Hail!

At breakfast, a fledgling bluebird roosted on the seed feeder perch with its back to the food.  Clueless!  When it finally left, a brown headed nuthatch took over.  Then an adult male bluebird arrived.  The fancy ruffled daylily put out a flower and the orange daylily was still blooming.  I left for a meeting followed by a picnic.  We had sunshine, low 80s, and a stiff breeze which I think kept the mosquitoes away.  In fact, I didn't see any insects except for the ubiquitous cabbage white.  

Cumulus clouds boiled up across the sky after mid day.  A male cardinal was on the feeder when I got home, seeming anxious.  And no wonder because another male showed up and kicked the first one off.  It appeared to me that the dominant male was beginning to go bald.  A brown headed nuthatch waited for a turn.  Then a female bluebird wanted to know why the dish feeders were still empty.  I referred her to the National Weather Service. 

Fortunately the bad weather held off till late afternoon.  But the storm at supper was very impressive.  It came in waves with peanut-size hail.  I thought it was clearing at sunset but another wave came through growling with thunder.  The temperature dropped fast as well, but the storm seems to have moved off to sea.