Hot Halloween

The temperature got up to 80° in the afternoon but it was very windy.  K spotted a caterpillar on the patio.  My best guess of its identity is large yellow underwing, an invasive pest.  I saw a cloudless sulphur cross the yard.  A  little black moth rested on the front door.  But the wind kept birds out on sight, except for the feeder regulars. 

Ho-hum

The day was much like yesterday, overcast with random gusts of wind.  During lunch, a couple of woodpeckers flew to the dogwood and out of sight.  In the afternoon, I saw the male kingfisher on a piling.  But the only picture I got was blurred by low light and foreground foliage that threw the focus off.  Little birds flitted among the branches in the oak  canopy.  I couldn't identify them, but they might have been the titmice that showed up at the feeder later. A blue jay shot up from somewhere in the front yard when we left.  And of course the cat came back. 

Dull day

The feral cat was back at breakfast.  And so the birds were not.  The cat sat on part of the cover that was over the water.  Maybe that was warmer?  And the cat returned at supper, this time on the concrete.

An interesting crane fly hugged the wall out  of the wind.  Despite the gray sky and chilly wind, flowers were blooming.  A lost kayak paddle bobbed on the creek.  A Carolina wren briefly inspected the mealworms I had put out, but left without eating. We decided where to plant the two pots of milkweed.  K wanted a rosebush moved.

First white throat

The morning's blue sky filled with fuzzy-edged cumulus.  It was still windy and a lot cooler and drier.The tide ran high in the morning in response to the dark of the moon.

After lunch I spotted the first white throated sparrow of the season.  Crows were having a fit over what I suspect was the coopers hawk I saw yesterday. 

I picked the hibiscus pod in order to save the seeds.  Two bugs were also in the pod.   A winged ant wandered around the patio. By mid afternoon the cloud cover was complete. 

Steamy

The day was hot and humid with intermittent drizzle and occasional flickers of sun until mid afternoon, then the torrent struck.  Fierce gusts of wind accompanied the downpour.  Afterward, there was some sunlight but the air dripped with moisture. The warmth brought pollinators to the camellia.  I saw a bumblebee and a paper wasp.  A rosebud started.

At lunch time, a dove looked around under the feeder.  Then a coopers hawk shot across the yard and caught a songbird with a yellow breast.  Everything was very quiet for some time afterward.  A squirrel watched the whole thing then made a very cautious departure.

Clouds

Yesterday was overcast and all I saw was squirrels.  And after dark, little moths on the window.

The clouds at dawn today were gilded with sunlight.  The creek was as glassy as yesterday, but the reflections were dazzling, not muted.

There was plenty of sunshine.  The drier air sent the saltbush fluff flying like snow, but it was impossible to photograph.

I found a little glass snail on the patio.  When I came close to the covered steps I heard something plop into the water.  I hop whatever it was could get out again.  A queen yellow jacket buzzed around and I glimpsed something that flew like a dragonfly. 

Cat kill

The wretched feral cat caught a female cardinal under the feeder.  I didn't see it coming any more than the poor bird. 

Titmice wanted sunflower seeds.  I saw someone fishing from a boat on the lake.