As we passed over a bit of swamp, I believe I saw waterlilies blooming. Later I glimpsed two wild turkeys grazing in a field of stubble. When the train stopped in Richmond a mockingbird hopped around. The James and rivers to the South were very low from drought but the Rappahannock and rivers to the North seemed full. It was a surprisingly nice day in Washington.
The female red bellied woodpecker returned with seeds on her mind. By lunch, the temperature was up to 100°. At suupper I saw the goldfinches on the feeder. The female gave way to a titmouse and later waited while a chickadee was on the perch.
I saw a titmouse on the seed feeder as I left in the morning. I also saw the yellow cat on my way out. After I got home, I dumped the rainwater out of the dish and filled it with barkbutter balls. That drew blue jays. Goldfinches and the bluebird with the bent feather stuck with seeds. In the evening, blue jays queued up for seeds too.
The flycatcher didn't sample any food but it tried its best to come through the glass into the house. It didn't seem to learn and tested all the windows several times. But since it was just fluttering at them and not striking them, I didn't interfere. I'm pretty sure I saw a second flycatcher fly over the house which eventually the first one did too. I wondered if they were fledglings because they didn't seem very smart.
The day heated up into the 90s and I didn't do much outdoor puttering. The breeze wasn't as helpful either. A cabbage white wanted mountain mint nectar but was bugged by wasps. A tiger swallowtail bobbed around the wild cherry. I assume it was laying eggs. Bees feasted on mountain mint. The tux cat tried to catch a squirrel. I had a hard time finding the orchard spider after the rain. The red flowers were spent, replaced by white daisies, a yellow daylily, and a yellow sunflower.
Rain fell overnight and the morning was still damp though the birdbath hadn't collected any water. A Carolina wren picked through the barkbutter crumbs. A squirrel was determined to break into the seed feeder and glared at me when it was unsuccessful. Most of the flowers were finished except for the daisies.
The goldfinches visited at lunchtime. Then the male pileated woodpecker arrived to see if there was suet. A black swallowtail flitted between the rue and mountain mint. Wasps were loyal to the mountain mint. Then the rain came down hard. It held the temperature down in the 80s.
In the aftermath of the rain, I saw a hummingbird hovering over the saltmarsh. Maybe it was catching bugs for nestlings? It seemed so strange to see one away from a feeder.
The sun was intense despite shreds of cumulus blowing out of the Southwest. A fierce wind whipped the trees and cast debris into the water. The Carolina wren was up early, looking for that good barkbutter. There were only a few crumbs left. I took more out later and blue jays were not far behind. The wren returned as well. Then a crow wanted a big beak full.
The orchard spider moved near the front of the azalea which put the web at a difficult angle for the camera. The little Argiope was refreshing the opaque part of its web. A frayed silk thread dangled stretched between bare twigs at the top of the wild cherry. The cherries were ripening but if we don't get rain they will be nothing but skin and pit. I found another Argiope web, but it seemed to be uninhabited even though it was in good shape.
I picked some blueberries in the morning while it was only in the 80s. By lunch, the thermometer flickered between 101 and 102°. A yellow crowned night heron flew over the house. One blue jay chose seeds even though the perch slowly dropped from the bird's weight. A dropped seed that germinated looked ready to harvest. After leafing out and blooming, most of the rue shriveled and died from some unknown cause, maybe old age. A Japanese beetle tasted a rose leaf. The roses were chewed to pieces.
Again we entertained goldfinches. The Carolina wren was back. The male bluebird with the bent feather stopped by for some seeds. A blue dasher used one of the perches. Two sunflowers reflected mid day sunshine. K said the outdoor thermometer read 100°.
I saw a squirrel do a back flip twice by the birdbath. Then I realized there was another squirrel behind him. I don't know if he was trying to impress her or if she bit him but he was definitely thinking about romance and nursing his right arm.
The night was still quite warm when I sat outside. It didn't feel humid but there was no breeze and eventually bugs found me. Fireflies advertised their desire for a mate. Something quite large and soundless flew overhead toward the creek. I believe it was an owl. The full moon had not yet risen.
A male goldfinch checked out the vegetation around the seed feeder. Another male was on the feeder and was in no mood to share. A Carolina wren visited the barkbutter balls. Toward the end of the afternoon, goldfinches picked at the top of the maple tree.
I remembered the web I saw yesterday and located it again. It looked like a floating fingerprint but the bottom moved as though the spider was rebuilding it. Later, a blue dasher obelisked on a bamboo stake in the sun. Wasps collected on the mountain mint. A skimmer used a different bamboo perch.
Goldfinches came back. This year they have been less wary and also more interested in the seeds on offer. There were birds up in the trees but the only one the camera caught was a chickadee.
The female downy was back for more seeds. A male cardinal didn't want to share. He was more tolerant of a male goldfinch, but not a male house finch. The downy tried to sneak in underneath the feeder. It didn't work. When the house finch finally took over, he bullied the downy too. Eventually the female goldfinch arrived. The house finch ignored her but she wasn't as kind to her would-be mate.
I have concluded that the second web was an abandoned effort, not the work of a second spider. Maybe it caught so much debris the spider didn't feel it was worth mending. The wind made the orchard spider bounce in its fresh web. Then a gust ruined it. Poor spider. I don't know if it tried to mend the web or waited for the wind to drop.
Aside from the wind, it was a lovely day. A bluebird landed among the red flowers. Then a murder of crows came to raid the barkbutter balls. Because of their size, this was not easy. Those balls must be really tasty because I'm sure they spent more energy than they got back in nourishment. One rapped on the window as if it understood where they came from. I wondered what would happen if I went out with a refill.
Fireflies flashed and cicadas buzzed at twilight. Something flew very fast over the house. Cloud wisps and faint bars turned pink.
We were gone all morning and I spent the afternoon catching up. But during our round of errands we visited the bird store and restocked. The orchard spider's web was bigger but I didn't see the spider. Fireflies flashed at dusk.
I was busy in the morning. At lunch, a mockingbird checked for treats. The goldfinch pair had seeds. Later, when there was shade I swam and chased spiders and rescued beetles. A damselfly cruised slowly and hovered just a few inches above the pool surface. I didn't have the camera and I doubt I could have photographed it if I had. But it was very cool to see.
A maroon daylily bloomed. The plain orange and the ruffled yellow daylilies were still blooming steadily. The sky was hazy in the late afternoon. Then we got a very mysterious visitor. A pigeon landed on the edge of the pool. It seemed as big as a duck. Its light leg was banded with the number 4750. What do I do with that information? At any rate, after a little while, the bird flew away.
The goldfinch pair returned but the cardinals harassed them. Both male and female acted like bullies even when they didn't want to eat. The two male cardinals had an extended chase as well. Testy!
Today was breezy, warm and sunny, and just delightful outside. The mountain mint was getting ready to bloom. The gladiolus were competing with the roses for redness and the milkweed matched the daylilies for orange.There were yellow daylilies too. And there were yellow goldfinches. A male goldfinch and a male house finch got a little testy.
Blue jays rejoiced that I refilled the barkbutter dishes. One snatched a crop-full while I sat next to it. A bluebird ate seeds. A night heron flew over, changed its mind, and flew back. A skink almost eluded me and a tiger swallowtail got completely away. Bees and wasps were busy as always.
The overnight rain was slow to dry but the sun shone on summer flowers. Butterfly milkweed, coral honeysuckle, daylilies, roses, and buds opening on the gladiolus. The sky was a hazy blue. I saw a tiger swallowtail but it ducked into the trees. I put out some barkbutter balls and blue jays materialized. Chickadees appeared to be followed around by a fledgling they had stopped feeding. K hung a fresh hummer feeder but I didn't see any activity. I didn't like any of the photos today.
Morning was sunny and dragonflies were everywhere. Wet-looking clouds flowed by. A female great blue skimmer perched outside my window. Lots of daylilies bloomed. I was busy with a project and missed most of the day's sights. By late afternoon rain had begun. During a lull, a male goldfinch sampled the seeds in the feeder. Then we had a brief gully-washer.
I put barkbutter balls so we entertained blue jays for breakfast. Or they entertained us. The day was windy and cloudy and surprisingly hot. A great blue skimmer chose one of the shorter perches. He spent a lot of the time in the air. The orange puffball-like slime mold seemed withered and shrunken. As usual, lots of spiders walked on the water and I evicted a few. I think the bumblebee I rescued was deceased. A butterfly hung out on an oak leaf, sallying forth like a dragonfly. I cannot imagine what prompted that behavior
A yellow crowned night heron perched on the dock. A couple more herons flew downstream and the heron on the dock appeared to resent it. It took off after the others and soon they came fleeing back. The clouds looked a bit threatening but nothing came of it.
