be an early bird.  I made a sort of photographic leaf collection: red dogwood, yellow red maple, green and yellow oak, bronze cherry, red sweet gum.  

Great blue heron

Something caused a downy woodpecker to freeze on the post for a while.  I found a slug on the bark butter ball feeder.  Then there was a moment of drama: a great blue heron swooped down on another that was standing on the bulkhead and shoved the other bird into the creek.  The victor proceeded to do a heron war dance above while the vanquished hiked upstream below the bulkhead.  I wasn't fast enough to catch the confrontation, but I did get photos of the territorial display. 

At lunch, I saw the pied bill grebe again.  Afterward, titmice and a red breasted nuthatch joined chickadees and house finches on the sunflower feeder.  A Carolina wren took a bark butter ball.  But focus was not my friend.  I spotted a turtle on the lake, not on the preferred log because that was occupied by a goose.  The lake water was rushing to the dam though the creek was fairly placid.  Maybe that was because of the overnight rain?  Toward evening I saw a few hoodies. 

Cloudy

In the morning, there was plenty of blue between clouds, but that didn't last.  The creek was choppy.  There's no photographic proof that a blue jay and a brown thrasher visited the bark butter balls.  Or that there were great blue herons everywhere when I went out to refill the bark butter ball feeder or that a kingfisher flashed past us flying downstream.  Take my word for it.  

A leaf footed bug landed on the window after lunch.  The overcast was helpful in getting a picture of it.  The ant nest beyond the pool decided this was another good day to send forth the next generation.  

Scolded

I noticed that once again something had carried off the grape jelly oriole bait so I took some more out to the blue hanging feeder. When I started back to the door, I got a long scolding from just above my ear.  A red breasted nuthatch was on the seed feeder hanger letting me know I had no business so close to its sunflower seeds.  I tried to cower appropriately so it would feel empowered but when I got inside and turned around it had already gone.  I didn't see it return and I had work to do.  I did notice that the tide was way out in the morning.  

After a mostly birdless lunch, I went outside and found a leaf footed bug on an azalea.  Female hoodies were paddling and diving on the creek.  A buzzard circled me but decided I wasn't dead yet.  The red maple was beginning to go gold.  A nuthatch showed up and cussed me out again.  It was very good at finding a branch to perch behind to mess with the camera's focus.  Then K dragged me off on an errand.

When we got home, there was more bird action.  A pine warbler wanted suet, but of course so did a downy.  Then to my surprise a male red bellied woodpecker scattered them both.  I thought a red belly scolded me the other day but I only heard it then. 

I decided to go down to the dock to get a better view of the sky.  Since tomorrow will be the first quarter, the moon was high in the sky in the late afternoon.  

A couple of female hoodies appeared to be best friends, or maybe mother and child.  They paddled up the creek and back down and then up again together.  I was clicking away and not paying attention to anything else.  When I stopped for a moment, I startled the kingfisher that had perched on the next dock and I got another scolding as it flew away.  An egret down by the dam outfall ignored a returning fisherman.  Geese came downstream and I came in.  

Golden light

The morning chill warmed quickly under a cloudless sky.  Goldfinches were hanging out on the suet cage again.  Then a Carolina wren worked on the suet.  And of course downy woodpeckers got their share.

More juncos showed up though they stayed on terra firma.  Titmice ate the sunflower seeds that should have attracted the goldfinches.  

In the late afternoon light geese paddled by, seeming to drink gold.  There was more wind today, despite the warmth. 

Nuthatch wars

We had a beautiful but cold morning with sunlit trees reflected in the creek.  It seems that red breasted nuthatches take precedence over brown headed nuthatches, just like yellow rumped warblers over pine warblers.  

Speaking of which, the first yellow rumped warbler showed up this morning.  So did the first junco!  Titmice and chickadees interrupted the nuthatch wars.  A white throated sparrow gleaned the fallout.

Downy woodpeckers were quick to breakfast on suet.  A maddening blue jay was out of focus nearly every time it snatched a bark butter ball.  And so was a red bellied woodpecker.  When I got outside mid afternoon, it scolded fiercely but wouldn't stay still long enough for a photo.

Over on the lake a great egret supervised some turtles.  A great blue heron lurked nearby.  On the creek, a pied-bill grebe hung around with female hoodies.  The hoodies posed in the low-angle sunlight.  The crescent moon was blurred by passing streamers of haze.  

Clear skies

Clear and cold.  A brown thrasher came three times for bark butter balls.  I was waiting the fourth time, which never came.  At lunch, a pied bill grebe was visible on the creek.  It turned slowly in circles.  

A Carolina wren visited the feeders.  The red breasted nuthatch made many trips to the sunflower seeds.  Downy  woodpeckers stuck to suet.  A few hoodies fished under the bulkhead. 

The cloudless sky gave me a good look at the crescent moon.  

Chilly

The wind stripped the trees and grounded many birds but titmice wanted breakfast.  A white throated sparrow visited the birdbath.  I sat outside in the sun but the wind gusts were uncomfortable.  A squirrel dropped in.  The usual seed eaters and downy woodpeckers could not stay away and I glimpsed a pine warbler.

I saw a few bees headed to the camellia.  Turtles believed it was warm enough to cask under the morning's cloudless sky.  Geese and mallards occupied the creek.   Heavy cumulus accumulated in the afternoon and produced a fiery sunset.  

Gone

Where did they all go?  A downy woodpecker came for suet.  There was some flitting in the trees that I couldn't identify. And that was it for songbirds.  The sky was brilliant blue and the temperature was seasonable, but the wind was gusty. 

A great blue heron perched on the dock bench.  Mallards and geese were all I saw on the creek.  A few turtles basked on the lake.  Toward evening an egret and some cormorants flew over. 

Leaves came down at a great rate.  The hickory lost all its leaves almost overnight.  It was golden last week and now nothing but twigs remained.  

Even more birds!

Morning was warm and sunny. A mockingbird and a Carolina wren got away without a photo.  I thought the stupid feral cat was watching the bird feeder until it pounced at a squirrel underneath.  The squirrel jumped away, gave the cat a look as if saying, "Forget you!" and sauntered off.  I missed getting that on camera too.  The cat decided it was time for personal hygiene. 

The downy woodpeckers had a lot of competition for suet.  Two pine warblers wanted a share, but not to share with each other.  Even a bluebird and two goldfinches checked out the suet.  The bluebird hung around much of the morning.  Its orange breast appeared to me to be faintly freckled so I wondered if it was a new adult.  It was behind a window screen much of the time so the mottling might have been an illusion.

A brown headed nuthatch snatched a sunflower seed faster than the camera could focus.  A blue jay and a brown thrasher argued over the bark butter balls.  In the afternoon, clouds thickened and the wind gusted. The temperature peaked at 72°F.  A leaf footed bug landed on the window but didn't stay.  A great blue heron chased another upstream.  The songbirds disappeared. 

Birdfull

A brown thrasher showed up for breakfast but the bark butter ball dish was empty.  I refilled it but it was empty again at lunch and I never saw who emptied it.  However there seemed to be a lot of crows hanging around.  The new moon tide ran high, but against the wind. 

At lunch, two pine warblers visited the suet.  A house finch lay in the sunflower seed trough to frustrate the little birds.  A white throated sparrow poked through the waste hulls beneath.  I've only seen a tan morph so it may be the same bird.  Robins cavorted up in the cherry trees.  A Carolina wren had a turn at the suet.  

There were fresh flowers on the paperwhite.  I found a morning glory still blooming in the late afternoon in the middle of November.  The fungus looked about the same.  

It was sunnier in the morning while I was stuck in a meeting. The afternoon got overcast, then cleared somewhat.  Clouds made a fierce orange sunset.  

Dank

The cold front pushed the temperature down to something more like November.  High humidity made the sky misty gray and kept surfaces damp.  Titmice, downy woodpeckers, and a red breasted nuthatch joined us for meals.  

Only mallards were out on the water but I saw an egret roosting in a tree downstream.  

The storm beat the paperwhite flowers to shreds but there were more buds. Lichens turned green.  The fungus was buried in fallen leaves.  When I uncovered it I found a slug chewing on it. That's probably why the surrounding mulch used to have silvery speckles.

The sky seemed to be clearing around sunset.  A couple of hours later, the raccoon came to wash its paws in the birdbath.  Thanks to reflections on the inside of the glass, all I got was its ringed tail.  

Flash flood warning

It was room temperature at breakfast but went downhill from there.  The rain that began at sunset yesterday was still falling, courtesy of a cold front intersecting the remnant of Hurricane Eta. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning and asserted that we'd had 3" of rain.  At first the North-facing windows were dry, but mid morning the wind shifted and the rain intensified.

Titmice made repeated, hurried visits to the sunflower seeds.  The downy woodpeckers stayed with suet.  Then one of the titmice decided to have some suet too.  That didn't last long.  

I only saw mallards on the creek.  They did fit the cliche about weather that only a duck would love, but I don't think they loved it.  Three cormorants perched on the snag in the lake.  

I think the clouds must have thinned toward the end of the day.  The West glowed pink over half the sky though rain was still falling.  A couple of days later the newspaper report showed that about 5" fell altogether from the storm.  That put us about 20% above average for the year.  

Hot!

It got up over 80°F, 83° according to the National Weather Service, which broke the record set in 2002.  Paperwhites and the canna bloomed.  Wasps zipped through the air but I didn't see any other insects.  The fungus seemed a little bigger and a little browner.  Groundsel (saltbush) fluff was everywhere. 

I sat on the dock bench for a while.  Three hoodies dived for fish.  They spooked as they were getting closer to me.  After I got up to leave, I glimpsed the kingfisher, but he noticed me too.