Three cat day

The last day of the year was beautiful, though cold.  I could see ice crystals in the birdbath but not on the creek.  The fishing birds, mostly egrets and cormorants, came back at breakfast.  Shortly thereafter the feral tux cat tried to catch a bird but only succeeded in scaring them all away.  It then made itself at home on the bench, grooming in the sun.  (The dog was busy sleeping off an early night.)  

Warblers were hungry enough to come back to the feeders that were out of the cat's reach.  I believe there was a female blackpoll among the pine and myrtle warblers.  A mockingbird foraged on the ground briefly.  Brown headed nuthatches owned the seed feeder.  Even a cardinal thought twice about arguing.  A white breasted nuthatch made a brief visit.  A song sparrow foraged under the mountain mint then hid in the camellia.  The orange crowned warbler got into the fresh jelly.  The male downy stuck around and traded off with the female for time at the suet.  And the cat, that had pretended to be asleep on the bench, made another dash toward the birds. 

Blue jays got excited about the fresh dish of barkbutter balls.  A red bellied woodpecker worked on one of the dead limbs on a pine tree.  I glimpsed a hoodie drake.  Bluebirds finally heard about the fresh food and came for their share.  The blue jays were not in the mood to share.  A female oriole noticed that there was jelly.  The long haired yellow cat joined the tux cat, but the dog sorted them out.  Then the all-black cat showed up and I gave up.  

I copied yesterday's weather statistics because there was no additional rain today.  The rainfall for December was more than double the average but for the year it was just an inch and a half above average.  I've read that rain in the winter refills aquifers and raises the water table, so that's good. 

Chilly

A flock of birds descended on the feeders while it was still to dim for certain identification.  I think there were warblers.  Soon the sunshine was bright and the long haired yellow cat came to watch, which put an end to birds feeding.  Bluebirds arrived after they were certain the cat was gone.  A flock of pine warblers argued over precedence.  Myrtle warblers scouted around the edges.  A female oriole took over the dish feeders.  She lurked in the sakaki.  A titmouse scolded a pine warbler that refused to leave the barkbutter balls.  A bluebird was willing to share with the warbler. 

Apparently a cold and sunny morning was good for fishing, for birds anyway.  Cormorants, pelicans, and gulls thought so.  Egrets worked the shoreline.  In the afternoon, a great blue heron took up residence on the dock.  Clouds began to float across the sky.  A handful of hoodies appeared hours after the other birds stopped fishing.  A turtle soaked up the sunshine. 

While my back was turned, clouds covered the sky.  Cormorants and gulls and an egret commuted to their roosts.  Five birds that I think were ducks flew together as a group.  Cormorants and gulls don't coordinate their flights.  

Cooling off

Morning was sunny and a sunshine-yellow pine warbler perched on a rock right outside the window.  He may have been looking for more food.  Eventually he flew to the seed feeder.  The orange crowned warbler scraped up some jelly. 

At mid day the sky was crystalline blue.  Hoodies left wakes as they paddled downstream.  Courting squirrels played follow my lead.  A blue jay watched.  A female oriole also lurked in the trees.  A bufflehead drake fished. 

Later, clouds moved in and then cold wind and finally rain.  I dragged the peppers back into the garage.  

Gray and wet

The rain was over but the air was very wet.  Hoodies and buffleheads plied the gray creek.  Every so often a cormorant surfaced.  Up on the lake, a turtle hauled out on the log.  In the late afternoon, a great blue heron huddled on a dock piling.

I dumped out and refilled the barkbutter dish.  A song sparrow hunted for fallen seeds and flecks of barkbutter.  Pine warblers and a Carolina wren had some of everything.  Blue jays focused on the fresh barkbutter balls. I read in Sibley Birds East that Southern blue jays are paler than Northern, and lo, it is true! 

A very red sunset sneaked up on me.

More rain

The high temperature remained above 60° but the weather was not the least inviting.  The rain wasn't heavy and sometimes was more like mist, but it didn't let up.  Hopeful birds visited but the dishes were still covered.  Bluebirds gave up quickly.  Warblers fought over the suet.  A female oriole took a look and left.  White throated sparrows ignored them and stuck to foraging on the ground.  When I got home at lunch time, the birds had outsmarted us and, despite the rock holding it down, had pushed the lid off the barkbutter balls.  

Out on the creek I spotted a hoodie drake and two bufflehead drakes.  A great blue heron flew upstream while I was focusing elsewhere.  There were, of course, mallards.  I saw no life on the lake, neither turtles nor birds.  

Wet

I wonder if this will be a record for the wettest December.  It might be the warmest as well.  The rain created a foggy mist.  The songbirds were unhappy because we did not uncover the dish feeders in the rain. The warblers turned to the suet which distressed the downy woodpeckers.  A bluebird mournfully examined the lid we put over the barkbutter balls.  Nothing bothered the white throats or the song sparrow.  They just kept kicking mulch looking for fallen seeds.  A hoodie drake passed by headed downstream.  

Christmas butterfly!

The sky was not nearly as cloudy as the prediction.  The temperature stuck at 59°, though that was warm enough for a butterfly.  It was only a cabbage white that flitted across the back yard, but it was outdoors, not sheltering in the garage.  It was also gone before I got a photo so you'll have to trust me.  Warblers and bluebirds were more cooperative. 

White throated sparrows were back foraging in the mulch.   A chipping sparrow discovered the barkbutter balls on the ground.  Two mockingbirds had the same idea.  Eventually a female oriole arrived at the jelly dish.  The orange crowned warbler also came back for jelly. 

A squirrel engaged in some energetic tail flapping while carrying a nut.  Higher up in the oak, a female red bellied woodpecker had something in its beak.  I finally saw a male downy on the suet.  Brown headed nuthatches returned to the seed feeder. A heron flew downstream and a few buffleheads fished.  Two female hoodies paddled swiftly upstream.  

Morning fog

The mist was soon gone and the temperature climbed from the 30s to 60°.  A lone hoodie drake paddled upstream.  And then we left too.

When we got home, bluebirds and warblers were having lunch.  A myrtle warbler posed by a violet that was deceived into blooming.  A thin, patchy cumulus blanket covered much of the sky.  A mockingbird watched me from a dogwood.  Blue jays also kept an eye on the feeders from a distance while I was outside.  

I discovered that one of the warblers up in the trees was a blackpoll warbler.  The clue was its yellow feet.  So there were at least four species of warblers hanging around: pine, yellow rumped (myrtle), orange crowned, and blackpoll.  A couple of buffleheads paddled upstream.  

Busy birds

Warblers showed up while the light was still fairly low.  Bluebirds came too, wanting barkbutter balls.  Then the blue jays emptied the dish.  Maybe that's why the other birds were so early?  The creek was so smooth reflections were sharper than the original scene.  Long crystals of ice floated on the birdbath.  

After the sun rose high enough to brighten the yard, a female oriole arrived for jelly.  The song sparrow began hunting for fallen seeds.  White throats were right behind.  One picked up a germinated seed and appeared to be smoking something.

At lunch, a mockingbird wanted me to refill the barkbutter dish.  Suet was just too much work.  The song sparrow had its head down, tending to business.  But it didn't hang around when the feral cat showed up.  A female (I assume) squirrel had been playing follow-my-lead for several days and today she led a suitor on the great Tarzan leap.  Her follower wasn't quite ready for that, but eventually leapt too.  

Once the cat was gone, bluebirds, warblers, sparrows, and the oriole came back.  At least two brown headed nuthatches took over the seed feeder and intimidated bigger birds.  The song sparrow got a germinated seed.  

Two turtles basked in the afternoon sun.  A small flock of hooded mergansers passed a handful of mallards and the hoodies split up. Only the females came on toward me.  A couple of gulls circled over the lake.  

Winter

There weren't any birds at breakfast and the barkbutter dish was empty.  I refilled it but couldn't stay to see results.  The first birds I saw were fishing.  At least five female hoodies and two drakes went paddling and diving downstream at lunch.  (It's hard to count birds that pop in and ought of sight.)  An egret stalked along the bulkhead and I never noticed that it was following a heron. 

By lunchtime, the barkbutter dish was empty again.  Warblers, both pine and myrtle, went for suet.  There they competed with bluebirds in addition to the resident downy.  One butterbutt decided on a bath.  A female oriole was displeased with the lack of barkbutter balls but had some jelly.  

A red bellied woodpecker landed on the dead, whittled branch I call the woodpeckers' toothpick.  She didn't stay but moved across the pine to living wood.  A mockingbird poked around under the mountain mint where I had dropped a few barkbutter balls.  White throats and a song sparrow hunted in the mulch under the seed feeder.  The sky hazed then clouded over. Crows came calling. 

Brown headed nuthatches made regular visits to the seed feeder.  I only saw one at a time but as soon as one left another appeared.  Pine warblers got interested in the seed feeder since K mixed some other seeds with the sunflower seeds.  Even the bluebirds investigated. 

I finally gave in and filled the barkbutter dish for the second time in one day.  It didn't take the blue jays long to notice.  The song sparrow hustled over to get a dropped (on purpose) barkbutter ball.  The clouds slid off to the North.  Cormorants and one turtle were visible on the lake.  The creek reflected afternoon-gilded tree trunks.  And then the short day was over. 

Sunny solstice

Long shadows reflected in the creek.  Pine warblers finished off the barkbutter balls.  That disappointed a female oriole.  She was also upset that the jelly dish was missing.  I blame the leaf blower.  A mockingbird foraged underneath.  

Blue jays came as soon as I replenished the supply.  Yellow rumped warblers were also interested.  A female bluebird stuffed her beak.  White throats foraged in the mulch, as usual.  

Still cold

It was a beautiful day, though cold, and full of too much running around when I could have been watching birds. There were a lot of clouds early in the day but the creek was brightly colored.  A cormorant periscoped, then took off.  A squirrel sat on a level limb to work on a pine cone.  Blue jays feasted on barkbutter balls.  Crows collected on the oak across the creek that  gives them a good view since it was pruned back.  

 

Cold

Warblers came before there was enough light to take pictures.  Blue jays helped empty the barkbutter ball dish.  White throated sparrows cleaned up the spills.  The sun got high enough to make everything glow.  

Baltimore orioles returned, both male and female.  A Carolina wren protested that the bigger birds had eaten all the barkbutter balls.   A bluebird was disappointed too.  

In the afternoon, dark, heavy clouds rimmed the horizon on the North and East.  A bufflehead swam with the geese.  Warblers, including the half blind one, discovered the new seed mix in the feeder.  The mockingbird came back.  I spotted an oriole in the sakaki bush.  A pale female oriole got some jelly.  

Butterfly!

It was very dark at breakfast and looked like the worst kind of day, windy and wet and cold.  Buffleheads were out on the creek.  The tide ran high from the wind.  Then before 9am, the sky cleared and transformed everything.  

When I returned from an appointment this morning and got out of the car, I saw something flutter by the peppers that were in the garage to keep from freezing.  It was a cloudless sulphur butterfly.  Another out of season sighting was a flower on the lantana.  

Pine warblers came for lunch.  Two male orioles showed up and perched around glaring at each other instead of sharing the jelly.  White throated sparrows prospected for fallen seeds.  Bluebirds went for the fresh barkbutter balls. 

A squirrel was determined to get into the bird food, but had no luck.  He found a good nibble on the ground.  Two more squirrels appeared and all three were wary of each other.  \

I went out after dark to see the moon but my photos were washed out.  

Rain

Heavy overcast dulled the creek reflections.  A female bluebird started today's barkbutter parade.  The male kept watch and examined the suet.  Pine warblers ate both, disturbing the downy.  White throats, as usual, stayed on the ground.  Blue jays packed in as many barkbutter balls as they could hold.  A myrtle warbler looked forlorn on the step railing.  

The mockingbird ran afoul of the blue jays.  The orange crowned warbler came after more jelly.  A mourning dove sauntered across the pool cover.  Two pine warblers fought over the suet.  Then a very orange female oriole took possession and dislodged the downy.  The bluebirds returned.  Then the long-haired yellow cat that rejoices in the name Chuck Norris raced across the lower patio.

A sizable gathering of mallards bathed together.  I counted seven drakes and at least five females - females were harder to see in the poor light.  Three bufflehead drakes and some females passed downstream and back up.  They mingled with several hoodie pairs doing the same thing. 

The prediction was for high winds and heavy rains. A gentle drizzle began at 11am. Even after the rain started, birds continued to show up.  Alas so did the feral tux cat.  Despite all that, the mockingbird, an oriole, a Carolina wren, many warblers, chickadees, and the downy continued to visit the feeders.  The rain grew heavier in the afternoon which meant no more photos.  By evening wind gusts had replaced the rain and the temperature was still above 60°. 

Clouding over

Lovely reflections floated on the creek in the morning.  A song sparrow appeared on the patio, the first one I've seen in months.  A Carolina wren also hunted around the patio and under the mountain mint.  A mockingbird flew in for a barkbutter ball.  The orange crowned warbler had the same idea.  Then a male oriole arrived, sampled the barkbutter balls, and moved on to the jelly.  

White throated sparrows kicked mulch under the seed feeder.  The song sparrow watched and noticed that K had left some seeds on the patio.  It hustled over and started cracking one.  That brought a white throat that laid claim the the seeds and shoved the song sparrow away. It sulked over by the mountain mint. Alas, my photos were blurred.  

Meanwhile the sky had clouded and the creek roughened.  I saw some hoodies and buffleheads but had no luck with photos.  Later several cormorants fished.  A flock of crows swooped in, alighted, and took off.  The songbirds assumed there was danger.  After a while two male orioles came out.  They did not appear to get along.  

The orange crowned warbler returned after lunch.  So did greedy blue jays.  Pine warblers also had some barkbutter balls.  I spotted a flicker up in the hackberry tree but vegetation was in the way.  A female bluebird came for a drink from the birdbath.  

After dark, on our way out I saw the crescent moon in the West.  Alas I had no camera along.  And considering the predicted weather, the moon will be past first quarter before it reappears.  

Flock of orioles!

The birdbath had ice at breakfast and I could see a thin, flexible skin on the creek away from the current.  Pine warblers came for breakfast.  They tried to take over the suet but the downy clung tight.  Then they argued over the barkbutter dish.  I saw what I think was a myrtle warbler up in the trees.  A mockingbird also lurked in the trees. 

Then orioles of both sexes began to collect.  I think there were three of each but I know I counted five birds at one time.  They watched the feeders from the bare branches of the wild cherry.  I confess that at a distance I can mix up pine warblers and young female orioles.  The orioles are bigger but that only helps when they are near each other.  But there's no mistaking the males.  Finally, they all swooped down together, then fussed at each other. 

The birds emptied both dishes, jelly and barkbutter, so at lunchtime I put out refills.  That brought in the blue jays.  They're too greedy to bother with rain fragmented barkbutter.  They want to cram five balls in their crop and beak.  Makes me wonder what they do with them. 

The day grew warmer than earlier in the week.  A Carolina wren got into the barkbutter balls.  White throated sparrows looked for fallen seeds and a drink from the birdbath.  A red bellied woodpecker hiked up a pine trunk.  There were lots of leafbirds on the trees and in the water.  Canada geese gathered on the far bank of the creek.   Two big turtles basked next to a great blue heron.  I saw one bufflehead drake and many mallards. 

Sunny

The weather was much like yesterday.  A Carolina wren joined us at breakfast, soon followed by pine warblers, including the half-blind male.  They ate barkbutter porridge.  The orioles, male and female, were after jelly.  White throated sparrows stayed on the ground.  A second wren arrived and one ate suet while the other worked on the barkbutter.  The orange crowned warbler got some jelly while the male oriole was getting a drink.  The mockingbird was still displeased with the menu.  

I haven't seen any ducks on the lake.  A female hoodie paddled upstream faster than I could have swum.  She left a serious wake.  An egret flew over the dam.  

Female oriole

Apparently I went overboard with the camera today.  It all started with a pin warbler on the barkbutter dish.  Then pretty reflections caught my eye.  The sky was hazy, more white than blue, but the sun shone.  White lines reminded me that we live in the flyover state.  A Carolina wren also wanted barkbutter porridge.  The mockingbird was next.  It gave the barkbutter the "green eggs and ham" look.  

A handful of white throated sparrows showed up to forage under the feeder.  Later, juncos came too.  Still later, one of the sparrows took a bath. 

A brown headed nuthatch, maybe more than one, kept the seed feeder busy.  Chickadees and house finches did not mess with the little nuthatch. A titmouse peered down from the hackberry. 

I replaced the completely empty jelly dish and within five minutes the male oriole was there.  A female oriole hung around the feeders, getting a drink, and waiting for a turn at the jelly.  She was fairly pale which I interpret as being young.  I've seen female orioles where the yellow was shading into orange.  Speaking of orange, the orange crowned warbler tried to get some jelly too. 

Two pairs of hooded mergansers and a handful of buffleheads fished on our stretch of the creek.  An odd mallard looked a bit like a wigeon.  An egret flew past but I missed it.  

Bright and chilly

Ms. Downy was pecking suet when I got up.  The shaded creek mirrored the sunlit trees.  Soon the  male oriole came for jelly.  He fended off competitors, then needed a drink from the ant moat.  Warblers wanted some of everything.  A blue jay alighted on the rim of the bird bath for a drink.  Next up was a mockingbird who turned up its beak at mushy barkbutter and went foraging along the pool edge.  A Carolina wren inspected everything.  

Bluebirds found the barkbutter mush and suet acceptable.  The orange crowned warbler returned and moved right in on the suet while the bluebird was already there.  A very round bluebird drank from the birdbath.  Pine warblers became very busy with the food.  White throated sparrows finally showed up to pick through the mulch.  

I believe there was a turtle basking on the lake log.  An egret flew away while a heron stood still and watched from the neighbor's dock.  Another heron lurked by the dam.  Tiny female buffleheads dived for fish.  A cormorant ran on water.  

Cold front

Overnight the temperature dropped back to normal for December and the rain ended. The birdbath and the ant moat were brim full and the newspaper claimed over an inch of rain fell.  My birdwatching began and ended with the cat.  Still, waves of hungry birds showed up.  Pine warblers competed with the downy for suet.  

A Carolina wren ate barkbutter mush.  A mockingbird also tried the soggy barkbutter but wasn't pleased.  A bluebird posed nicely up in a tree in the sun.  Then male and female came for barkbutter.  They weren't happy with it either.  

White throats and juncos foraged on the ground.  Two orioles argued over the grape jelly, chasing each other around the yard.  Meanwhile, a warbler enjoyed the orioles' treat.  A flock of birds flew out of the trees before I was sure what they were.  Maybe cedar waxwings? 

Stormy weather

There were strong wind gusts in the morning that threw leaves everywhere.  Sprinkles of rain fell at 10am, then sunshine returned, then around 11am a downpour blew through from the South.  From then on, we had rain, downpours in waves with steady rain in between, making a very dark day.  The thermometer appeared to be stuck at 65°.  Out on the creek, the bufflehead drake was accompanied by a female.  The cormorants flew their usual commute, 

A small flock of pine warblers seemed to be everywhere.  I saw the orange crowned warbler among them.  The male oriole was satisfied with my new arrangement for grape jelly.  Other birds were intrigued by it.  And a female oriole showed up wanting to share.  He pushed her off. 

Bluebirds made brief visits to the barkbutter balls.  White throated sparrows kicked mulch.  On examining my photos, I concluded that one of the sparrows was a young chipping sparrow.  The mockingbird was not happy about eating in the rain.  A brown headed nuthatch chose this miserable day to visit.  A Carolina wren was dragging its usually perky tail.  I spotted a blue jay up on a branch.  A junco came to forage for fallen seeds.  

Sunny and warm

Usually by this time of year  we can have either sun or warmth but not both.  Tomorrow the rain is predicted to catch up to the temperature.  A pelican cruised the creek at breakfast while it was still chilly. Later, two females accompanied the bufflehead drake. 

The cat came back.  A pine warbler visited the suet and the barkbutter balls.  A yellow rumped warbler investigated everything.  The oriole ate jelly then came to the window for a look inside.  A female bluebird also checked out the barkbutter balls.  A red bellied woodpecker hunted grubs under the bark on a pine tree.  

Insects took advantage of the warmth.  I saw yellow jackets feeding on the camellia blossoms.  A moth fluttered at the window.  

First pelican

The creek was mostly unruffled under a hazy blue sky.  By the time I realized I was seeing a pelican over the creek, it had passed behind vegetation and I was too late to get a picture.  Then I thought I saw a duck, but it was a beer can.  Toward dusk, a real duck paddled through the reflected Christmas lights across the creek.  It was a pintail drake.  I wish it had showed up when the light was stronger. 

The cat soaked up sun on the bench and the dog was oblivious.  Birds, however, were very aware of the cat.  Still, we had visits from pine warblers, a greedy blue jay, titmice, the male oriole, a brown headed nuthatch, and a bluebird.  The female downy demanded her suet back from a pine warbler.  He just moved over to the barkbutter balls.  

Bright and birdfull

Two blue jays came for breakfast.  At lunch, the orange crowned warbler was back.It was puzzled by the ant moat.  The half-blind pine warbler showed up next.  Then the male Baltimore oriole discovered the jelly dish. 

A squirrel  prepared to leap from the redwood to the hickory, then panicked.  It tried branches at several heights then retired to the trunk to think.  Finally it ran out the branch and jumped and landed without difficulty.  

Out on the creek, a great blue heron kept watch on a hoodie drake.  The rippled water looked very metallic today.  Floating oak leaves resembled small ducks but I finally spotted the real bufflehhead.  So of course he dived.  Three female hoodies came downstream fishing as they came.  They seemed very light in color but that may have been the sun. 

Fluctuating weather

At breakfast, a hoodie drake paddled down the creek.  He was the only color in an expanse of gray water.  An egret used a dock post to keep an eye on the mallards and to preen.  A great blue heron lurked beside the neighbors' dock.  Gusts of wind sprinkled the water with gold leaf. 

After a wet morning there was sun in the early afternoon.  Right around noon birds showed up.  I saw a bluebird a Carolina wren, and a white throated sparrow for certain.  Then they all flew off so I don't know what the other birds were.  It happened too fast for pictures.  A pine warbler took advantage to get some suet. 

Later, a bufflehead fished near the end of the dock.  Around 3pm a menacing cloud rolled out of the Northeast.  It didn't do anything and was gone in an hour but by then sunset was near.  In the twilight, at least three white throats and a pair of cardinals foraged around the birdbath.  I dragged the peppers back into the garage because the temperature was dropping. 

Sunny

Crows flew around but didn't pose.  I saw diving ducks but they dived before I could get an ID.  Toward sunset, cormorants flew past interesting clouds.

Clearing

Today was cooler, sunnier, and less humid.  Diving ducks reappeared, both buffleheads and hooded mergansers.  A Carolina wren poked through the barkbutter dust on the ground.  A mockingbird preferred the dish.  A white throated sparrow foraged for fallen sunflower seeds.  

Gray

The day was warm and humid and very dull.  The overnight wetness did not evaporate and the gray sky threatened more precipitation.  Fittingly, the only bird I saw was also gray, a mockingbird.  

Rain

A wet, gloomy, warm day with not much activity.  The temperature got up into the 60s and stayed there. The Weather Service claimed a high of 70°, one degree below the record.  I'm pleased I moved the peppers back outside to enjoy the warmth and the rain.  I think we got more rain than the Weather Service measured.  In the morning the egrets came back, but I didn't see any fishing.  The feeders were quiet like the creek. 

Fish frenzy

Great egrets and cormorants and a few gulls flocked to the creek to feast.  I also saw one great blue heron but no fishing ducks.  Mallards hung around the egrets as did a crow in the shadows.  The dog objected to the invasion of big white birds. 

I caught another squirrel leap.  A mockingbird was back for more barkbutter balls.  The downy was back at the suet.  The cat came back but the dog was MIA.  A cloud blanket rolled out of the West around mid morning.  A great blue heron perched on one dock post and a gull on the other.  Geese joined the mallards. 

At lunch, two Carolina wrens joined us.  Soon a pine warbler showed up.  I think it had lost an eye but it seemed to be coping.  The heron relocated to the back of the bench. 

When I pulled into the driveway after a library run, lots of birds were flitting through the pecan.  A red bellied woodpecker was working on the trunk.  Then a hawk streaked across pursued by crows and other birds.  Of course I didn't have the camera.  

Icy

The birdbath was frozen solid and there was a definite skin of ice on parts of the creek this morning.  The water was very still and mirror bright.  A male cardinal was up early and soon pestered by house finches.  A pine warbler and an orange crowned warbler got some bits of barkbutter.  A cheeky Carolina wren  peered into the kitchen in between foraging for barkbutter fragments.  

Across the creek a neighbor wrapped bushes in holiday lights which reflected in the creek.

My "big day"

The birds got off to a slow start in the cold, but mid day was full of species once the dog scolded the feral cat and sent it away.  A mockingbird paid multiple visits to the barkbutter balls.  A pine warbler followed, then sampled the suet.  I spotted a bufflehead drake on the creek.  

A male Baltimore oriole popped up in the camellia, but before I could get a photo he flew to the barkbutter feeder.  Then he moved over to the seed feeder hanger where his presence perturbed the female downy.  He got a drink, then just posed for a while.  To stay warm he was puffed up and much rounder than usual.  The woodpecker needn't have worried as he showed no interest in the suet.  

A white breasted nuthatch landed on the post but didn't stay.  A myrtle warbler visited briefly.  The orange crowned warbler came back.  A Carolina wren had some barkbutter bits.  A bluebird landed but didn't stay.  A female junco scurried around the patio.  And then a chipping sparrow landed on the seed feeder roof.  It didn't stick around either.  Chickadees and house finches kept the seed feeder busy.  This was all within an hour and a half between 12:30 and 2pm!

Ice in the birdbath

I thought at first there was ice on the creek but it was just ruffled water.  The birdbath had long, thin crystals.  A Carolina wren came for barkbutter balls. 

Toward evening, mallards became very busy on the creek.  I could not see what inspired them to paddle from one spot to another so fast they left wakes.  Cumulus clouds blushed orange as cormorants flew past.  

Bright and cold

I was running around most of the day.  The tux cat made itself at home in the back so the birds stayed away.  I went out front where I could hear a blue jay but I never saw it.  There were birds in the cedar.  I glimpsed one I thought was a bluebird but I "pish, pished" to no avail.  The jessamine made a flower.  A freeze was forecast so we brought in the peppers. 

Wet mockingbird

Cold drizzle didn't deter a hungry white throated sparrow from foraging under the feeder.  House finches, cardinals, chickadees and titmice wanted their seeds.  A mockingbird preferred suet, especially since the barkbutter balls were still covered to keep the rain out. 

By afternoon, the drizzle turned into rain.  Juncos joined the white throat and a Carolina wren foraging.  I squeegeed the window several times but the camera still had trouble with focus.  On the creek hoodies and mallards ignored the extra water.  

Orange crowned warbler

We started the day with a blue jay.  After that, they stayed up in the trees.  The cat came back but the dog evicted it, at least for a couple of hours.  A Northeast wind drove the tide up.  Mid day the sky cleared and the temperature got all the way up to 46°.  

A brown headed nuthatch joined the chickadees on the seed feeder.  Some chickadees competed with the downy for suet.  An orange crowned warbler also had a taste for suet, and for barkbutter balls.  A very similar pine warbler did too.  I saw a bluebird up in the hickory and then on the suet.  Cormorants and Canada geese were all I saw on the creek.  

Toward evening the sky grew threatening and the wind made waves on the creek.  

Birdwatching

The black & white cat basked for a while on the pool cover, but the birds were just too fascinating.  Pretty soon, the cat was up on the steps   There was a lot to see.  A goldfinch in winter drab got a drink.  A pine warbler streaked past on the way to the suet.  A bluebird landed atop the post.  Chickadees and house finches argued over seeds. 

After K shooed the cat, twice, a Carolina wren helped itself to barkbutter balls.  A mockingbird  wanted some, but didn't hang around.  Meanwhile, a brown headed nuthatch also came for seeds.  A couple of doves paraded around the pool cover.  The first junco of the Fall foraged under the sakaki.  

The domestic cherry had lost almost all its leaves.  The blueberry bushes were turning orange.  One hickory was bare but the other, less exposed, retained its coppery foliage.  The humongous fungus got mildewed from the rain.  Mosses were still green from the rain.  The odd thing I first saw weeks ago and thought was a puffball was unchanged.  Clouds blocked the sun and the breeze felt chilly so I came inside.  After 4pm the sun escaped the edge of the overcast and I hoped for migrant ducks floating through the reflections.  No such luck, just a mallard.  

More birds

Lovely sunshine didn't manage to contribute enough warmth though it made fine reflections.  I caught a squirrel in mid leap.  More ducks arrived from the North, including female hoodies and a bufflehead drake.  Mallards and geese stayed around. 

The sky was a brilliant blue.  Two red winged blackbirds wanted a drink.  I think they might have been youngsters.  A dove poked around and a Carolina wren investigated under the mountain mint.  Of course there were chickadees and the downy. 

Rain

Yesterday was gray and damp, though warmer.  A crow and a squirrel were interested in a clump of day lily stalks but I don't know why.  I saw one hoodie drake on the creek.  The domestic cherry turned orange.  Mrs. Downy was back. 

The rain began in earnest overnight and by breakfast the ant moat and the birdbath were overflowing.  I thought I saw a duck but it was a wretched styrofoam cup.  When the rain finally slacked off after lunch, the female downy came for suet.  Chickadees followed, wanting seeds.  Eventually, I did see ducks but the camera struggled with the raindrops on the glass.  There were at least three hoodie drakes.  A pine warbler had some suet. 

Cold

I spotted a couple of hoodie drakes in the morning but didn't get a decent photo.  On my way back from the library, I saw a bluebird down by the corner of the street.  No camera, of course.  The sky was hazed with thin brushstroke clouds.  Some cumulus puffs.picked up color in the late afternoon.  Cormorants flew past.  

Oriole!

Crows loitered in the trees.  After breakfast, I discovered a male Baltimore oriole sitting on the patio outside the door.  It looked like it might have hit the glass but I didn't hear anything.  It flew off, then I hustled some grape jelly out for it.  But I did not see it again. 

The Japanese maple next door glowed in the sun.  My red maple lost most of its leaves.  One oak was bronze but the other was still green.  The sweet gum was crimson.  There were still flowers on the lantana.  

In the afternoon I noticed a chickadee and the female downy playing statues.  I don't know what they were hiding from but eventually they relaxed and got on with their business.   In the background, the creek reflected the sunlit bank. 

At sunset, I finally saw the moon.  It was slightly less than first quarter but washed out except for the terminator.  This time of year it's too low in the sky to see from the back yard so I was out front.  

Back to November

There was some sun but a lot of clouds and the chill was back.  Cormorants commuted homeward against a faintly tinted sky.  

 

Leaf fall

I saw a wasp and another leaf-footed bug.  Puffy cumulus clouds blew out of the Southeast but above them, contrail hieroglyphics moved slowly Northeast.  At tree level the wind was gusty, producing showers of leaves.  A squirrel carried off a pecan.  An egret flew upstream.  

Warm enough for bugs

A leaf-footed bug and a moth landed on the window.  I saw a Carolina wren but didn't get a photo.  

Cloudy

The sky was white, not blue, but the sun lit up the creek at breakfast.  I missed shots at a mockingbird and a blue jay. Three hoodie drakes paddled past.  A curious mourning dove prospected under the seed feeder.  And then I got caught up in a marathon meeting.  

First hooded merganser

Blue sky, reflections in the creek, colorful leaves showering down added up to a lovely Fall day.  The leap for Tarzan of the squirrels grew more daunting as the branches became without the weight of leaves.

A hooded merganser drake paddled upstream following mallards.  Canada geese came along behind.  I spotted a white throated sparrow and a Carolina wren.  A cormorant dived as soon as I saw it. 

Gilded creek

The sun was back today.  It was the new moon so the tides were stronger but the creek was placid in the morning light.  Later the surface became crepey like old skin.  In the afternoon, an egret chased off another.  The winning bird took up a post on a post at the end of the dock.  Later the egret fished while mallards paddled past.  Squirrels played follow my leader (my pheromones, more likely) from the redwood to the hickory and on around the other trees.  A flock of geese paddled upstream through golden reflections of the oaks above the dam.  

Dreary gray

The overcast brought no rain.  In fact, no rain has fallen since Halloween and none is expected through the Ides.  Oddly, the directionless light seemed to make the leaf colors stronger.  After lunch Sunday, the cold North wind finally tore holes in the cloud cover.   But the sun didn't budge the temperature, not to mention the wind chill.  I saw the female downy early in the day.  Cormorants splashed down on the creek in the afternoon.  Saltbush fluff looked like fat snowflakes. 

Hot and cold

Yesterday was very warm - over 80°.  But I saw nothing.  Today, under a gray sky, the temperature dropped steadily and the wind gained strength.  The directionless light made the dogwood leaves quite crimson and the sassafras golden.  Fluff from the saltbushes blew everywhere.  The maple tree lost more than half its leaves.  A titmouse visited the barkbutter dish.  

Two nice days

OK, I skipped yesterday. We had fair weather for Election Day and that worked the needed magic.  But all I saw was a moth on the window after dark.  

This morning, a Carolina wren hunted scraps in the barkbutter dish. I put more out and they disappeared when I wasn't looking.  The creek was rumpled but glowing in reflected sunlight.  A male house finch took possession of the seed feeder.  I haven't seen any house finches for several weeks.  This evening a different moth was on the door and got in when I let the dog out.  I'm fairly sure it was a southern purple mint moth.   

Pretty day

It was warmer and breezier and a few clouds passed by.  Chickadees kept the seed feeder busy. Plenty of leaf color dressed up the trees.  A female mallard slept on the dock.  Flying bugs glinted in the sun.  Falling leaves fluttered.  A couple of round, little birds did too.  Unfortunately, my only photo was blurred but I could make out a big black eye and a yellowish wing.  I think it might have been a ruby crowned kinglet, but I can't be sure. 

An hour later

Daylight Saving Time ended so sunset will come at 5pm. Getting up at 7am, I didn't gain any morning light to compensate for the loss of evening.  I had hoped to see the third quarter moon in the morning but the sky was too cloudy.  At breakfast a pair of Carolina wrens were tempted by barkbutter balls.  They came back at lunch for suet. By then the sky was cloudless but the moon had set. A titmouse was thirsty and a downy wanted suet too. 

In the afternoon, a female kingfisher sat on the dock bench and monitored the creek.  A squirrel bounded around the tree trunks.  Insects glittered in the sun.  A couple of them were yellow jackets. 

A little warmer

It was still sunny.  I saw more squirrels than birds.  Insects were still flitting around. 

Still cold

Once again the creek was full of lovely reflections.  A blue jay joined us for breakfast.  A squirrel made the great leap to the redwood.  Other than that, I saw chickadees, a cardinal, geese and mallards.  The sun spotlighted flying insects.  The few I could identify were brown moths, but others appeared bigger.   I re-found the fungus I thought might be a puffball.  Near it were dark gray russulas.  The big polypore rosette seemed to have shrunk a little.  More peppers were turning red.  I thought I saw a black cat in the top of the maple tree.  But it turned out to be the tree behind the maple looking dark and fuzzy in the camera. 

Chilly

Despite sunshine, the day never got warm.  That cold front dropped the temperatures 30° from Monday.  Plus, the wind kept the creek surface disturbed and pushed the tide up.  Most of the leaves were blown off the beautyberry bush.  Titmice joined the chickadees at the seed feeder.  The female downy was content with suet.  One turtle soaked up sunshine.  

Towards evening, the creek calmed enough to glow with the light off oaks on the far side of the dam.  They'd lost leaves too but still had enough to be colorful as cormorants flew past.  

Gusty

The sun was back but a cold North wind kept me inside. It roughed up the creek and pushed the tide higher.  There were lots of puffy clouds all day.  Crows and a buzzard went about their business.  I harvested another pepper.  The setting sun cast an orange light on the clouds.  Cormorants commuted to their roosts.  

Wet

The cold front blew in at last.  Something thumped against my window last night  I don't know if it was something blown by the wind or maybe a confused owl.  Things that go bump in the night before Halloween!  All I saw today was a couple of chickadees and the downy.  The temperature slowly dropped and enough rain fell to wet everything without accomplishing anything.  Nasty weather for trick-or-treat.  We weren't planning to give out treats and I didn't see or hear any kids.  

Windy

The creek was rumpled, not reflective.  But the sky was still blue and the South wind blew warm. In fact, it matched the record again - 84°. A gull played with the air currents.  Mallards occupied the dock.  Overnight, a lot of maple leaves began to turn.  I saw flying insects catch the sunlight, but couldn't tell what they were.  Wasps, most likely, or maybe small lepidoptera.  The female downy was back but something spooked her and there was a lot of peering around first one side of the feeder post then the other.  If the cold front comes through tomorrow, the birds may be a lot more hungry. 

Black & white birds

The unseasonably warm weather has also been dry.  Today was breezier than the past several days and the creek was not a placid mirror.  Leaves dotted its wrinkled surface.  A Southwest wind hustled shreds of cloud across the sky.  A stream of chickadees came for seeds and water. The female downy was content with suet.  I saw a cabbage white again and after dark a moth lit on the door.  Wasps were still active.  The temperature matched the record for this day, set in 2020.  

Tarzan of the squirrels

I caught the squirrel in mid-leap between the hickory and the redwood.  Birds in the trees stayed hidden except for chickadees.  The weather continued to be summery under a blue sky.  I saw a few wasps and some small moths. 

Strange weather

While it's been summery here, deep cold dropped down over the Northern plains states.  The NWS weather map resembled a rainbow flag except that the stripes dividing hot and cold were pinched very narrow.  This newspaper map isn't as colorful.  I looked up "Indian Summer" (which is now not polite) and learned that the current weather doesn't qualify.  "It’s a period of abnormally warm weather occurring in late autumn between St. Martin’s Day (November 11) and November 20."  

A mulch roach scuttled along the side of the house.  Virginia creeper turned red on a tree trunk.  The fungus developed toasty edges.  A cabbage white butterfly flitted around the trees.  Earlier I saw a cloudless sulphur. 

Despite the pleasant weather, I didn't see much else.  The female downy couldn't stay away from the suet.  A small flock of swallows zipped around the sky.  Then camera battery died and they were gone when I got back with the other battery.  They had the white underside of a tree swallow but appeared to have swallow-tails like a barn swallow.  I thing I'll go with tree swallow.

Still summery

Turtles were out basking on their log.  Contrails turned to cirrus wisps.  I thought I found a puffball.  I definitely found an empty monarch chrysalis.  The fungus by the oak appeared to be finished growing.  Beautyberries were disappearing, helped by a mockingbird.  

A great blue heron stood on a piling at low tide while mallards paddled around.  Sassafras leaves turned yellow.  Small clusters of golden leaves popped out of the green oak foliage as well.  Milkweed parachutes opened.  Red magnolia seeds poked out of their pods.  Yellow rumped warblers jittered among the trees. 

Very warm

A blue jay was up very early.  The rising sun's light bounced off the far bank, then off the creek surface and into my eyes.  The creek was mostly flat all day and the sky cloudless.   Later, I saw a bluebird sitting on a dock post.  

The day warmed into the 70s.  A few wasps prowled around the rue.  At lunch, a Carolina wren joined us for barkbutter balls.  Some fallen sunflower seeds germinated, but much too late in the year.  In the late afternoon, all I saw were geese and an egret flying.  

Home at last

On my way to Northern Virginia last Thursday, I saw a flock of pelicans off Willoughby spit.  A circle of them were bobbing in the waves.  Others flew parallel to the bridge.  After the tunnel, it was nothing but  buzzards all the way.  I passed a road-killed deer.  There was a wildflower garden at the rest stop on 95.  It had beautyberry, black eyed susan, I think mountain mint, a familiar-looking composite gone to seed and other plants I didn't know.  A couple of ladybugs and a bumblebee were attracted to the oasis. I didn't take any photos. 

Trees in Chantilly were turning fall colors and losing leaves.  I saw another dead deer between hotels and yet another this morning.  The garden at today's rest stop was smaller and the only wildlife was a yellow jacket.  A little flock of house sparrows clustered at the base of a light pole.  More buzzards monitored the highways.  

When I got home I sat outside to appreciate the beautiful day.  The trees were mostly still green except for the dogwoods and hickory.  Camellias bloomed but the red asters were fading.  The polypore fungus was still huge and cream-colored.  Chickadees came to the feeder. a yellow rumped warbler wanted food but was wary of me.  Bluebirds flitted among the trees.  The quiet creek reflected sunlit trees.  

 

 

 

 

Sunny

The creek was glowing again this morning.  Birds were hiding in the dogwoods again.  One was a mockingbird.  I had to go through some gymnastics to catch enough of it to identify.  Crows were perturbed about something, maybe one of the cats?  The downy woodpecker was oblivious as long as there was suet.  It was a very pretty day that I wasted too much of on the computer.  

Autumn chill

The creek glowed at dawn.  Lots of clouds kept the temperature down, or maybe it was the North wind that shoved them along.  I saw a few wasps.  Birds harvested dogwood berries but they were hard to see.  Titmice and chickadees kept the sunflower feeder busy.  There were cardinals too, and the downy was back.  The black cat sat by the pool cover until the dog noticed, then there was a mad dash around the back of the house.  As I drove to a meeting, the sun (when it wasn't blinding motorists) focused golden beams on the underside of a massive cloud.  But I didn't have the camera or a good place to stop.  It was dark when I came home with a bright planet, probably Jupiter, rising in the East and clouds visible from reflected lights.  

Clearing

Morning was wet.  A water bottle floated on the flat creek.  Two Carolina wrens came for mushy barkbutter balls.  

Glimmers of sunlight leaked through at lunch.  The North wind picked up and tore at the clouds.  Titmice and chickadees wanted seeds.  The female downy wanted suet.  I saw two fast flying birds head upstream, probably kingfishers.  An egret flew downstream to the neighbors' dock.  The setting sun tipped trees and clouds with orange. The saltbush was silvery.  

Rainy day

There was a flicker of sunlight at breakfast and then it was gone.  Gray light made the creek dull even though it was placid.  Chickadees queued up for the fresh seeds in the feeder.  A white breasted nuthatch checked out the suet and barkbutter balls as well.  

Once the rain began, a mockingbird only registered as a blur on the camera.  A cardinal dripped.  A Carolina wren was fine with rain-mushed barkbutter balls.  The downy woodpecker's suet shed rain.  As the afternoon wore on, the rain got heavier and the sky darker.  

We were well outside the path of the annular eclipse or else I would have been quite upset with the weather.  I tried the NASA website which was mostly talking heads but did show the eclipse.  Too much of the sun was visible around the moon for prominences to show up. It was just a thin gold ring, lopsided first one way then the other.  

Blue sky

The warm sun was tempered by a nippy breeze. Chickadees, of course, didn't mind me, but the other birds were being difficult.  Blue jays flew over but I only got one in silhouette.  A tiny warbler perched briefly on a hibiscus stalk.  A white breasted nuthatch ran around a pine trunk.  I know there were birds eating dogwood berries, but they hid.  

Berry battles

Sunshine was predicted but I didn't see any till after lunch.  The creek reflections were dull, grayed, and muted.  A male cardinal sampled the breakfast buffet from barkbutter balls to dogwood berries.  A female downy woodpecker found the suet.  When I arrived for my haircut, the staff were holding a wake for a bird that had hit the window and apparently died.  I'm afraid it was a yellow billed cuckoo.  There was also a small black mop I was informed was a shih tzu puppy.  It wanted to eat my hair - should I be flattered? 

At home, I saw two mockingbirds squabbling over dogwood berries.  Other birds were flitting around in the trees and I could certainly hear blue jays.  Carolina wrens were scolding as was something I didn't recognize that sounded like an irate grasshopper.  I picked a couple more peppers.  And I glimpsed a kingfisher. 

Not much to report

 There were ducks on the dock.  A great blue heron perched on a piling.  That's all.  

Quiet

The creek was fairly quiet all day.  There wasn't much sun at breakfast, but by lunch time the sky was blue.  The first buds on the sasanqua camellia opened. All I saw were cardinals and chickadees and a wasp.  An eroded area appeared in the sand buffer that was planted with spartina last Spring.  

Two days

Ooops, Sunday slipped away.  It dawned with lovely reflections.  A mockingbird escaped the camera but a Carolina wren posed.  Passing clouds didn't stop the sunshine.  But I didn't take many pictures.  

Monday also began with a placid creek mirroring the far bank.  Blue jays visited early.  I went outside in the late morning but I guess I was too late for the moon.  The giant fungus, as best I could tell is a polypore.  It was still a little soft and bendable but I couldn't see underneath.  I couldn't feel anything like gills or teeth so the most likely spore-producing surface would be pores.  The red aster and the beautyberries were both magenta but the canna was more orange.  Another saltbush toppled over. 

There was a commotion in the grass but I only got a brown blur.  I think two birds were fighting.  One flew into the dogwood and began to sing.  I thought it was some exotic warbler but the photos convinced me it was a Carolina wren.  The tail would have been a giveaway had it not been hidden by a leaf.  

I checked out the venusta orchard spider without a window between us.  It glowed like sun shining through glass.  This time I noticed the small loops of silk in the hub where the spider waits.  

Midday rain

The creek glowed in the early sun while fluffy clouds floated by.  A Carolina wren poked through the sunflower seeds and the barkbutter balls.  A pale female cardinal fledgling visited.  By mid morning it was raining.  

The rain cleared off around mid afternoon and the sunshine returned.  A wasp visited the mountain mint.  The orb web outside my window turned iridescent in the sunlight.  The sun on the window screen made photography difficult.  I believe a turtle was out on the log catching the last rays of the day. 

Humid

I spent most of the day inside at a conference.  When I got home, I saw a mockingbird eating dogwood berries and a blue jay after acorns.  A fuzzy caterpillar crawled along the doorway.  A wasp buzzed around the mountain mint.  The saltbush turned white. 

Farewell for blue water

The pool was closed today.  That always is a sad moment, though the mid September weather put an end to swimming and filled it with tree trash.  I got one blurry shot of a sulphur butterfly.  High clouds streamed past on an East wind and in late afternoon, the sky clouded over.  The red asters were the same color as the beautyberries. 

Humungous fungus

It was another lovely, blue skied day.  A lot of morning glory bit the dust and I think the yard work scared off the birds.  I took myself over to the oak to get some good photos of the fungus.  The milkweed seeds were beginning to fly.  

One skink a-swimming

Brown headed nuthatches came for seeds for breakfast.  Little puffs of cumulus didn't last and the sky was a clear blue in the afternoon.  The temperature came up but a breeze kept it from feeling really warm.  Clumps of dogwood leaves turned yellow and red but everything else was still green.  The canna started another flower and the red aster was blooming.  The fungus by the oak got very big.  A couple of butterfly milkweed pods opened but the seed parachutes weren't quite ready to take off.  Between the beautyberry bush and the dogwood trees, migrating birds should think they've arrived at Berryland. 

I saw ripples in the water and discovered a skink had fallen in.  A little wasp tried to hitch a ride on the skink's tail.  I tried to lift the skink out with a brush, but that scared it and I was forced to use a net.  When I set the net down for it to escape, I saw a skink dash into the vegetation.  But that skink lacked a tail, so I was afraid I'd pinched it off.  I put the net back and went back up the steps to let the dog inside.  When I looked back, the skink I'd rescued emerged from the net with all its tail intact.  

A Carolina wren nibbled at the barkbutter balls.  Chickadees and cardinals ate seeds all day.  I heard blue jays but none came to a feeder while I was watching.  But a bluebird landed on the seed feeder, figured out its mistake, and flew to the barkbutter balls.  I thought I'd spotted something exotic in the trees, but it was just another cardinal fledgling.  

The orchard spider's web caught the afternoon sun again.  Backlighting made the Leucauge venusta spider's legs look like green glass attached to a dark gray striped lozenge.  It makes a web that's almost horizontal compared to other orb weavers.  

Spotted birds

At breakfast, the creek was burnished and glowing russet and green from sunlight on the bank.  Crows noticed the fresh barkbutter balls but had difficulty with feeder dishes designed for songbirds.  

The afternoon sun highlighted an orchard spider's web billowing in the breeze.  Bumblebees found the goldenrod.  A squirrel with a pecan gobstopper clung to the redwood bark. 

I think a turtle was basking on the lake log, but late summer vegetation almost filled my view.  Mallards rested on the dock.  Later a pair paddled away, flirting with head bobs.  

A bird I glimpsed and snapped turned out to be a thrush, probably a hermit thrush.  But a different spotted bird showed up a little later -- a female flicker.  They were both after dogwood berries but the flicker watched all around while I took a dozen pictures before it finally reached for a berry. Got it!.  A mockingbird got a barkbutter ball and escaped while I was watching the others.  Of course the cardinal clan ate seeds.  One of the male fledglings was beginning to get a black mask.

Lovely day

Alas, I missed most of it.  A female cardinal fledgling was thirsty.  A Carolina wren found the fresh barkbutter balls and hammered them into bite-size bits.  High tide washed over the dock.  

More of the same

A gust of rain blew through in the morning but otherwise it was just gray.  Turning dogwood leaves seemed to have less yellow and more red.  Chickadees and cardinals came for seeds.  Mallards paddled past.  Something snatched at dogwood berries but stayed hidden.  

Dreary

A mockingbird got away before I got a photo.   Something thrashed in the dogwood, probably a squirrel.  The North wind, in addition to bring a damp chill and gray skies, pushed the tide over the dock again.  A yellow rose opened anyway.  A fly and a tiny bee or wasp visited the flower.  Goldenrod was beginning to get yellow. 

Rain

The dog has been sick, so the windows are open to deal with the smell, so the house is as dank as outdoors.  And the computer had a falling out with the ISP yesterday so that took hours.  Meanwhile the cold wind still pushed the tide over the dock and the mist turned to rain, so the dog got soaked outside while I cleaned the floor inside. There is not enough cheese in the world for my whine!  A Carolina wren worked on the barkbutter balls. 

Cold gray wind

I checked the butterfly milkweed but didn't see any caterpillars, so I guess they crawled off to pupate.  I don't know if it was the cold, the wind, a hawk, or what, but I saw nothing till late afternoon.  Then there was a brief scramble at the feeders.  A cardinal popped up on the seed feeder and a Carolina wren foraged under the mountain mint.  Then three bluebirds arrived.  The male ate mealworms followed by the female.  A fledgling perched on the hanger but didn't figure out what its parents were demonstrating.  The adults flew off and the youngster followed them.  

Not that I could see it in this weather, but this was the last day when day was longer than night.  According to the newspaper, "The autumnal equinox on Sept. 23 marked the end of summer and the beginning of fall with the sun shining directly over the equator, according to NASA...However, the actual date with an equal day and night varies locally, depending on latitude, or distance from the equator."  

 

Gloomy

I seem to remember that after a tropical storm we would have beautiful weather for a while.  Not this year.  A dank North wind brought overcast and drizzle.  The chill did make birds hungry.  A mockingbird snatched an early barkbutter breakfast.  Blue jays followed and might have been why the mockingbird was in a hurry.  The cardinal clan went for seeds mostly.  Chickadees and titmice were after seeds too.  A Carolina wren perched on a chair arm.  A couple of doves marched around the lower patio.  The mockingbird returned for dogwood berries.  I spotted a squirrel with an acorn.  Down by the creek, the saltbush was showing white tips.  

Chilly

We got more sunshine and less wind today but there was still a lot of cloud.  Ophelia had not yet moved out of range.  The female fledgling was either the boldest or the most foolish cardinal, arriving first at the feeder and not spooking as quickly.  A blue jay was happy that I replenished the barkbutter balls.

Strange things floated on the creek but the tide was back to normal.  A couple of turtles emerged to bask on their log.  A damaged mallard drake hung around the pool   I found four of the monarch caterpillars.  A paper wasp looked for something around the post.  The conk fungus reappeared at the base of the oak looking like bake-n-serve dinner rolls.  A great blue heron paced the dock.  I got into the chilly water and worked on cleaning up the pool.  A drowned skink was on the bottom among all the leaves and pine needles.  

Cooper's hawk

The juvenile cardinals came back.  Suddenly the hawk was sitting on the railing. probably after missing a snatch.  By the time I got the camera ready, it had moved further off, but was still in clear sight.  Then it came closer and sat on the bench. 

The monarch caterpillars seemed to be more yellow.  The tree trash in the pool did not disappear on its own, but I was still unmotivated.  Sunshine was infrequent, the air wasn't very warm, and the wind was still harsh.  The tide was high again. 

Eventually the female cardinal fledgling was brave enough to return.  I didn't replenish the mealworms or barkbutter balls because it seemed too much like bait for the hawk.  Still, the downy woodpecker checked to see if it was suet season yet.  Titmice came for seeds.  

In the late afternoon, a great egret watched the water from the dock.  That's when I noticed the neighbors' floating dock was missing.  The kingfisher ate its catch on top of one of the guideposts for the missing dock.  

Equinox

The tropical storm Ophelia came ashore South of the Outer Banks and its track North should pass West of us.  We had to reset clocks and timers from the overnight outages.  But oddly, there was some blue sky as cardinals anxiously sought breakfast.  The rain only began again about 8:30am. Between yesterday and today we got a couple of inches. 

Meanwhile, on the butterfly milkweed, totally ignoring the weather, five monarch caterpillars chomped up leaves and seedpods.  They had grown much bigger which probably is why I was able to see them all.  I hope they pupate before they eat all the seedpods!  

The wind pushed the tide over the dock.  I found interesting information on tropical storms & hurricanes at The Daily News in Washington state.  We had a few moments of sunshine in the afternoon but then a sort of spitting mist and the wind picked up again.  A lot of tree debris fell into the water.  Between the temperature, the wind, and the humidity, I was not motivated to get wet.  I just netted branches off the bottom.  Maybe tomorrow.  

Tropical Storm Ophelia

The fledgling female cardinal wanted a turn at the seeds.  A Carolina wren worked on the mealworms.  The water was already choppy when I saw the kingfisher again.  This time I went for the camera. It was a female, facing into the wind. 

This storm came out of nowhere - a depression off the Carolina coast suddenly wound itself up and headed our way.  The whole day was windy but the rain held off till later in the day.  In the evening, cardinals battled the wind to get fed.  

Hazy

A mockingbird was too fast for me but I caught the blue jay that followed.  The young cardinals were back.  I didn't have the camera when I spotted a kingfisher on the dock.The yellow cat dashed across the yard for no reason that I could see. 

The sky was very hazy.  Two Carolina wrens expected lunch.  A crow startled the songbirds.  I suspect it left the rather large poop on the patio.  Something ate beautyberries but all I saw was jerking branches.  Cardinals at dogwood berries. 

A black swallowtail worked on the rue.  It might have been the same dark butterfly I saw elsewhere in the yard or that might have been a red spotted purple.  I could find only one monarch caterpillar but I expect the other was there somewhere. 

So many juvenile cardinals

At breakfast, I saw an egret fishing along the bulkhead across the creek.  The stately bird did not make a ripple in the reflection on the creek surface.  When I turned to come back inside, I noticed a Polistes wasp exploring the chair arm.  

The semi-bald blue jay dined on barkbutter balls.  A white breasted nuthatch wanted sunflower seeds.  A Carolina wren took a turn at the barkbutter balls.  Titmice and chickadees were busy at the seed feeder.  At lease six juvenile cardinals descended on the area around the seed feeder.  Then the wretched tux cat showed up.  Once the cat was gone, a pine warbler made a brief visit but I guess I was too close for comfort.  Cardinals and nuthatches came back. 

A skipper posed on a morning glory leaf while a black swallowtail investigated the rue.  Bumblebees nectared on the mountain mint.  I found two young caterpillars on the butterfly milkweed.  My pool rescues consisted of a green June beetle and three black ground beetles.  No skinks and no sign of a frog.  But the sky clouded over and looked threatening.  After I got out, the sun returned. 

Hot sun, cool breeze

The sky was intensely blue.  A Carolina wren gleaned crumbs for breakfast, reminding me to refill the hanging dishes.  The male juvie cardinal looked almost adult.  Only his beak gave him away.  Another male fledgling was still doing the feed-me shake.  

The aster put out a late blossom.  Dogwood berries looked ripe.  So dis some of the beautyberry clusters.  A cabbage white seemed interested in morning glory leaves.  Bumblebees joined wasps on the mountain mint.  I found the remains of a black swallowtail in the remains of a web.  Another flitted around the rue.  The monarch caterpillar seemed a little fatter.  I found a drowned cicada but this one was only half the size of the one I found last week.  It was quite green too.  A fuzzy yellow caterpillar climbed the side of the pool and disappeared.  I think it was a yellow woolybear, Spilosoma virginica. 

I saw several blue tailed skinks including one I rescued from the pool.  I thought I saw two frogs in the water but one turned out to be the skink.  The lizard seemed to be following the frog around and even climbed on top once.  After I put the skink out on the nice hot concrete, I evicted the frog as well.  But then it or another appeared back in the water. 

Blue jays feasted on acorns and weren't very interested in the feeders.  Two red bellied woodpeckers landed on the maple trunk but quickly sidled out of sight.  A mockingbird also hid in the leaves.  White breasted nuthatches were brave enough to get seeds while I was outside.  

Damp

Morning rain cleared in the afternoon but stayed cool and damp.  Carolina wrens and juvie cardinals  hung out at the feeders.  I glimpsed a blue jay.  But mostly I stared at a screen.  

Light rain

The morning's passing clouds covered the sky in the afternoon, then turned to mist, then rain by evening.  I saw a hummer but she was faster than me.  I also missed a blue jay and a mockingbird.  Juvenile cardinals were back. A small monarch caterpillar nestled in a butterfly milkweed leaf.  A black swallowtail made the rounds of vegetation.  The yellow rose had another bud. 

Warmer

The wind was gentler, the air warmer, and the sun fierce in the blue sky.  Colors floated on the shiny creek.  The mob of cardinals came back.  So did a Carolina wren.  The poor mama cardinal was still feeding her demanding offspring.  At least the seed feeder made her life easier. 

A  swallowtail sat on a violet leaf for no apparent reason.  The sunflower stalk fell over so I got rid of it.  I evicted a frog and a skink from the pool, also many, many pine needles. 

Cardinal generation

The first bird of the morning was the male cardinal fledgling whose beak was half turned bronze.  He was all puffed up against the North wind's chill.  I speculated that the strong wind was being funneled between a high to the Northwest and Hurricane Lee out East in the Atlantic.  It was still blowing and since the moon was dark, the tide was over the dock. 

An older female cardinal fledgling shared the birdbath with two house finches.  They all wanted seeds, not a bath.  Her beak looked almost golden.  A Carolina wren tucked into the barkbutter balls.  Earlier, the blue jay that was regrowing head feathers had had a helping of barkbutter balls.  

A strand of spider silk had snagged a leaf which was twirling and bouncing in the wind.  And that wind was not warm so I stayed out of the water.  I may regret that tomorrow.  . 

Toward evening, more cardinals arrived.  A younger male fledgling sat on the feeder roof crying to be fed.  Mama stuffed his mouth. The older fledglings watched enviously.  I do not remember seeing this many young cardinals at one time before.  Puffy clouds turned buttery in the setting sun's light.  

Beautiful day

The Carolina wren was first to breakfast.  I thought I saw a giant, or maybe a palamedes, swallowtail flitting around the rue, but my one snap shot was a blur.  The fledgling cardinal was growing up fast.  The cloudless sky was a deep blue but a gusty wind filled the pool with tree debris.  I caught the two green frogs again - I swear one was waiting for me.  A skink insisted on rescuing itself by climbing my suit.  The spartina down by the dam was being grazed by periwinkles.   Goldenrod was getting ready to bloom while the beautyberries were turning red.  The butterfly milkweed was loaded with pods.  A different skink posed up on the patio.  Wasps kept at the mountain mint.  Clouds rolled in toward evening and mallards flocked on the creek.

Florida Predatory Stink Bug

A Carolina wren came for breakfast, but not very early.  The male fledgling cardinal posed nicely on the birdbath.  And the I was busy until my afternoon dip.

There were two frogs today.  It took a while to catch both of them and persuade them to leave.  I also removed a very small spider that had located on the top step where I was likely to brush against it.  A Florida Predatory Stink Bug (Euthyrhynchus floridanus) was floating in the water.  It was only the second one I've ever seen and the other one was in almost the same spot, years ago.  Anyway, I rescued the bug and took it up to the patio for a photo session.  It was orange on the belly as well as the three spots on the back.  The rest was a pretty metallic green but I didn't have very good light.  The cicada I found yesterday was feeding a nest of small ants.  

Sunset was colorful enough to pull me away from the computer and outside.  There were a lot of clouds and no moon.  

Hints of Autumn

The creek was a placid mirror reminding me that even though the reflected leaves were still green, the weather patterns have begun shifting toward Autumn.  The air was humid again but the sky was blue with cotton fluff.  A mallard preened on the dock.  The beautyberries got redder.  Two hummers zoomed past repeatedly as one tried to raid the feeder and the other defended it.  A mockingbird came for barkbutter balls.

I found a big cicada floating in the water.  I wasn't sure if it was dead or just needed to dry out.  There were lots of adult two-lined spittlebugs Prosapia bicincta in the water too.  They were hardly bigger than the cicada's mouth but a close look revealed that the two insects are quite similar except for size.  Spittlebugs belong in the froghopper family, Cercopidae.  Wasps prowled the mountain mint.  Two frogs and a skink were also in the water.  The cricket I rescued might have lured the skink. 

Streaming chickadees

The day was very humid and there was a shower but there was also sunshine.  A black swallowtail wanted some nectar.  A cardinal fledgling took over the seed feeder.  Mama watched from the shepherd's crook.  His beak was definitely getting more orange.  A mallard pair rested on the dock, later joined by more pairs.  A blue dasher dragonfly used one of the perches.  A couple of turtles basked on the lake log. 

Some kind of soaring bird made circles in the sky.  i thought it was an osprey but now I'm not sure.  Comparing pictures leads me to conclude it was an immature eagle. 

I played tag with the frog but got out when the sky looked like another shower was approaching.  The frog tucked itself onto the twig I has put out for insects to rescue themselves.

As I dripped off afterword, chickadees queued for a turn at the seed feeder.  Both brown headed and white breasted nuthatches wanted seeds enough that my presence didn't keep them away.  But cardinals and house finches were too wary and very frustrated.  The hummingbirds were preoccupied with their battles and ignored me.  Blue jays were focused on barkbutter balls.  A pine warbler was too wary to perch and eat.  It hung out in the wild cherry with a brown thrasher. 

A pale bird, almost all white with a gray tail, lurked among the cherry twigs.  A chickadee ate wild cherries despite them being old and withered.  A downy woodpecker hunted in the oak.  After I went inside, the pine warbler finally got fed. 

More rain

The hibiscus bloomed again.  I was able to get a swim before the rain started up again.  The air was horribly humid, but once I was in the water, I didn't notice.  I caught the frog again and put it out.  While dripping off, I spotted where a hummer was lurking in the wild cherry.  A purple mint moth was attracted to the mountain mint.  The beautyberries were getting red.  

Showers passed through in waves and, during a lull, the fledgling cardinal foraged for seeds.  His beak was getting close to orange.  So did a Carolina wren.  

Rain

I was tied up with a mid day event and rain fell most of the rest of the afternoon so I was inside.  The short-tailed Carolina wren breakfasted with us.  A stream of chickadees carried off sunflower seeds, which K had refilled.  A cardinal fledgling also got a share.  A Carolina wren foraged for what they spilled.  While the rain wet everything, there wasn't much of a puddle in the birdbath. 

Two frogs

A Carolina wren was up for breakfast.  The male fledgling cardinal foraged beneath.  His beak was beginning to turn orange.  The molting blue jay got some breakfast too.  Blue morning glories bloomed all over.  

Passing clouds kept the sun bearable while I swam.  An unfortunate skink required disposal.  Not one, but two, green frogs played hide and seek with me.  I caught both but one just hopped right back in.  Last I saw, it was perched on a stick.  Wasps and honeybees, a black swallowtail and a sulphur were the only insects I saw.  Oh, I rescued a cricket.  Hummers were around but not cooperating.  I did get glimpses of live skinks too.  

Green heron

We got up late.  Fledgling cardinals begged and their mother fed them so this must be a new batch.  There appeared to be a boy and a girl.  A Carolina wren ate mealworms because the barkbutter balls had all been eaten.  The bird gave me a dirty look so I put out more later.

The hummers continued to battle oblivious to the benefits of sharing.  Honeybees and wasps were back at the mountain mint. Today's rescues were a mama spider and a skink.  The frog was in the skimmer basket till I rapped on it to loosen the leaves.  It leaped out and dove into the water. Later I caught up with it at the ladder and it hopped out before I could give it a nudge.  Maybe it's getting the point?

In the afternoon, a little green heron preened on a dock piling.  It seemed to have some itchy spots.  One big turtle occupied the lake log.  

Frog and skink

At breakfast, two wrens shared crumbs, embarrassing me into refilling the dish feeders.  Two yellow roses bloomed this week.  Wasps and honeybees worked on the mountain mint.  I think one wasp was after caterpillars, not nectar.  Meanwhile, a black swallowtail was doing its best to make more caterpillars.  

I finally got back in the water which was fortunate for a skink I found clinging to the wall of the skimmer.  It didn't move much and I checked a couple of times for a heartbeat, but finally it disappeared when I wasn't looking.  I also harassed the green frog with a slow pursuit around the pool.  I didn't try to actually catch it and I wonder if it was playing too.  

The sky was hazy blue until wispy clouds appeared in the evening.  A swallow flew over and was gone before I could think of moving the camera.  a dragonfly hunted at treetop level.  Cicadas provided accompaniment.  

Hot summer days

A female goldfinch was the early bird Monday.  The bald blue jay was beginning to get its looks back, along with its breakfast.   I was stuck inside with a twisted knee.  Cloud streaks tinted rose in the evening, Tuesday.

So many skinks

The sky was cloudless but not such a crystalline blue and the air was much warmer.  The first bird that posed today was the pine warbler, then the goldfinches.  The Carolina wren lost its tail and looked like a little brown ball.  The hummers were still at war. 

The hibiscus flower hung around for a second day.  Dogwood berries were getting red.  Honeybees and thread-waisted wasps were the main pollinators at the mountain mint.  I saw a first instar black swallowtail caterpillar on the side of the pool and moved it to the rue.  There I saw one even smaller, one at the next stage, and one that was about full grown. 

A skink climbed the bricks.  Another climbed the stucco.  I rescued SIX skinks from the pool.  The final one, I took for a ride on my shoulder.  K tried to take a picture, but only its head was in focus.  Several more scurried across the patio, making at least ten, I think. 

As I dripped, both brown headed and white breasted nuthatches made repeat visits to the feeder.  A great blue heron perched atop the post that holds the floating dock from floating away.  The pine warbler came back for supper.  The wren scolded me for sitting too close to the barkbutter balls.  

Towhee

Today's early bird was a mockingbird.  Morning glories bloomed profusely, maybe in response to the cooler temperature.  But there was a hibiscus blossom as well.  The air was very crisp and clear, thanks to the Northeast wind caused by Idalia spinning out at sea.  The bald blue jay came back.  A second mockingbird arrived and didn't want to wait for the blue jay.  

A new visitor foraged in the mulch - a fledgling towhee.  Towhees became scarce here in recent years.  I blame the feral cats.  Bluebirds fed on the remains of the barkbutter balls, mostly dust.  A female goldfinch went to the seed feeder.  The boss hummer watched from the wild cherry.  A Carolina wren hunted for fallen mealworms.  One of the fledgling cardinals took over the mulch from the towhee.  

It was a good day for butterflies.  I saw skippers, a snout, a summer azure, a tiger swallowtail, and a very cooperative buckeye. Honeybees competed with the buckeye for mountain mint nectar.   A skinklet roamed the patio and I fished two more out of the pool.  I evicted a green frog and it hopped right back in.  I very carefully rescued a thread-waisted wasp that flew off immediately.  Late in the day, I thought I spotted a cruising twelve spotted skimmer, but it was just a glimpse. 

Gulls and cormorants flew overhead,  An egret flew up to our shoreline and later downstream.  There was a lot of activity in the tree canopy but the only bird I caught was a red bellied woodpecker, a female I think.  A pine warbler dined on mealworms.  I saw both a white breasted and a brown headed nuthatch coming for sunflower seeds.  

Still windy

We didn't get much rain from Idelia but the wind contributed a lot of pine needles and leaf shreds to the pool.  I still have more clean up work tomorrow.  A couple of bumblebees drowned.  I either rescued two skinks or one twice.  A smarter skink stayed on the upper patio.  A female goldfinch drank fresh rainwater from the ant moat before lunching at the seed feeder.  The bald blue jay was hungry too.  

Hummer wars escalated - two of them zoomed around the patio and back again.  The dominant female kept watch from the wild cherry.  West Coast hummingbird species share feeders so I don't understand why ruby throats are so territorial.