Overcast

Quite still this morning.  A beam of sunlight leaked through briefly.  No birds - I wonder if the feeder is empty?  No, it's not, so where is everyone? A pair of squirrels rushed in.  One went for the mulch and the other for the watering can.  I couldn't quite see what happened without moving so I startled the squirrel, but apparently he fell in the watering can.  At any rate, he shot across the patio with a sopping tail and took it out on the other squirrel.  I've now added water to the birdbath. 

I decided to see if going down to the dock would be produce any more birds.  A crow I couldn't see was having a hissy and then a great blue heron took off as though it couldn't stand the noise.  Shortly thereafter more crows herded one  through the air into a tree, where I guess they gave it a talking to.

The cloud cover is scudding East and every so often there is a break and sunshine.  Wind comes and goes, cold but not very strong.  The yellow jackets have apparently repaired their nest which is now buried in a leaf drift.  The puffballs are maturing and the final growth on the weeping conks is weeping.  The sunflowers are still blooming. The overcast is thin and the sun makes a circle of glare, but some rain sprinkles appeared after lunch. 

Rain became more definite as the afternoon passed.  Now, at twilight, cardinals and white-throated sparrows appear.   And they're all cranky!  The sparrows are running each other off while two female cardinals rise into the air batting at each other.  A male cardinal drives all other birds off the feeder.  Is it the weather?  Or have the sunflower seeds gone off like ergot in rye?