Still chilly

The wind wasn't as strong but there was very little sun.  A yellow iris joined the blue.   A brown headed nuthatch worked on the suet before taking a seed home.  The male red bellied woodpecker carried off a beak-full.  

A crow picked something out of a red cedar, maybe oak blossoms for nest lining. The bird was very intent on getting whatever it was. 

Bluebirds ate suet and everything else.  A blue jay and a mockingbird also got some suet.  The female red bellied woodpecker eventually came for some suet.  An army of five starlings fought over the suet.  I glimpsed a yellow colored warbler, probably a pine warbler on the suet before it spooked.  Titmice and all the regulars were back for seeds. 

I rescued a rafting beetle.  A drowned crab spider rested on the bottom pool step. 

Mockingbird love?

Two mockingbirds kept fighting, or courting, or playing, or...?  I saw them carrying on around the feeders but they appeared to keep it up as the flew away.  When one was on a feeder, the other would pounce and try to dislodge it.  Then they would fly up together, flapping at each other.  Various online sources suggest it's territorial defense, not romance.  

Meanwhile the bluebirds just wanted food, although at least two pairs are visiting the feeders.  A brown headed nuthatch squeaked in for suet and seeds.  Blue jays stuck with their favorite barkbutter balls. 

It was hard to see the lake past the construction equipment and rubble but the turtles ignored it all while they soaked up sunshine.  A great blue heron pretended to be a stump.  Crows harassed osprey.  

Another email reminded me, Journey North maps Spring migration of various species.  I reported a sighting on Signs of Spring and on Hummingbird, Ruby-Throated, First.  Thus far, that was the first-and-only.  I haven't seen any newcomers since.  

Goslings

The day was sunny with a chilly wind.  While eating breakfast, I saw a brown headed nuthatch and a brown thrasher.  Bluebirds, starlings, and a Carolina wren also showed up early.  Something made rings in the creek, maybe a fish catching bugs on the surface?  The back yard across the creek looked wrecked where they're rebuilding the storm-damaged bulkhead.  In the late afternoon a goose led a line of six goslings upstream.  I was surprised to see just one parent when the other came paddling fast and herding an errant gosling.  

Blue water

The mockingbird pair returned but they were rarely close enough to get in one frame.  Perhaps that's a survival strategy, but I finally caught them.  The starlings and bluebirds were very hungry. A dove wandered around the pool cover puddle.  A blue jay tackled the suet. 

The fern fiddleheads multiplied and stretched taller. Roses were blooming.   Turtles basked despite the demolition across the creek.  The rust infection on the red cedar looked really bad.  A few wisps of cloud interrupted the blue sky.  The blue water was in the pool that was opened while I was away at a lunch meeting.  I wonder what became of the skinks that were hiding under the cover?  I did see one on the upper patio.  Also, the plants we brought home Saturday are now in the ground.  

In the late afternoon, I patiently watched the bluebird house and finally caught the male with a beak full of spider, I think. I saw a goose pair with two goslings.  

Cold front

It seemed like the birds knew the weather was changing, the way they attacked the food.  Of course the bluebirds and probably others have hatchlings to feed.  A brown thrasher and a mockingbird paused for a photo.  I also saw a pileated woodpecker and starlings.  The temperature topped 91° before it plunged to 60°.  I don't think we got much rain, unfortunately. I was busy and didn't get many photos.  

Tiny praying mantises

The pink evening primroses were blooming in the morning.   Mama bluebird got a quick barkbutter snack.  Canada geese parents escorted their four goslings downstream.  A pair of mockingbirds picked up suet crumbs. 

Kayackers paddled upstream and I went out hoping to photograph them coming back.  I never saw them but I did see chickadees dangling from pine branches.  Unfortunately they were right-side up in the photos.  Birds were not very cooperative today.  The blue irises had also begun to bloom.  Skinks dashed about their business under the pool cover.  

I went out front to see if I could see the bluebirds.  One gloriously red strawberry was almost ready to pick.  I found a centimeter-long praying mantis on the wall and moved it to the strawberries only to discover another had already begun guarding them.  I did get to see the bluebirds ferrying bugs to their chicks.  

90° Fahrenheit

A very hot day.  I refused to refill the suet cages till sundown.  The package says "no melt" but the contents were soft.  Meanwhile, birds kept checking just in case I'd relented. A brown thrasher managed to get by on crumbs and barkbutter powder.  A cardinal tried some, or maybe he was looking for a present for his lady love?  Starlings just gave up.  The bluebirds couldn't afford to be picky with a family to feed.  The male pileated woodpecker hunted all over the post as though the suet might be hiding.  He ate some crumbs then gave me a piece of his mind.  When I finally did refill the feeders, a couple of geese honked as they floated away.  

Skinks

In the morning a crane fly clung to the window and a small moth did the same in the night.  In between we went to the plant sale at NBG.  I took the camera and saw a dragonfly but it never stopped.  We came home with native columbine, a red aster, dwarf red porterweed, and native honeysuckle that need to be planted.  

A mockingbird all but knocked on the door asking for more suet.  Bluebirds noticed when I stirred the barkbutter dish so the balls rose above the broken meal.  A brown thrasher and a blue jay also paid attention.  Brown headed nuthatches didn't care as long as there were sunflower seeds. 

A little blue tailed skink started out of the vegetation, then panicked and ran back.  A bigger one, but still blue in the tail, climbed the post, then thought the better of it.  An adult scolded it.  The adult skinks were all red in the face and feeling feisty.  A couple of chases ensued.  

An orange butterfly escaped the camera.  It might have been a pearl crescent or a variegated fritillary.  And of course there were cabbage whites.  An attractive paper wasp lit on the rue

Sparse leaves appeared on the beautyberry.  Green seedpods covered the money plants.  The dogwoods were done flowering and the azaleas past their peak.  The yellow rose had a bud.  

The suet vanished

The mockingbird was smart to arrive early to get some suet.  It wasn't long before the male pileated woodpecker showed up.  During lunch we saw some baby skinks running around.  An orange butterfly investigated flowers but was gone before my hands were free.  I couldn't be certain whether it was a monarch or something else.  I also saw a cabbage white. 

Before the day was done, the starlings, the mockingbird, and the pileated woodpeckers together finished off the suet except for all the crumbs they dropped.  The female pileated tried to make a meal of them.  

Deconstruction

Low tide exposed a lot of bottom mud.   Across the creek, workers demolished the dock that was damaged by a winter storm.  Meanwhile, around the corner other workers tore up the street.  It made for a noisy day.  

The female pileated came for lunch.  Some starlings objected but they did not get far with her.  They had to wait till she had finished for their turn.  

Half of a yellow crowned night heron showed up in a photo of the dam.  I had no idea it was there.  A dozen turtles were piled on the lake logs to enjoy the afternoon warmth.  A five lined skink ventured out briefly. 

The male bluebird brought a worm to the birdhouse.  Later the female showed up with another.  A mockingbird took a turn at the suet which was more than half gone already. 

A brown thrasher left the safety of the azalea bushes to hunt something in the short grass.  The bird seemed to be molting.  

A fringe tree was blooming at the library.  And a plastic bag full of wind was snagged in a tree.  Back home, the false indigo sprouted and a rose bloomed.  

Day errandry

Another sunny, chilly Spring day full of birds.  Also too full of running around town and other distractions.  The male red bellied woodpecker started the day.  I didn't have to wait long for starlings.  Or mockingbirds.  The mockingbird attacked a starling but was not able to dislodge it from the suet.  Geese went out on the pool cover for a drink. 

A brown headed nuthatch sampled the suet.  A brown thrasher seized a barkbutter ball.  A yellow rumped warbler hunted suet crumbs.  The mockingbird decided to make do with barkbutter balls.  I saw a brown headed nuthatch dive-bomb a bigger chickadee and actually drive it off the seed feeder briefly.  And I saw bluebirds hanging around the birdhouse but naturally did not have the camera.  When I had the camera, no bluebirds. Toward evening the cat settled in to watch the bird feeders. 

Cold breeze

The rain was gone and the sun was out, but the wind kept me from being comfortable as I refilled the suet feeders.  Birds didn't notice right away, or maybe they were expressing their annoyance at the poor service.  A brown thrasher, a mockingbird, bluebirds, a red bellied woodpecker, and a brown headed nuthatch joined the usual cardinals, chickadee, house finch, and downy woodpecker.  I glimpsed a Carolina wren. 

Cold rain

During breakfast, the male pileated woodpecker worked on the remains of the most recent block of suet.   A brown thrasher decided to clean up below.  

The goose or swan decoy that's been meandering around the creek washed up in our saltbush.  

Since rain was forecast, I hustled outside with seeds to plant.  While doing so, I transplanted more coral lilies out of the french drain.  And I discovered a few fiddleheads on the Christmas fern that I had been afraid was dead.  .The canna sent up a leaf as well.  The rain began soon after I came in. 

At lunchtime, a yellow rumped warbler ate suet.  A bluebird perched above the barkbutter but left it alone.  Probably time to pitch it out.   A mockingbird felt the same or, at least, preferred suet.  The female pileated showed up during supper but there was no suet left and I was not going out in the rain to refill it.  

Cooler

The temperature dropped overnight but morning was rushed anyway.  At lunchtime there was a heavy overcast like a rumpled blanket and beneath it a chilly breeze.  It gradually cleared during the afternoon.  A red bellied woodpecker disputed possession of the suet with a starling.  That particular male woodpecker had a very red belly.  

A yellow rumped warbler also craved suet.  A bluebird decided to get his off the steps.  The starling should have tried that because it had trouble reaching the remains of the suet in the cage.  But it also had trouble getting a drink from the pool cover puddle.  Despite the chill, I saw three skinks.  Yesterday when it was warm, not a one.  The wild cherry was definitely blooming  but I couldn't identify the pollinators - maybe flies.  

First dragonfly

Despite the fact that the feeder perch would hold at least four of them, a chickadee and a nuthatch didn't feel like sharing.   A pair of goldfinches briefly checked on the seed feeder and decided to go elsewhere for breakfast.  I've noticed that they are more picky than other birds.  Starlings showed up for suet.   Blue jays were around but never out in the open. 

After lunch, I went outside to listen to the birds.  I had a hard time spotting the singers I could hear.  A wren buzzed, a red bellied woodpecker hammered and croaked, a mockingbird ran through his repertoire, others I couldn't identify.   I think the woodpecker was fussing because I was too close to the feeders for his comfort.  A brown headed cowbird male perched in the pecan, but I don't know if it sang. 

The dragonfly was about the size of a pennant, smaller than a skimmer, with unmarked wings and a dark body.  It was zigzagging on a gusty breeze and never perched, so no photo.  I also saw another big black beetle, another burrowing bee, and an earwig, I think, with a red head and pale thorax.  A tiny, white spider tried to get inside the camera.  

The azaleas were at their peak.  Money plants were already making seedpods.  Wood hyacinths and violets added blue and white to the pink azaleas and money plants.  One of the wood hyacinths came up pale pink.  The rue was beginning to flower as was one blue eyed grass plant.  Coral lilies started blooming a couple of weeks ago.  This week the Solomon's seal shot out of the ground and immediately started making flowers.

An egret sauntered past oysters at low tide.  The green between its beak and eye showed it was in the mood to breed.  A goose and a mallard drake were the only other water birds I saw.  A big fish jumped anyway.  I went back outside after dark because the temperature was so pleasant.  The moon and planets weren't visible. 

First hummingbird

At breakfast, a male red bellied woodpecker helped himself to suet.  Then the female pileated woodpecker came and did the same.  Pictures on the creek surface were bright and sharp in the morning sunlight. 

I was pulling out liriope all week and I must have brushed poison ivy because blisters showed up on my wrist.  Both plants were popping up all over.   Late in the afternoon, as I worked my way down the hill I disturbed something that looked like a bee but didn't seem to have wings.  I was hesitant to get too close.  Further down, I saw a male hummer checking out the coral honeysuckle on the fence near the creek.  I did not have the camera but I did report the sighting.  A brown thrasher stopped by during supper but didn't linger.  

Twilight clouds shared their tints with the creek. 

Hot!

Clouds streamed past in a hazy sky.  The temperature climbed into the mid 80s.  Maybe that was why I didn't see any feeder birds.  I took pictures of the flowers out front, especially the crossvine, Bignonia capreolata. 

Big beetle

A brown thrasher came to breakfast and a chickadee switched over to suet when the seed feeder was occupied. 

While pointing out the invasive plant I wanted removed, I saw a large black beetle.  I brought it back to the patio despite its attempts to pinch its way out of my hand.  But I hesitated to bring it indoors so I released it in the mulch while I grabbed the camera.  Too late.  Instead I saw a black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens, pretending to be a wasp. 

After dark, I admired the not-yet-full moon, though clouds tried to veil it.  

Warm

The day began cloudy but eventually cleared as the temperature rose.  I got sweaty hacking at the liriope.  

Beautiful day

There were clouds but mostly the sky was crystal blue.  A dove basked on the patio.  A tiger swallowtail and a black swallowtail were both too fast for me.  The male pileated had a hard time believing I'd let the suet cage go empty.  So I hustled and refilled it.  

Brown headed nuthatches have become regulars.  They seem quite fearless.  I had more trouble with the bluebirds.  A skink was more wary but it wanted to soak up some sun.  

During a break in my meeting I noticed a cormorant its wings on a log that was too steep for turtles to climb.  I counted five turtles.  Two more cormorants kept company with a great blue heron.  

Gold dust and petal snow

Pollen gilded surfaces and left bathtub rings on the pool cover while white petals blew off trees.  Geese got a drink from the pool cover.  

A brown thrasher made repeat visits for barkbutter balls.  Blue jays wasted no time in getting theirs.  A mockingbird was pleased too.  I chased bluebirds with the camera to little purpose. 

I thought a cormorant was acting strange but it was wrestling a big fish.  A squirrel excavated a big nut, maybe a pecan.  

Starlings and a crow stopped in.  A brown headed nuthatch discovered the suet.  

House wren?

A little brown bird landed on the arm of a patio chair, but flew before I focused.  In the belief that it was a house wren, we got a birdhouse hung from a dogwood branch.  A brown thrasher also got away without contributing to my photo collection.  

The chilly breeze also brought bluebirds and blue jays, starlings, a Carolina wren, a pair of mockingbirds, downy woodpeckers, brown headed nuthatches, and chickadees to the feeders.  Warblers flitting through the wild cherry branches appeared to be feeding on something.  

The pair of pileated woodpeckers were still arguing about who got to eat suet first.  I saw no sign of romance, except that they spent so much time together.  At one point she extended her wings to flash the white patch. 

Buzzards soared and crows chased off something.  A small gull did some fancy flying.  An egret just coasted downstream.  One mallard drake was all I saw afloat but a big fish jumped three times like a dotted line.  I've no idea what it might have been fleeing. The overcast began to break up in the late afternoon.  I went down to the dock to pitch clam shells into the creek.  

Unpredicted rain

Morning sunshine was reflected in the calm water of the creek.   The pileated pair visited at lunch.  Turtles lined the log on the lake.  But when I left for an appointment the sky was split between storm clouds to the East and South, while the West and North enjoyed blue sky.  The rain caught me in Chesapeake and followed me home.  I missed the rain that fell at home, but I saw the result.  The sky cleared before evening.  

More drama

Early morning was gray and the creek was flat with grayed reflections.  After breakfast I paid more attention to outdoors and saw a bluebird and a mockingbird, and then the feral cat.  The mockingbird came back when the cat left but other birds were slow to return. 

At lunch time a brown thrasher joined the mockingbird.  Starlings took over the suet but didn't stay long.  The day got very warm.  More plants flowered.  Pollen left lines on the pavement like the lines of sea detritus on wet sand.  Cabbage whites flitted around. 

Brown headed nuthatches were all over the bluebird house today.  I looked this up online and learned it's a common behavior. 

A dozen turtles filled up the available logs on the lake.  A pied bill grebe seemed more distinctly marked today.  Maybe it's getting ready to mate.  I took some pictures of a water bottle thinking it was a rare bird.  

Drama

When I got up, the sky was gray and threatening, but little rain fell overnight and the clouds began to break up shortly after breakfast. The usual domestic squabble between pileated woodpeckers entertained me as I ate. Afterward, a bluebird and a house finch complained that the second suet cage was empty.  By mid morning turtles had climbed up onto their log.  

Then I noticed a crow climbing about in the saltbush  The reason for this puzzling behavior revealed itself to be  a black rat snake.It too was climbing the bush and slowly made its way, bush by bush, to the dock where it dropped out of sight.  A male towhee supervised from the grass.  A muskrat or nutria swam past the commotion.  

Black swallowtails flitted around the yard looking for nectar or mates.  A mockingbird mostly contented itself with suet crumbs.  A female red bellied woodpecker arrived to make more crumbs.  That attracted a second mockingbird.  Two brown headed nuthatches shared the seed feeder perch. 

In the afternoon I spotted a pied bill grebe on the creek.  It raised its wings repeatedly or flapped them and seemed to be preening.  There were enough clouds to catch sunset colors and turn orange. 

Skinks

The day started sunny and still.  I finally caught the brown headed nuthatch on the feeder.  

By lunch time, dark clouds looked like rain but the sun still slipped through.  The female red bellied woodpecker ate suet.  Bluebirds visited.  An egret flew past.  And a couple of skinks soaked up warmth from the patio concrete. 

The swallowtails were back.  A queen yellow jacket hunted for something, a meal or a nesting spot?  Paper wasps peeled dry stalks from last year.  

Crescent moon

Compared to yesterday, it was chilly though less windy.  The male red bellied woodpecker was just as rude as the male pileated, hogging the suet.  Despite bright sunshine, the camera was slow and I kept missing birds, especially the brown headed nuthatches.  Also the camera wanted to focus on the background which, admittedly, was pretty with dogwood blossoms.   But I wanted the bluebird. 

Another black swallowtail flitted through.  Starlings made frequent, messy attacks on the suet.  But that enabled a myrtle warbler and other birds to eat crumbs off the steps.  A mockingbird was hesitant about balancing on the suet cage.  

The crescent moon was still above the trees when I went out to brick the seed feeder so I came back with the camera. The light was barely adequate but I got some interesting shots, including the image from The Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens.  

A saw the new muin late yestreen
Wi the auld muin in her airm

 

Swallowtails

The mockingbird was an early visitor, as was a starling.  The female pileated woodpecker soon arrived.  And a female red bellied woodpecker also wanted suet.  

At lunch there were three black swallowtails flitting around the rue.  Wasps were bustling around.  The female pileated was back. 

Turtles basked in the bright sunlight.  A great blue heron flew past, then an egret, then an opinionated mallard drake.  I puttered with plants but the breeze was chilly even though the thermometer read 70°.

 

Chipping sparrow

The wind finally weakened somewhat and the creek wasn't so rough.  However, it was chilly.  Starlings showed up so frequently I assume they moved in.  This annoyed the bluebirds.  A male red bellied woodpecker followed a starling on the suet.  A myrtle warbler tried to get a turn.  

At lunch, a chipping sparrow got into a squabble with another bird.  I didn't see the second bird till they were flying around the yard so I don't know what it was.  A junco got a drink and a brown headed nuthatch got a seed.  A female red bellied woodpecker fed on the suet, again following a starling.  One starling discovered the barkbutter balls.  A mockingbird also helped itself to barkbutter balls.  

I photographed a midge on the window and tried to photograph a mosquito.  Pelicans and the white gulls came back for more fish.  

Pelicans

Another windy day brought pelicans up the creek even though the West wind was warm.  With their necks turned brown, some were clearly ready to breed.  In the morning I also saw a Carolina wren, a mockingbird, a blue jay, a brown headed nuthatch, and a couple of bluebirds, and the camera missed them all. 

Big queen carpenter and bumblebees seemed able to ignore the wind as they zoomed around collecting nectar and pollen.  A paper wasp was also working hard.  I saw a grass spider and several webs.  I counted ten turtles on their log.  

The white gulls took over the fishing in the afternoon.  I managed to capture a red bellied woodpecker on the suet and a sentinel starling watching me from the oak.  A white throated sparrow foraged under the camellia.