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.