Sunshine is back

And with it a wren, a hummer, and house finches.  Two squirrels on the ground were somewhat irritable. The Saw Pen Point eagle put in an appearance.  Fledglings of several species were all over the yard peeping piteously.  Well the wrens sounded more like cussing.  I'm not sure which finch is the parent in this photo.  A chickadee tried the hummer feeder.  A cardinal was chased off the feeder by a finch.  Scary clouds boiled up in the afternoon, then dissipated. 

Rain

It started soft but now it is really coming down.  Presumably this is thanks to Tropical Storm depression Beryl.

Toward noon it slacked off some.  The hummingbird came to dine.  A finch took shelter on the back of the seed feeder.  Chickadees and cardinals were hungry enough to endure the rain.  A mallard drake took a bath in the pool. The male towhee stopped in.  Something (a wren?) poked its head out of the birdhouse briefly.  Two male house finches did not share the feeder nicely.  Then the rain picked up again. 

The rain finally stopped about sunset and the clouds were very dramatically lit. 

Hot & humid

The same pattern of clouds early, then sun breaking through.  The squirrel with the white spot was all over, up the pole and down, riding the feeder.  The hummer showed up but would not land while the squirrel sat on the feeder.  Cardinals, finches, and chickadees showed up early.

It is really hot and something bit me.  Dragonflies are elevating their abdomens to cool off.  I saw a black swallowtail, an orange butterfly, and a large black wasp.  A titmouse came to the feeder. Another dragonfly stunned itself flying into the window.  A bluebird perched on a dead limb of the oak.  There must be a nest somewhere close. 

Cloudy and humid

Preparing for company prevented me from observing much so far.  Two male cardinals are contesting turf.  Squirrels are out hunting food.

We spent the afternoon outside which meant that many of the birds stayed away.  The hummer and the chickadees still came to the feeder, but cardinals, finches and titmice veered off.  I also saw robins, the red bellied male, brown thrashers, and a jay.  I heard a little green heron protest when one of the boats went by.  Dragonflies and an orange butterfly hung around.  The pool was full of spiders.  The skink went about his business just as my camera battery died.

Sunshine

Both feeders need cleaning and refilling.  A robin with a mass of nesting material paused on the roof.  A goldfinch checked out the yellow rue flowers - they seem to be attracted to yellow the way hummingbirds are to red.  Mating plumage echoing food source?  The sunshine caught an orb web in a blaze of iridescence that this photo only faintly captures.  The orb was originally perfect but the wires it was depending on weren't secured.

A rabbit was grazing over by the red maple.  I believe I saw a wren check out the birdhouse.  I cleaned and restocked the feeders which have no been visited by a chickadee, a titmouse, and a hummer.  A blue tailed skink scurried across the steps. It may have been the same one I saw yesterday over by the roses.  Another egret sailed through the airspace where the oak used to be. 

The afternoon was cooler and a little less humid.  A pair of brown thrashers foraged around the maple.  The male red bellied woodpecker that keeps grumbling and hammering showed himself.  The chickadee has a begging fledgling now that perched on the wrong feeder.  It also fed itself on the seed feeder while muttering "feed me" to itself.  And the wren is definitely considering becoming a tenant!  It was very thorough, checking inside and out. 

Hammering

I hear woodpeckers hammering and also a call I think is a red bellied woodpecker and I get glimpses of red and birds with woodpecker posture.  But none are close enough to be sure.  A chickadee came and hammered on the perch, but it's not the same.  The morning is sunny with sharp-edged clear air.

It's getting hot.  A palamedes swallowtail flitted through and another darner dragonfly.  I caught sight of the male red bellied woodpecker but there may be another species within hearing.  An egret sailed by and of course crows and geese had to have a word.  The hummer came back as did a blue tailed skink. 

In the afternoon, the hummer fed then flew up into the oak.  A red bellied woodpecker flew into the same part of the tree and I swear the hummer drove it off.  The seed feeder has been quiet - too much outside activity or is it empty?  I guess it was me because chickadees are visiting now that I'm inside. 

Broken overcast

Nothing but a squirrel so far.  It is hot and humid.  The geese are coming from every direction with their goslings.  Some chickadees stopped in briefly. One put on a strange act on the corner of the roof.  I don't know if it was trying to do a broken wing or a feed me.

The hummer continues to visit.  Dragonflies are enjoying the still, humid air.  One has spotted wings and cruises back and forth, maybe a twelve spotted skimmer.  Another with clear wings darts under it, maybe a springtime darner.  There are butterflies around but they are moving fast. The clouds look menacing, but in between the sun feels intense. 

Late in the day, the female towhee foraged under the feeder while the male watched from the dogwood.  Finally by sunset most of the clouds were gone and after dark a crescent moon and planets were visible.

More rain overnight

Everything is wet but there is some sun.  The male towhee, cardinals, and finches joined the squirrel on ground crew.  The hummer is visiting frequently.  I think the ants have given up on the sugar water after so many drowned.

The cardinal fledgling has stopped the feed me behavior and seems to be doing well, though it still hasn't discovered the feeder's purpose.  But the adult male chases it away from the feeder area.  Yesterday there were small gray feathers all over the patio and I wonder if they're from the fledgling?  Sometimes the fledgling hunkers down and looks like it is sulking.  Notice that, thought the coloration is much like an adult female, the beak is gray, not orange. 

At lunch, the clouds continue to hang heavy in the humid air.  The hummer doesn't stay long.  Does that mean it isn't happy with the sugar water or that it is simply instinctive for it to move on to another source frequently? 

White sky

The sun is leaking through a thin overcast.  Everything is wet from last night.  The cardinal fledgling and father have visited, along with finches and squirrels.  I saw the male towhee up in a tree. The hummer came for brunch.  Chickadees also visited.  A goose family is feeding in the grass by the creek.  The cardinals are refusing to feed their fledgling and papa even chased the kid.  It alternates between sulking and acting pitiful and pecking at everything it sees.  For some reason it has not figured out what the feeder is for.

Since mid morning there have been heavy clouds menacing rain, but none has fallen.  Mallard drakes keep sneaking into the pool.  The cardinal fledgling is busily pecking everywhere but on the feeder. A wren stopped in briefly.  Chickadees have been acrobatic to get a turn at the feeder. Cabbage butterflies, an occasional dragonfly, wasps, bees and flies, especially mosquitoes are out in the humid air.  Toward evening, the cloud cover has resolved into individual cumulus puffs. Several egrets flew past and one came low overhead. 

The usual suspects

Cardinals and finches with squirrels on the ground.  Geese are feeding down by the creek.  The sky is gray and there was light fog over the creek earlier.  I neglect to mention crows, but I see them every day. 

Mid-morning, the overcast is breaking up and there are moments of sun.  I think the red goo I decided was a slime mold four days ago is now turning into orange balls.

At lunch the bluebird returned.  Lots of bird song, and the hammering of a woodpecker.  The clouds have moved off West - I think thanks are due to Tropical Storm Alberto sitting off the Outer Banks.  Nevertheless, a tropical storm off the Carolinas in May is more evidence of climate change than I want to see.

Mid afternoon brought thunder and a downpour.   I have been thinking that all the white clover I've seen this year is a sign the honeybees are recovering.  Mary Reid Barrow describes planting clover between strawberry rows.

Overcast but drier

Squirrels have been chasing each other and one raided the hummingbird feeder.  The hummer also visited and hovered instead of perching.  Maybe the squirrel left it sticky?  Cardinals, chickadees, and finches had breakfast.  There was a line of brown finches I think were fledglings.  The female towhee ignored the squirrels on the ground.  An osprey perched in the pines across the creek.

By mid-day the sky had cleared except for passing white clouds.  At lunch, a dove nestled beside the birdbath with its feathers spread - anting?  I just tested my theory that the female hummer shows up hourly, and indeed she did.  The harried father cardinals and finches are losing their tempers and refusing to share.  A titmouse visited briefly.  I've glimpsed dragonflies and butterflies.  The early swallowtails have disappeared and I haven't seen any surviving caterpillars. A wren visited and proved its insect-style beak will do for seeds.

Gray mist

The rain is so fine it is suspended in the air and doesn't disturb the water's surface.  But the cold wetness is palpable and at times the mist obscures distant trees.  A wren sat on the feeder perch packing seeds away.  It may be nesting in a bird house next door.  Finches managed to share the feeder.  They seem less territorial than other birds.  The female towhee was foraging on the ground.  And the hummer hovered a bit before settling on the perch.

It turned to rain by mid morning, still in fine droplets, but heavy curtains of it sweeping through. By lunch, hunger trumped weather and chickadees, titmice, cardinals, and the female towhee came out to the feeder.  The fledgling cardinal looked wretched.  It is quite chilly between the wet and the wind.  The fledgling is starting to get a black mask, but its beak is not yet orange. 

Bright early

Birds were up early - cardinals, finches and a hummer.  The cardinals tried to perch on the feeder together and tipped themselves off.  Later arrivals included the towhees, a squirrel, a brown thrasher who ran the towhees off, and a drake mallard who got in the birdbath despite filling it to the edge.

We spent the afternoon at Stockley Gardens where a mockingbird sang overhead.  Back home, finches and a cardinal came to the seed feeder and a hummer visited its feeder.  A heron sailed upstream above a goose family. 

Busy morning

A bluebird had a look around.  It checked out the birdhouse but didn't like how it wobbled, I think.  The towhee pair spent time under the feeder.  A male cardinal chased them off a couple of times, which was just mean-spirited as they never land on the feeder.  The female hummer returned and had a good long breakfast.  And the usual finches and chickadees came for seeds. It's cooler and partly sunny. 

Apparently the new proper name is Eastern Towhee.  Humpf.  It is very gusty today.  We have red raspberry slime mold growing on the soil that used to be the woodpile.  Each blob is the size of a dogwood berry.  The red hot poker is blooming and the butterfly milkweed is budding.  Most bugs were hunkered down avoiding the wind, but I did see an orange butterfly.  The hummer came back in the afternoon and after a snack, sat on the dogwood to preen.

The towhee was back for supper as was the hummingbird.  A second hummer appeared and tried to drive the first off the feeder.  She was not budging.  Then on second thought, she took out after the other one.  Sunset had a bruised look with smoky, smeary clouds in the West. 

Gathering gloom

The day started well as I went off to my meeting.  By afternoon, the temperature had dropped and rain looked imminent.  On my commute I saw a lot of mockingbirds, including two having an aerial battle.

Evening has been mostly quiet except for visits from a cardinal, a hummingbird, and two drake mallards each trying to be the one on top.  So much for what's "unnatural."

Gray and dripping

There are blossoms on the magnolias.  The early buds look a bit like candles.  A dove, cardinal and chickadees were up for breakfast.  And, it's raining again and very humid.

The sun came out for lunch and a skink emerged.  After it went back under the rosemary, suddenly two appeared and dived down the steps. Territorial dispute?

Returning clouds cover the sky, thunder, and now the deluge about 5pm.  At dusk, when the rain had tapered off a hummer appeared.  The light was too low for details.  After dark, I saw another firefly.

Rain again

I awoke to hard rain but it only lasted a few minutes and subsided to drizzle.  The rain picked up again around 7:30 and continues.  While it was just drizzle a cardinal and a hummingbird visited.

The rain stopped around 10am but it remains very humid with heavy clouds on the horizon.  I glimpsed an orange butterfly.  The blueberries are swelling and the lantana is blooming.  Lantana is a tropical perennial that is at the extreme end of its range for wintering over.  This plant in front of a South-facing wall has come back every year for nearly a decade.

During the bit of sun at lunch, an adult five-lined skink ventured out.  Instead of a blue tail, it has a red head. Titmouse and towhee, cardinal and chickadees had lunch too.  Then a wren showed up.  Now thunder is grumbling.  And more rain all afternoon. And then after a lull, around 6pm a ferocious wall cloud with lightning appeared in the West and North and deluged us for an hour.

Dawn shower

Light rain ended quickly.  Finches and the squirrel with the white spot came out.

Rain continued off and on.  Heavy clouds are hanging under the general overcast.  Cardinals, chickadees, and titmice are visiting the feeder.  The titmouse is holding a seed on the perch to hull it. 

The clouds began to clear in the afternoon and it was sunny by 4pm.  But clouds linger on the horizon.  Coming home at dusk, I saw the first firefly of this year.

Getting cloudy

Cardinals, finches, doves and the towhee pair plus a female hummingbird came early. By lunch, it was just finches and cardinals.  A skink ran under the feeder apparently having no fear of the birds.  Its legs are so inconspicuous that it appears to just flow.  Cabbage butterflies, wasps and dragonflies are flitting around.

The yellow iris have come into bloom.  Chickadees don't mind my sitting outside near the feeder.  The finches were also more interested in seeds than me as long as I didn't move.  But the cardinals refused to land.

This evening the black rat snake showed up under the chair I'd been using.  You can tell it is frightened by the way it's kinked up.

Towhees

  First the male then the female came prospecting for seeds. Two smaller doves are industriously pursuing a larger third - suitors or offspring?  Lots of cardinals including the fledgling visited.  Titmice showed up too, and a few finches.  A mallard drake tried to go for a swim.

My third case of poison ivy is about healed - time to weed some more. The dove question is answered.  Two were drinking at the birdbath when two more arrived.  Suddenly three all attempted to mount the fourth which got away.  The others then flew off after it.

A female hummer appeared briefly at lunch but the arrival of the cardinal family scared it off.  There are ants in the feeder again.  The adult cardinals tried to use the feeder together and it went tilt.  But then they seemed to get the hang of it and were able to feed together.  A female spangled skimmer dragonfly perched briefly on one of the stakes I put out for that purpose. 

Several skinks came out on the patio.  I think one was full grown with the tail no longer blue.  It still had stripes though.  The only butterflies I've seen today have been cabbages.  Two of them circled each other in the air - territorial or mating behavior?  A mallard drake landed on our roof of all places.  Tiny yellow Syrphid flies (I think) with the ability to hover are feeding on the rue flowers.  One hovered in front of my face for a time before returning to the flowers.

Early bird

A rufous-sided towhee was prospecting under the feeder at breakfast.  It was never in a clear spot for a photo, but it's good to know that it's still around.

I refilled the seed feeder and went to put on shoes before rehanging it.  A squirrel found it and proceeded to pack seeds away as fast as it could.  After I rehung the feeder the squirrel searched all over for it and looked very accusingly at me.   It finally seemed to decide that the now hanging feeder was the same object, but of course it couldn't get in.  Then it noticed the seeds I'd scattered below and went to work nosing them out.

Meanwhile the cardinal family arrived.  The male used food to lure the fledgling into the shade whenever it ventured out.  Than made the feed-me behavior harder to photograph, but it was fascinating to see how each was manipulating the other.

And while I sat here typing, a goose family with three goslings invaded the pool. The problem is that the young ones can't always get back out.  Two made it and I netted the third.  The parents gave me a good hissing. 

And sun again

The paper says half an inch of rain fell but I think we got more like an inch and a half.  A chickadee has been busy at the feeder.  A cardinal came and looked and left.  I'd better check if there are still seeds when I rehang the hummer feeder. There aren't - got to fill that too.

A pair of mallards tried honeymooning in the pool.  I evicted them. Several egrets and a great blue heron flew upstream. 

In the afternoon, several cabbage butterflies and a dragonfly I think was a halloween pennant flitted through.  Then the male cardinal showed up with a fledgling.  The young bird foraged for itself but begged whenever the adult was near.  It gave me a very suspicious look as I took pictures.

Toward evening a rabbit stopped by to weed the flower bed.  It has patches of long fur and short - I think the warm Spring  messed up its shedding schedule.

Back to gray

The pool is warm enough for swimming.  The mallards agree.  A titmouse visited the feeder early and the white spot squirrel stopped by.  A finch saw me and left. 

I need to change the hummer feeder.  This morning it is full of largish, honey-brown ants.  I think they just discovered it as they are still alive and swimming around.  A well around the hanger is supposed to keep insects out, but ants may be making living bridges to cross it.  I dumped the whole mess and brought the feeder inside.

A thin drizzle started mid morning and turned into a daylong rain.  Some lightning, but mostly lots of water.   As though to prove the cliche, when I got home a pair of mallard drakes were swimming in the pool in the rain.  I tried to get a photo but there wasn't enough light - the flash went off and they scuttled away.

Windy and sunny

The squirrels continue their drama.  Their chasing and nipping upset the birds.  One tackled the hummingbird feeder again and then found the spot below where the juice had dripped.  Cardinals, chickadees, and finches visited the feeder.  I saw a brown thrasher run past the garage.

Later I startled a mockingbird with nesting material.  I think the chickadees have fledglings, but I am not sure.  The red hibiscus has sprouted.  And the lantana came back again this year.   A cabbage butterfly is hanging around but it is pretty windy.  I just got a glimpse of a dragonfly. 

Blue sky, usual suspects

That is, cardinals, finches, chickadees, titmice and squirrels.  The cardinal pair are very lovey-dovey.  The squirrels not so much. The one with the white spot is a bully.  It repeatedly nipped at its two companions when they got close.  They became so anxious they would start to belly-crawl when they came within a yard or so of it.  I don't think either of these is white spot. 

Rain

Gray skies began to rain around 9am.  Before that, squirrels and doves fed on the ground and cardinals and chickadees above.  It is chilly and windy.

A brief gleam of sunshine ended the rain after about an hour. Now, near noon, blue patches are appearing. Aaaaand, back to gray.  Finches were contentious on the feeder. 

Mid-afternoon, it got sunny.  A goose family visited with seven goslings.    One gosling tried to squirm through the fence but didn't fit. Fortunately it was able to back out.  Then I indicated they should leave.  If you stand your ground, the hissing, flapping goose stops just out of reach.  Finally, the parents escorted the goslings back down to the creek.  This is Mère l'Oye having a hissy.  


Toward evening, nicely tinted clouds streamed WSW while a chickadee sat on the feeder and hammered a seed.  Then the cardinal couple took possession. 

Overnight rain

There was lightning when I went to bed and later I heard the rain.  It seems to have cleared the haze - the sky is blue with distinct white clouds.  The water is still and everything is wet.  Enough fell to refill the birdbath.  There a drama took place as one squirrel became irritated with another and drove him off.  the prodigal kept trying to return and getting a glare.  The rabbit was out mowing our lawn.  The early sun lights up her ears, but she left when I stood up to get the camera.  Titmice and finches visited early.  Here is the Venus Looking Glass I mentioned yesterday. 

The afternoon clouded up and by 6pm it was raining.  By 10pm that had become a dense foggy mist so tonight's larger than usual full moon is not visible. 

Another day of haze and sun

I was awakened by honking.  Down by the creek, two parents and five goslings were feeding in the grass.  Another adult goose was hanging around and one of the parents kept diving it off.  The parental goose would put its head low to the ground and run at the offender.  I wonder what harm the other goose was supposed to be offering? 


A wild morning glory is blooming amongst Venus Looking Glass by the lower steps.  Cardinals, chickadees, and a titmouse have visited the feeder but I haven't seen the finches.  A robin was prospecting for straw amongst the weeds I pulled.  A male cardinal got irritated and chased off several finches.  Then later it chased off another male cardinal.  Cabbage and sulphur butterflies are out.

Gray again

That front is stuck here - the other end has swung from the Carolinas to New England, pivoting on us.  I'm seeing cardinals, finches, chickadees, doves and squirrels. The jay returned to repeat its trick on the feeder.  The ice plant is blooming amongst the blue eyed grass. 

The ski cleared to a haze again.  I did not intend to spent it indoors, but that's what happened. I'm selecting old photos to digitize.  At dusk a chickadee had a bath in the birdbath but the light was too low. 

Early risers

Actually, the rabbit may have been up all night.  It went nose to nose with a squirrel.  The squirrel retreated to the ground under the feeder where it got into a dispute with the squirrel with the white spot.  A chase ensued and a few minutes later white spot returned.  Then the other or another came back.  Several doves are hanging around.  Finches and cardinals are visiting the seed feeder and a male hummer stopped in.  The sky is still gray with clouds. 

The sun is shining and the humidity is making it hot and sticky.  Butterflies, dragonflies and spiders are busy.  The spider in the window is sucking a small fly or wasp.  Both cabbage and sulphur butterflies are around, along with that orange one I think may be a fritillary.  The cardinals, finches, chickadees and titmice have been joined on the feeder by a genius among blue jays.  This jay has figured out that by landing lightly on the side of the feeder it can avoid tripping the counterweight.

Doves are rummaging on the ground and mallards keep trying to use the pool. A pair of geese escorted four goslings upstream.  While the sun heated things up, thin clouds dulled the sky. 

Warmer, still gray

And now it's raining and I hear thunder. I was hoping to do yard work.

The rain didn't amount to anything and the clouds keep moving East.  The first female hummingbird visited.  A dragonfly and several butterflies were around.  A red admiral and a dead leaf butterfly posed.  It has gotten hot and sticky.  There is a breeze though and the clouds cut some of the sun.

The late afternoon clouds were dramatic for a while, then spread to an overall sheet.  After dark, there is lightning to the Southeast but the first quarter moon overhead is only misty, not obscured by clouds.