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.