Cool and sunny so far

A praying mantis was on the kitchen window this morning. The hummer had already started. And a squirrel chased a rabbit across the patio. The paper says that thanks to Irene the swamp fire is 90% contained.

Feeder fun

A squirrel did its utmost, twice trying to somersault onto the perch to get at the seeds. But the squirrel-proof promise was kept. Which is more than I can say for the newspaper's weather prediction of sunny. It is gray with occasional drips. The paper says the year's rain deficit is over thanks to Irene. The question is how much of the rain actually soaked into the ground.

In addition to the squirrel, wrens decided to sample seeds for breakfast. And the usual suspects came: cardinals, finches, chickadees, titmice, while doves cleaned up what fell. Some of the birds still have feathers awry from the wind. Two finches parked themselves on the feeder looking grumpy and sleepy. They're all fluffed out as though it was cold, but it is quite pleasant albeit damp.

Two rabbits were madly chasing back and forth across the patio. Surely they won't try for a third brood this year? And the hummers continue hostilities. It appears to be clearing off now around mid morning. Noon and the sun has arrived. Several butterflies are out - black and tiger swallowtails and a fritillary. Flies are getting annoying after a summer mostly free of them. I wonder if it's the rainy August?

Back to normal

The fledgling cardinal has been much in evidence. I like his rather punk look. I find it fascinating that unobservant people perpetuate the idea that when juvenile birds leave the nest they are on their own. A moment's thought would reveal that only after a young bird can move around can it learn to find food. So, this cardinal-in-training flies and hops and pecks at all sorts of things but relies on parents to convey seeds from the feeder to its gaping beak.

Hummer hostilities continue as does finch greed. It has clouded up and gone gray. Geese were headed up-creek and an egret watched the lake outflow.

After Irene

I'm very glad I got up early enough to see the storm dissipate. It was still gray and windy when I went outside, but over the next hour the clouds blew East where the sun tinted them.

There were tree branches and a lot of leaves and several shingles, but altogether it was nothing like the storm last May. Though I suppose the trees that blew down in May might have toppled from Irene if they'd still been standing.

All the critters were famished and we got the feeders out right away. The finches so crowded the perch that they tipped it like a bigger bird. They totally ignored the squirrel's attempts to join them.

The hummers have resumed their combat. Even the little skink was out and about. I saw a black swallowtail laying eggs and a big green darner dragonfly hunting mosquitoes. A little green heron took up position on the dock.

Good morning Irene

I heard a "rain band" come through around 3am and several since. It is gray and wet and gusty. It is nearly high tide which is a good thing as the winds aren't all that strong yet. The evening high tide should come after the center passes and the wind starts coming from the West so that shouldn't be exceptionally high either. The lower end of the dock is just barely awash.

The finches were protesting all over the feeder hanger in between wind gusts. "Where's breakfast?" So we put some seeds down on the steps. I saw another bird try to take shelter behind a drainpipe where the robins build a nest some years ago. I just saw a dragonfly blow past.

We lost power around 11am. The cardinals and finches continued to come for seeds throughout the storm. The cardinals are still feeding fledglings - the second crop, I think. Here's dad stuffing his teenager in the middle of the hurricane.

Beyond sticky!

It is incredibly humid. The windows are frosted like a glass of iced tea. The birds are stocking up as though they know there will be no feeders dangling in the wind tomorrow.

At lunch, the hummers really went for each other, scaring off the larger birds. They buzzed around like Star Wars fighters - at least three and maybe four of them.

I had another glimpse of the hawk. And a couple of frogs continue to hang out at the pool. Meanwhile a tiny blue-tailed skink chased a cricket that hid behind me. This skink is smaller than the one I saw last year and much smaller than the one I saw last week which no longer has a blue tail.

Two frogs persist in using the pool despite the chlorine. We heard an osprey as the clouds rolled in. The mosquitoes have been horrible today for our pre-hurricane party. Tomorrow Irene.

Hotter today

The hummer was hard at work but disturbed by the finch squabbles. It would dart over to see what they were doing then hurry back to its feeder.

The "cone of doom" has Irene arriving Saturday night/Sunday morning. And the air is again full of smoke. What an assortment of natural conditions I have had to blog about - snow, windstorm, swamp fire, earthquake, and next a hurricane. (Not to mention the plague of frogs.)

An opportunistic plant has rooted in the scar of a missing limb on the remaining oak. The oak is starting a new branch beside it and you can see the leaves are different. It's at least twenty feet in the air.

A leaf-footed true bug was shedding its exoskeleton on the front of the house as I went out. It was still there when I got home three hours later, but the empty molt was gone. Too bad I didn't have time for a photo when it was in process.

Sunny all day

Cardinals, titmice and finches are squabbling on the feeder. The beauty berry is starting to turn. The biting bugs are fierce today. I got a glimpse of the goldfinch and of a woodpecker - maybe a flicker as it looked brown. I'm saying woodpecker because it was in a characteristic pose with tail braced on the trunk, but leaves obscured much of it.

Today the hummer chased a swallowtail and later a chickadee. What a waste of energy. Doves have been much in evidence. Two wrens were in the junipers by the trash cans and one sang at me while the other scolded. Two more frogs a-swimming. So much for my rain theory.

Patio hijinks

The new bunny was mooching along the mulch, as was a squirrel. They met, and I'm not sure what the squirrel did, but the bunny levitated. When it came down, it glared at the squirrel who moseyed off nonchalantly. What drama!

I filled the hummer feeder with fresh sugar water and poured the old stuff into a dish which I stuck in the mulch (on the other side of the steps from the drama). My hope is that the wasps will prefer the dish. Later - no such luck! In the photo, the wasp is on the left side of the feeder.

It is sunny, cool and humid. Speaking of drama, the excitement over hurricane Irene has begun.

Hurricanes, hah! We just had an EARTHQUAKE. Otherwise it is a lovely day - the breeze has eliminated the humidity and it is more like June than August.

Today's birds: osprey, laughing gulls, geese (they didn't like the earthquake at all), bluejays, chickadees, titmice, cardinals, house finches, crows, robins, hummingbirds, a sassy wren, and a reddish raptor - red shouldered hawk? Today's arthropods: wasps, dragonflies, a gray hairstreak and 3 flavors of swallowtail - black, giant, and tiger. Mating saddlebags paused on the perch. One frog in the pool.

Glum at first, but got much nicer

The paper claims that only 6/100 of an inch of rain fell yesterday. Bah. It sure looked like more than that here. It is still overcast and quiet (and humid). The sun began to make brief appearances mid-morning. And now (solar noon) it's pretty much sunny.

I need to deal with the hummingbird feeder. Somehow ants have crawled inside and drowned. I think I will try a shallow dish bug feeder to see if I can lure the wasps away from the hummers.

A giant swallowtail flitted all around the yard at lunch time. I saw one a couple of days ago as well. Later, a goldfinch played peek-a-boo with me to get at the sunflowers. 4 frogs were in the pool, easily caught so I suspect the water is not good for them. My theory is they show up after rainy nights, having traveled through the wet grass. A squirrel came to see the floating head and got quite close. A hummer seems to have gotten over the wasp and is using the feeder. And a Halloween pennant dragonfly used the perch as a hunting base.

Still sticky

According to the newspaper, we've mostly made up the rain deficit for this year. Of course, winter rain is better at recharging groundwater and this make-up precipitation has come during the hot months. Thus, stickiness.

The hummers were up before me this morning. And before the wasps, I think. A wren was performing like a diva on the dogwood. I could see its throat swelling as it turned its head up then sideways. Looking for the audience?

I saw a new dragonfly late yesterday. It is smaller than an amberwing but the wings are spotted like a pennant. The closest match seems to be a Band-winged Meadowhawk (Sympetrum semicinctum) but this one looks like the Western rather than the Eastern subspecies.

Mid-afternoon about 17 drops of rain fell. Humpf. Ah, but around 5pm the heavens opened and it has been wet ever since. That may have brought us up to the average annual rainfall. I'll check the paper tomorrow.

Overnight rain?

Everything is dripping and it is sticky. Water drops are caught in a spider web and mushrooms are rising out of the mulch.

The wasps declared a truce for a while but it did not last. Given that most people run from wasps, I guess it is not surprising that much smaller birds do too. The wasp is just above the red part of the feeder on the left.

Went out with the Tide

Downtown Norfolk was very smoky this morning but many dragonflies were enjoying the grass north of MacArthur Mall.

There are now two wasps contending over the feeder. But when the hummer showed up, they both chased the poor bird. Then, as it got toward evening the winning wasp seemed to ignore the hummer. We'll see if that continues. There is probably something deeply philosophical about all these critters claiming food which I am supplying for my own amusement.

Also this afternoon a lizard crossed the patio. It was bigger and lacked the blue tail I've seen before.

Muted sunlight

A bank of clouds in the East is filtering the light and it is pleasantly cool, though humid. The hummers are feeding with no sign of the wasp. Chickadees, titmice and finches are also visiting. An interesting cloud wisp suggested either Aphrodite or the Little Mermaid.

With the afternoon, both sun and wasp returned. How can I get rid of the wasp? I don't want to spray the feeder and risk poisoning the hummers. I doubt swatting at it on the swinging feeder will do more than make it mad. Butterfly net? And is there just one or will there be an endless succession of them. I wouldn't mind feeding wasps if they'd leave the birds alone. But I definitely saw them chase the hummers.

Humid but breezy

All the windows were fogged although the temperature outside was as low as inside. The moon is waning gibbous and still visible in the early morning. Last night it was a big pumpkin in the east. The sky in blue, though clouds are condensing over the ocean (I think) and blowing Southwest. I refilled the hummingbird feeder and two of them were arguing over it early. When I went outside I startled goldfinches out of the sunflowers. A black swallowtail was oddly interested in the hibiscus.

Here's the new bunny yesterday afternoon, cropping the black medick. Clearly the rabbits are having two litters a summer here. The bush in the background is the bird-planted Japanese sakaki. It's location seems odd now that the oak is gone - I cannot decide whether to keep it. On the other hand, Wikipedia says it is sacred in the Shinto religion and I certainly don't want to upset any kami that may have taken up residence.

A wasp has discovered the hummingbird feeder and it actually chased off the hummer. I thought hummingbirds were fierce, but apparently not with species that have stingers. The sky has gone all blue, not a cloud in sight.

Comfortable in August!

It's a nice temperature, not too humid, and breezy. A wasp is working on the hummingbird feeder and it seems to be keeping the hummers from drinking. A humungous bumblebee is working on the rosemary. Both black and tiger swallowtails are around. The cardinal with the naked head was feeding an all brown cardinal, presumably the child that caused mother's feathers to fall out. It would fly to the feeder for a seed then back to the youngster six feet away and poke the seed in while the young one vibrated its wings.

Wet and sunny

Everything drips and the windows are fogged from the humidity. Low clouds on the East and West but blue sky between. The moon looks full though it is just past.

Patience was rewarded! The male finally ignored me. Perhaps because he was more concerned about the other hummer who has taken ownership of the feeder. Several chase scenes ensued and at one point one hummer went stealth under the hibiscus only to zoom out whenever another tried to get a sip.

So many finches

I'm guessing that there are at least three nest-fulls. I think I've seen three red males. Anyway, they were all over the feeder this morning again. The titmice, chickadees and cardinals could hardly get any breakfast. The male goldfinch was busy with the sunflowers but may have been annoyed by the ruckus overhead. The hummer certainly was - it kept flying over to the finches and (I imagine) giving them a piece of its mind.

The clouds moved off East and looked very painterly for a while as the sky cleared. Then another spell of overcast rolled in and a light rain started. It did not interrupt the birds' squabbling. An osprey cruised overhead.

A short window of sun brought a black swallowtail and a variegated fritillary (Euptoieta claudia). Another tiger swallowtail and a giant swallowtail both showed up. How is fritillary pronounced? FRIT-il-lar-y or fri-TILL-a-ry?

Waves of cloud and sun all afternoon brought the smell of burning peat. There is a new baby bunny about. And at last I saw an adult male hummingbird with a gorgeous ruby gorget. It was very wary, whether of me or of the larger hummers that monitor the feeder, I don't know.

Morning glory

The morning glories have begun to bloom - a sign of seasons changing. The vine is all over the dogwoods but the heart-shaped leaves are morning glory while the dogwood leaves are the classic teardrop. All the birds, the squirrels and the rabbit came to breakfast in the sunshine.

There are enough clouds that the sunshine is regularly interrupted. The morning glories are gone by noon. I caught a glimpse of a tiger swallowtail. Losing the trees really discouraged them.

Late afternoon has brought light rain. It seems to have made the birds hungry - they're flocking around the feeder again.

Dull morning

Patchy overcast. The hibiscus are brighter than the sky.

I've only seen the hummers this morning, maybe the others are sleeping off yesterday's activity. A rabbit was grazing the black medick.

Some house finches finally got up. There are very tiny black swallowtail caterpillars on the rue, no bigger than the comma in this sentence. The butterflies keep laying eggs but the birds keep eating the caterpillars before they get to the size where they change from black with a white saddle to striped. Here are examples of both.

It has gotten much sunnier than this morning. The rabbit is getting quite bold, grazing about 20 feet from us with apparent unconcern. Maybe it's been taking lessons from the hummingbird.

Finch frenzy

The house finches were all over the feeder this morning. Meanwhile grackles were in the birdbath and one fooled the counterweight on the feeder. A mockingbird chased a bug around the patio. Doves hung out on the fringes. The hummingbird chased a titmouse away. And an osprey soared above.

Dragonflies were scarce but I saw a red admiral butterfly down by the dock. The sky clouded over mid-day then cleared in the afternoon. A flock of goldfinches worked over the sunflowers and a catbird briefly joined them. Meanwhile the usual suspects kept crowding the feeder and crowding the hummer as well. The rabbit dropped in as well to eat morning glory leaves.

Here's the catbird at the birdbath. The sky clouded back up and cleared again and now pink streaks are reflecting the setting sun. The hummer warz continue - there may be as many as four if I can trust slight variations in throats as captured by the camera.

Blue sky smoke-free

Last night had a lovely sunset. A shift in wind yesterday dispersed the swamp smoke but it is still this morning. No haze is apparent.

A humming bird and a chickadee were both in view for a moment and the size difference was shocking. I'm accustomed to thinking of chickadees as tiny birds but next to a hummer they are bulky - 3 or 4 times as big.

The hibiscus is blooming up a storm after its mid-summer rest. The Halloween pennant dragonfly is still hanging out on the same perch. And the mockingbird is still around.

It looks like one of the hummingbirds, the one who prefers to perch, may be turning into a boy. It got up in my face today and it has streaks on its throat. I think it may be a bit smaller than the other one as well.

And now the wind has swung around, smoke is in the air, and clouds are boiling up. I should have chosen a different blog title. No rain though thus far.

I changed back to the original hummingbird feeder base. No perch but no drips.

New swamp fire

Lightning struck the Great Dismal Swamp and the morning air was very smoky, almost looking like fog. News story.

Here's the hummingbird (from yesterday evening) who doesn't use the perch. Also the ghastly green and red fake flowers. And the stupid thing drips and attracts wasps.

Overnight thunderstorm

Good thing the figs got picked yesterday. Last night's soaking will probably rot another batch.

I switched bottoms on the hummingbird feeder so now one side offers a perch and the other does not. We'll see what the birds think...Well, the hummer seems a bit taken aback by the garish red and green fake flowers, but it does choose the perch side consistently. This evening, it appeared that one of the hummingbirds likes the perch while the other hovers just above it.

I saw a red saddlebags dragonfly cruising over the patio at noon. Then a Halloween pennant dragonfly (Celithemis eponina) took up a perch on another dead twig of the same dogwood that the hummer likes. This dragonfly perched head down and let its wings stream out like flags. According to Bug Guide, "This is called the obelisk position. It is a method of reducing the amount of surface area that is exposed to direct sunlight it order to prevent overheating." Photo thanks to Kathleen.

Punks and perches

The rabbit was again grazing close to the patio. Titmice and chickadees joined finches and cardinals at the feeder. I found an explanation for the punk-looking cardinal which suggests it is an adult undergoing a bad molt, not a fledgling. Or it might be suffering from mites or some other skin irritant.

The hummingbird is still here and this source suggests that perches are a good idea as they save the birds from wasting calories hovering. I may need to go ahead and use that part of the replacement feeder.

Two frogs

The frogs were in the pool this morning, soaking up chlorine. The rabbit is continuing to nibble the lawn. I think it likes the black medick (Medicago lupulina) which is sort of like clover. Here's the backlit bunny photo from yesterday afternoon. A hummer, a finch, and a cardinal came to breakfast.

Gentle rain in the afternoon.

A little cooler

The sky is patchy with more cloud than blue. A hummer and a titmouse were out early but nothing now except a fat bumblebee on the sunflowers. When I went to refill the hummingbird feeder, I overtightened the old brittle plastic, so I had to make a trip to the hardware store. The feeders these days are far too elaborate, which I suppose is an excuse to charge more.

It's breezy on the creek and I only saw one dragonfly. It zipped off leaving a faint impression of blue. The waterlogged plank that got snagged on a rope is an algae garden which a young crab is grazing.

A mockingbird flashed me on the patio and seems to be spending more time in the yard. The rabbit was nosing around the wooded area, amusingly backlit by the afternoon sun. Its ears glowed. One hummingbird has a perch about 20 feet away in direct flight from which it monitors the feeder for interlopers.

Sun is back

A mockingbird stopped by. The hummingbird is still here. Finches, cardinals, the usual suspects are at the feeder. The hibiscus has three blooms. The gardenia is also having a second, though much sparser, blooming. A mallow with little yellow flowers and very distinctive seedpods showed up after some yard work years ago. As far as I can identify it, it seems to come from India, Abutilon Indicum.

I've noticed a red dragonfly and today I got it to pose. I believe it is a red saddlebags, Tramea onusta. It perched above the edge of the creek while a twelve spotted dragonfly patrolled lower down. Epitheca princeps I think. And there are more of the little amberwing dragonflies perched just above the water.

More patchy overcast this afternoon. There's a nice breeze but very damp. At one point the wind was really challenging the hummingbird but it held position. And the battle for possession of the feeder continues - the two hummingbirds were facing off at one point, then the chase resumed.

Patchy overcast

I don't see much activity - titmice, the hummingbird, an occasional black swallowtail butterfly. There are buds on the hibiscus. The rabbit is still mowing the lawn for us. A few raindrops fell but nothing much. I guess overcast is discouraging to dragonflies? A raccoon visited last night, leaving muddy paw prints.

Well, there are two hummingbirds now and they do not share. One has taken up a post in the dogwood to keep an eye on the feeder. The other sneaks in, gets a few sips and is run off. Then the first comes back to refuel and mutters under its breath, "kut - kuh-ut - kutut," which I interpret to mean, "mine, all mine, that'll show 'im."

Ah, with evening came rain in earnest.

Mad dashes in the noonday sun

The rabbits were playing chase and the one in front ran right past me, then stopped to nibble a mimosa sprout as if nothing had happened. The other one retreated. Then the hummingbird chased off something, whether another hummer or an insect, I could not tell.

The rain Sunday spoiled quite a few figs - it smells like a brewery under the trees. Some new ones are ripening now.

Osprey on the creek

It was cruising and circling and perching in the pines across the creek but I did not see it actually plunge after a fish. The finches were back (no surprise) along with the punk-looking juvenile cardinal. I refilled the hummingbird feeder and it was quite acceptable.

Last night's spider did not leave a web across the patio window but I did see an orb around the corner under the eaves. Barn spiders eat their webs after they become too ragged to catch anything. This photo is from several years ago.

It's humid but with a light breeze and the air is not hazy. Cicadas are singing and dragonflies hunting. I saw a mating pair of pennants but they were gone before I could get the camera. The sunflowers attract wasps and bees but not butterflies.