Sunny

It was a sunny day but a little cool and breezy.  I saw the yellow rumped warbler again but didn't get a picture.  In fact, all I did capture was a turtle and some ducks.  

Butterbutt arrived

Early in the morning, a big bird soared over the creek and then landed in a pine tree.  I believe it was the same young eagle as last Spring.  The feral cat was back too. 

 A yellow rumped warbler checked out the suet and motivated me to ask K to hang a fresh block.  I don't know if that warbler will stay or keep going South, but the woodpeckers were pleased with the new suet.  In fact, a red bellied woodpecker was very perturbed while I sat outside.  She scolded and paced back and forth on an oak limb.  

The clouds were indeed "passing," pushed along quickly by a wind from the South, But there were always more of them so we didn't get much sunshine and the temperature never made it to 70.

Wet

We got a good soaking.  The tide came over the dock.  The trees looked happier when the sun came out in the afternoon.  Honeybees and wasps ignored the rain to feed on the camellia blossoms.  At lease one was a bald-faced hornet, Dolichovespula maculata. 

Busy

I had very little time all day to enjoy nature.  I even took a camera along to the one in person meeting only to find that it needed fresh batteries.  I passed some impressive Halloween decorations.  In the morning, the sky was more than overcast - it looked heavy.  But it cleared mid afternoon.  

Windy

Friends further North had a Northeaster, or what the hysterical meteorologists called a cyclone bomb.  Here it was just too windy for birds to fly.  Although, it didn't seem to trouble the yellow jackets and other wasps.  The wind helped disperse the chaff and fluff as I harvested morning glory and butterfly milkweed seeds.  I found an empty monarch chrysalis just below a milkweed seedpod.  Lazy caterpillar! 

The sky was very blue and the sun warm, but shade was chilly.  In the absence of birds, I took pictures of colorful leaves.  A lot of the dogwood berries turned black.  I wonder if they're still edible?  Nothing seemed to have eaten beautyberries.  

The wind pushed the tide high.  Geese and mallards congregated on the creek.  At one point while the mallards were dozing on the dock, there was a commotion that I think was caused by an amorous drake.  Turtles were better behaved on their logs in the lake

A tiny spider worked on its pint-sized orb web between parsley stalks.  I wouldn't have seen it except it was circling around, laying down the innermost ring of silk.  

Birds at last

The wind was strong and gusty and sunshine was intermittent so I was a little chilly outdoors.  Plus the birds kept shying away.  Bluebirds appeared to be feasting on dogwood berries on the far side of the yard,  About half of the berries had turned black.  Except for their blue backs, the birds blended in well with the turning leaves.  

Brown-headed nuthatches focused on sunflower seeds.  One of them sent a chickadee flying off the perch.  A pine warbler wanted suet.  Yellow leaves kept fooling me into seeing more pine warblers in the trees.  Mallards gathered to eat something on the water - the saltbush seeds?  A flicker went after pine cones. 

Fluff blew off the saltbushes, so I guess the humidity, temperature, and wind were just right for the bushes to release seeds.  A poor, little honeybee hiked through the grass, grounded by the wind.  Three turtles hung out on the lake logs, hoping for more sunshine. 

Warm rain

There were interludes that were dry and even a little sunlight, but more rain fell than had for a couple of months.  I did not see a single animal.  

Pleasant

The clouds went away, the day warmed, and by noon the temperature was the same inside and out.  But nothing much happened. The feral cat reappeared and settled in on the pool cover but the birds seemed indifferent.  I got a glimpse of a pine warbler and a brown headed nuthatch.  A downy woodpecker worked a little on the suet.  

Berry fast!

The day began gloomy but soon cleared.  The passing clouds reminded me of the Japanese flattened cloud pattern.  The creek was a wavy mirror.  I saw several gulls fly over.  We had windows open much of the day. 

Later in the morning birds snatched dogwood berries without landing which made it impossible to photograph them.  I think they were Carolina wrens.  Anyway, a wren preened on a dogwood branch in a different tree. 

In the evening, moths collected on the window screen.  

Kingfisher

The forecast was for showers so I took one.  Chickadees and titmice monopolized the sunflower seeds in between "showers."  There were brief instants of sunlight and the ant moats didn't seem to collect very much water, but I thought the rain fell harder than a shower. 

In the mid afternoon I saw a white flash that turned into a male kingfisher as it landed on the dock bench.  Part of the white was a fish it was carrying.  The kingfisher kept trying to line up the fish to swallow headfirst and somehow the fish's tail would get in the way.  The bird shook the fish but it didn't seem to help as this happened at least four times.  I looked away and the bird was gone.  

Dinner outdoors

A female downy woodpecker breakfasted on suet.  

We had a salad for lunch on the patio.  Andy, the dog, was disappointed that he didn't get any.  So he rolled in a bed of violets.  Whereupon K began to brush him and a cloud of hair arose.  That sent me indoors.  

I came back out at night to look at the moon.  

Warblers!

After lunch I enjoyed the gloriously blue sky.  So did the turtles - I counted nine for sure.  Yellow jackets and other wasps bustled around.  I saw downy and red bellied woodpeckers but only the downy came to the feeder.  

I also saw numerous leafbirds, leaves imitating birds to waste my pixels.  Chickadees and titmice monopolized the seeds.  Bluebirds engaged in aerial acrobatics but finally one perched.  

Then I saw a bird silhouetted in the mountain mint.  It revealed itself to be a pine warbler.  They aren't migrants but they disappear for long periods.  Soon a male popped up on the feeder hanger.  Then a female appeared.  

Another pretty Autumn day

The milkweed seeds were ready to fly.  Geese and mallards paddled around the creek.  Sunshine gilded flying insects till they vanished in the shade.  But I tracked one to the suet cage.  It was a leaf-footed bug.  

 

Nothing much

The sky was very blue.  Birds were scarce, but turtles warmed up in the sunshine.  Mysterious rings of ripples appeared on the creek.  A great blue heron flew off before I'd noticed it.  

Much cooler

Today looked like yesterday but with the temperature in the 60s instead of the 80s.  A  Carolina wren came for breakfast.  Then a grumpy male house finch kept pushing chickadees off the seed feeder.  

In the afternoon, the downy woodpeckers alternated on the suet. I wish they would hurry up and finish it off so I could put our a fresh block.  The creek reflected sunlit surfaces all day.  I saw more duck-shaped floating leaves than mallards.  

Dramatic weather change

All day we had blue sky and summer temperatures with a nice breeze.  The mallards were back.  Cardinals and chickadees ate seeds.  The dog got a bath.  Some milkweed seeds escaped.  

Finally, after 5pm clouds began to creep in from the North and West.  An hour later temperature and light were dropping fast. An intrepid cardinal grabbed a bedtime snack as the wind whipped the trees. I saw a couple of ducks and a heron struggling to fly home.  A little rain fell before it was too dark to see.  

Two blue birds

Morning was a little misty.  A rose was dusted with dew.  The creek was in its usual reflective Fall mood.  Mallards gathered on the dock, to preen but mostly to sleep.  

Not much happened at the feeders except for chickadees but a blue jay pursued something in the grass.  Then the blue jay found something it liked at the water's edge.  It tried wedging the object into forks in the saltbush branches.  I wonder if it was a periwinkle, though it could have been a nut.  

Meanwhile a male kingfisher landed on the dock bench.  Thus there were two blue birds, neither of which was a bluebird.  Butterfly milkweed seeds swelled out of their pod but weren't quite ready to let go.  

Warm sun

More morning reflections under a warm sun.  After lunch a female cardinal stuffed herself with seeds but never lowered her crest.  I couldn't tell if she was alarmed or if her feathers just got stuck in the UP position.  I haven't seen any Fall migrants thus far

The breeze sent leaves fluttering down, each of which looked briefly like a bird.  A grasshopper, I think, glittered in the sunlight as it flew across my view and disappeared somewhere in the vicinity of a dogwood.  Wasps were active though they had given up on the mountain mint.  Yellow jackets were among them.  Lots of butterfly milkweed seeds were nearly ready to float away.  I think they were waiting for lower humidity. 

After dark the first quarter moon was bright despite some haze and a couple of contrails.  Jupiter was trailing the moon.  I really need to use a tripod after dark.  

Spider and moth

After breakfast I spotted a grasshopper on the window screen.  So there are bugs as well as feeders, dogwood and beautyberries, all waiting for the Fall bird migration. 

The cloud cover broke apart and there was intermittent sun and less wind.  A little magnolia green jumping spider (Lyssomanes viridis) ballooned past me to land on the table.  According to Wikipedia, it would have hatched this Summer.   I chased it around with the camera to find a background that didn't hide it. 

A tiny but colorful moth, probably Genus Pyrausta, tried to find nectar on the mountain mint.  It was only in focus upside down but it was a rusty red.  Meanwhile I was sad that the hibiscus was cut down and most of the morning glory torn out.  

 

Rain

The chickadees were deprived of breakfast because neither of us wanted to go outside to un-brick the feeder.  One found sustenance in the suet.  The pool was covered today. It has been frustrating me since my ailments have kept me out.  A commotion in a dogwood was solved when I spotted a furry tail.  Mallards gathered on the dock which appeared t be missing several planks.  The Love rose continued to bloom.  

High water

The bus company sent out an alert.  The tide flowed across the dock.  Tomorrow is the first quarter when the tides are supposed to be smaller.  The new moon and the full moon are the normal times for the highest tides.  I guess this was a testament to the wind. 

Windy

Yesterday was just dreary.  I saw nothing.  This morning was about the same, though the wind drove the tide across the dock.  The sun peeked out in the afternoon but the wind was fierce and soon blew in fresh overcast.  There were waves on the creek.  A common threadwaisted wasp tried to feed on the mountain mint and got blown into the mulch.  A small dark insect I think may have been a duskywing skipper fled over the roof.  A midge landed on the concrete.  Chickadees, titmice, cardinals, and downy woodpeckers visited the feeders.  Geese and mallards paddled in the creek.  

Humid

I spent the morning getting my foot treated.  But nothing much crossed the patio except a couple of squirrels.  The beautyberries and dogwood berries were loaded but I didn't see any birds eating them.  Sassafras leaves were beginning to turn yellow and orange.  The saltbush was in bloom.  In the afternoon, a great blue heron and a dozen mallards hung out on the dock.  

Rain at last

 A female red bellied woodpecker came for suet.  She was the only picture I got all day.  And the rain didn't amount to much. 

Heavy sky

Soggy gray clouds overhead and high humidity apparently discouraged the wildlife.  At least, it discouraged me.  And no rain fell.  We seem to be in the midst of a drought after years of excessive rain.  A big mulch roach got stuck to one of the pill bottles from which I'd carefully peeled the label.  I was intending to use adhesive remover on the bottles and use them for seed storage.  K released it back into the wild, minus a few legs. 

A downy woodpecker came for suet.  I glimpsed a gray and yellow bird and also a blue jay in the trees.  Cardinals and chickadees made regular visits to the sunflower seeds.  I thought I saw a young cardinal whose beak hadn't turned orange yet. 

Tree frog

Early in the morning, K found a little green tree frog sitting on one of the pepper plants!  I said, next time that's worth waking me for.  

All I saw were sleeping mallards.  Oh, and a blue jay.  And after dark a tiny moth on the window. 

Changing season

The big bracket fungus that I hope is living on dead oak roots looked like toffee.  Dogwood leaves were turning many colors and so were the first sassafras.  The first camellia opened.  The feathery white saltbush flowers were close to open.  

Wasps and bumblebees still visited the mountain mint and I think beetles tried to walk on water.  A yellow jacket wanted to drive me away from the end of the pool.  I found a caterpillar I didn't recognize hustling across the patio.  

Sunset painted vivid colors on the water.  

Reflections

The morning reflections glittered but later the creek surface was rumpled.  Leaves floating in the pool cast reflections that changed their shapes.  .

A few bees and wasps still visited the mountain mint.  It looked half dead from the spider mites.  I was surprised not to see birds eating berries.  Dogwood and beautyberries were both ripe.  The saltbush was blooming.