Sunshine returns

K saw a blue jay on the feeder, but I missed it.  The house wren is in fine voice this morning.  I saw a lot of dragonflies down on the lower patio and around the shrubbery.   One had a black body and another, bigger had a white-powdered blue abdomen.  Others were too fast for any detail.  A cabbage butterfly was out as well.  And the usual feeder birds.  It is a gorgeous final day of the Merrie Month of May.

Dragonflies came around all day long.  In the late afternoon I got to watch fathers at work - house finch and towhee. The towhee, however, stashed his kid in the shade of an azalea so I couldn't get a decent photo. 

At supper time the towhee was forging around the birdbath.  After it took off, a brown thrasher started tossing the same mulch around.  We are overdue for fresh pine bark.  Sunset was very orange.

Still gray

There was a brief glimmer of sun so I have hope.  The house wren hunted bugs in the azalea next to the window while the regulars came to the feeder.   The windows picked up too many reflections for me to get a clear shot of the wren. 

A fox sauntered past after lunch.  I saw brown butterflies that I cannot identify. Clouds came and went, keeping the day from warming up, plus it's windy. 

K saw a hummer at supper. I ate later and the fox (or another) walked past again following the same route.  Do they come back by a different path? A cardinal watched from the railing.  Then, like a folk tale, the geese appeared with their goslings.  I shooed them off and on the way back saw the male towhee.  I'd been hearing its piercing one-note whistle but unable to locate the bird. 

The sky cleared at twilight and the breeze dropped.  A few clouds moved down from the WNW and sunset was a rich rose.

Gray sky

The rain stopped well before dawn but the day is cool and dank.  A female hummingbird seemed satisfied with the feeder juice, but camera shy.  Squirrels and the regulars visited.  One squirrel chased another up the feeder post and the pursued leaped into the birdbath with a mighty splash. The termite inspector came early and claimed to have seen a fox with a goose in its mouth in the front yard! 

The hummer was back at lunch.  The cardinals spend so much time patrolling the yard, I wonder if they have time to nest.  I could hear other birds I could not see.  The wrens continue to bustle around their house and to sing.  Have I mentioned there is a wren nest out front on a downspout hidden in the jessamine vine?  I think it's a Carolina wren but it's too dark to be sure. 

Mid afternoon, sprinkles of rain showed in the water. They returned after dark. 

Cloudy

Cardinals were busy on the feeder this morning and squirrels beneath.  Chickadees came later. 

The sky cleared during the morning and lots of dragonflies patrolled the yard.  At lunch time, I was ready for them so, of course, no dragonflies.  Meanwhile, a white glaze slid over the sky.  The wrens out-sang the other birds. 

By evening, there were distinct clouds again.  The wrens occasionally paused to survey their domicile.  Sunset was peach and gold behind the pines.  Some days are full of critters, some aren't. 

At bedtime lightning was flashing, followed by a crack that sounded like it struck the yard. Then the downpour. 

Fledging season

First up was a hungry brown thrasher which found and hammered something in the mulch.  A fledgling finch tried out the feeder.  A house wren came to the feeder area - I wish I could put out mealworms for the insect eaters.  The male cardinal continues to worry about its reflection in the pool. 

Mid morning, a big dragonfly buzzed around the patio but never paused to be identified.  A cabbage butterfly also made the rounds.  Then I saw a goose periscoping behind the rosebush and two half-grown goslings headed for the pool.  They were the size of adult mallards.  I yelled "go away" and they did. 

A female widow skimmer caught me without the camera.  A black swallowtail flirted with the rosemary and a skink hid beneath.  Dramatic cumulus made sunbeams but no storm.  A fledgling crow made a considerable racket and was attended by the whole family.  A young squirrel was curious about the pool and me.  I got a nice picture of a long legged fly. 

A few sprinkles of rain fell toward evening but didn't amount to anything. 

Fox visit

First thing this morning, before breakfast, a fox checked out our patio.  It nosed everywhere, looked right at me through the glass, trotted around the pool, and left.  Of course, a crow had to set up a racket announcing its presence.

Later the regular songbirds came to breakfast and the finches brought their four fledglings.  The house wrens were also busy.  It's another sunny morning.

It's getting hot.  I saw a black swallowtail and a smaller brownish butterfly.  Spiders are beginning to make noticeable webs. 

At lunch, an osprey landed up in the treetop on our side of the creek.  A dark and yellow butterfly flitted around the cherry, possibly a palamedes.

Mid afternoon, I saw a yellow crowned night heron land on the dock and walk to the West side.  Meanwhile, geese were foraging on the East.  Then the people across the creek came out to party and it looked like they were attempting crabbing.  That cleared out the birds.  There have been some clouds, out of the Southwest, but not as much as predicted. 

More sunshine

Squirrels have been active.  One begged at the window.  The regulars came to the feeder, along with a titmouse.  I glimpsed a female towhee under the rosemary and a female goldfinch above the birdhouse.  I shook off the chair a spider I think is a ground spider.  A cabbage butterfly took great interest in the money plant pods.  A blue tail skink ran across the steps.  After lunch, a female hummer fed briefly.  K checked and didn't see any mold. 

While we were in the pool, she saw foxes next door.  We think they were an adult and two cubs but a screen of shrubs made that uncertain.  Certainly, our neighbor noticed them too - I heard him say, "three of them."  I think I saw a towhee feeding a fledgling under the oak, but again, it's hard to be sure.  The sky has grown hazy.

Another pink sunset.  Fireflies are out already.  I saw them a couple of nights ago as well. 

Another sunny day

A male cardinal was waiting for the Sunflower Cafe to open.  He took his seed down to eat on the patio where the feeder's shadow fell.  Chickadees arrived shortly thereafter.  It was windy all day.  Occasional wispy clouds came flying down out of the Northwest but otherwise the sky was again crystal blue. 

In the afternoon. the wrens sang.  I fished some beetles out of the pool.  A little green heron flew upstream while we wer in the pool.  I heard the q-r-r-r and hammer of a woodpecker, also a single sharp note, and some other bird calls I couldn't identify since I couldn't see the singers.

I notice there's a lot of white clover blooming in yards this year - I hope that means there are plenty of honeybees.  A few clouds at dusk tinted peach and rose.

Sunshine

The sky was a much clearer, more crystalline blue this morning, and without my contacts, the oak leaves sparkled.  The squirrel with the white spot showed up with some other squirrels.  The regular feeder birds were out, but no others.  A female cardinal chased another all over the yard.  Then she came warily to the feeder as I sat outside.  I could hear another cardinal make a steady chorus of clicking chirps.  I also heard crows fussing but couldn't see the cause.  The treetops were wind-blown but on the ground, it was more of a breeze.  Still, no insects ventured out yet.    The creek surface was ruffled.

Clouds arrived from the West.  The house wrens sang and flitted around the pool.  Cabbage butterflies did too.  Some bird made a whirring sound up in the sweet gum.  Then the crows perched in the top of the gum. I have been in the pool at last! 

A moth landed on the window at twilight.  Meteors were predicted for the middle of the night but the sky was cloudy here. 

Storm in the night

The storm came through with a roar but left little water.  Not much to see this morning, just the regulars and the wrens.  I cleaned and refilled the hummer feeder and K rehung it. 

At lunch, the skinks came out, little blue tails and big red heads.  Cabbage butterflies flitted around.  I heard an osprey's kee-kee, but couldn't see the bird anywhere in the hazy sky.

The afternoon became overcast. Immediately after dark, another thunderstorm blew through. 

Thin overcast

The regulars have been hungry.  A buzzard sailed past.  Egrets are working the creek.  A house wren posed outside the birdhouse. 

In the afternoon, a black rat snake cruised through the mulch on the far side of the pool. Then a little rain fell. leaving no trace.

Still cool, but mostly sunny

Two house wrens were all over the seed feeder this morning - just curious?  I don't think they actually took any seeds.  The regulars did.

Small goslings invaded the pool and, or course, could not get out.  K gave them a plank to walk and they departed under her scolding. 

In the late afternoon, a male goldfinch and two females came to the feeder.  The females drank from the hummer feeder. 

Beautiful day

Once we got home for lunch and had time to observe.  A black swallowtail made the herb rounds.  I walked out front just in time to see crows driving off an eagle.  Then a white breasted nuthatch perched on the neighbors' pine tree. 

The blueberries are green and swelling.  A couple of great blue herons flew over the house headed North.  A carpenter bee investigated all the roses. A fledgling finch begged its parent for food.

Egrets were out fishing in the evening. 

Slow morning

Just the regulars this morning.  I glimpsed a wren when I went out to shoo the geese.  They have at least half a dozen well grown goslings.  The sun comes and goes as the clouds move around. 

Later a titmouse made a brief visit.  The wren sang its heart out in the dogwood.  A red-bellied woodpecker groomed itself in the top of the sweet gum, then flew over to the oak.  It made a QRRRR sound every few minutes.  Wasps went about their business while a skink darted out of sight.  At lunch a hummer took a brief drink.  I found a net-winged beetle on the money plant. 

Lots of bird calls in the late afternoon.  The woodpecker hammered as well.  And then I heard the crack of rotten wood, but I couldn't see it.  The house wren just sat and listened for a change. 

Cool and fresh

Everything is thoroughly washed and sparkling in the sun.  A brown thrasher made the rounds of the yard.  Then a goldfinch got something from the hummer feeder.  In between, the regulars ate seeds.

A hummer visited briefly - is something wrong with the juice?  A titmouse came to the feeder.  Then I thought I saw a white breasted nuthatch cling to the post, but two photos came up empty.  There is less activity around the birdhouse so the wrens may be all moved in and laying eggs.

Then all the birds got excited about something downhill next door. Crows and songbirds hung around above the whatever-it-was for an hour. They'd rush off and then drift back.  Clouds have been intermittent all morning.

At lunch, I saw an orange butterfly and a tiger swallowtail.  A small skink crossed the steps. 

Toward evening, geese visited with their goslings.  The sentinel goose saw me and wouldn't let the goslings onto the patio.  Perhaps this blog should have been named for geese as I don't see nearly as many mallards as a couple of decades ago.  I think people have stopped feeding the ducks, but I suppose the geese just took over.  The clouds colored up in peach and smoke for sunset. 

And rain

It was just a mist at dawn but it soon became a hard rain.  A female towhee got breakfast from the feeder before the rain picked up.  The regulars looked drenched on the feeder.  A Carolina wren briefly checked the patio for goodies.  The tightly furled buds on the yellow flag iris across the pool look like candle flames.  The rain became a heavy downpour around 10:30am and dropped around 2".

The rain finished right around noon.  A Carolina wren climbed the bricks around the bedroom window.  Meanwhile the iris buds had popped open.  I saw a brown thrasher, then a gray fox that was also interested in the brown thrasher.  But I wasn't fast enough with the camera and only caught the flank of the fox.  Later a titmouse joined the regulars, now dried out. Three goldfinches landed in the saltbush down by the creek. 

During the afternoon the sky cleared and the temperature dropped.  I saw a cabbage butterfly, then a tiger swallowtail.  The regulars made up for lost time.  For a while, the sky was striped, then some cumulus puffs reappeared for sunset. 

Clouds out of the South

The windows were fogged when we got up.  As they cleared, a damsel fly tried to come through the glass.  When the sun caught it, it was like a blazing emerald with wings.  But the camera would not focus on it.  Fat cumulus have been streaming North, and when they block the sun, the wind springs up.  So it flicks from bright, hot, and still to breezy shade - not bad.

A goldfinch checked out the birdhouse.  I thought I'd glimpsed some of them around.  A female towhee and a female cardinal each came and poked through the mulch just a few feet from me.  The towhee didn't look well.  Other birds were more wary.  The chickadees visit the feeder without a qualm, the finches visit but startle easily, and the cardinals refuse to come when I'm outside.  Birdsong this morning had to compete with geese and crows.  A few swifts flew high.

A hummer visited - I heard her fussing - but she didn't stay long.  A blue tailed skink ran across the patio after lunch.  Meanwhile it got very windy while the clouds grew thinner and less puffy.  They still rushed North.  The wrens sang under cover. 

The sky became overcast and the wind continued strong.  At supper a cardinal could barely stay on the feeder. 

Foggy morning

A wren worked over the azalea next to the window, picking off sleepy bugs, I assume.  A male cardinal stalked along the pool edge, peering in.  Yesterday I thought it was thirsty, but now the birdbath is full, so it must be perturbed by its reflection.

A titmouse came to the feeder while I had my hands full.  The fog finally lifted after 11am.  Butterflies - cabbage & sulphur - and other insects, including a ladybug beetle, came out to play.  Grackles prowled the grass.  One yellow flag iris is blooming downhill from the pool.  The regulars came to the feeder but all the seed eaters are trying to catch bugs for their offspring.

Today has been cooler, but I finally saw a skink in the late afternoon.  Birds are calling up in the trees, but they're very hard to find, much less identify. An egret stalked under the bulkhead and an osprey circled above.  A squirrel got up in the neighbor's birch to eat catkins. 

Toward evening, a male towhee visited the feeder.  Tonight is supposed to be the full moon but I didn't see it, only the very bright moonlight in the middle of the night, and stars. 

Early birds

I got up at 6 and went outside to listen to the birds.  I could match up the swifts and the wrens with their songs, but a lot of others were mysteries.  A woodpecker knocked in the distance.  Leaves were backlighted by the rising sun. 

Later, a male towhee appeared, only to be chased by the wretched tuxedo cat. 

At lunch, I saw a juvenile skink swim across the birdbath. The wrens were having a fuss in the rosemary.  There is something strange going on in that birdhouse.  Butterflies and dragonflies moved too fast for identification - it is hot!

More blue sky

An early skink and the wrens investigated the poor, freezer-burned rosemary.  Cumulus clouds crept Northward. The creek was still and dusty.  A Mother's Day balloon floated upstream.  The money plants have quit blooming and the pods are ripening. 

Black swallowtails and other butterflies flitted through.  Several skinks, adult and blue tailed, scampered through.  Swallows flew high.  Cardinals and finches cane to the feeder, but no chickadees by lunch time.  A hummingbird expressed distaste for the juice, so now the hummer feeder is soaking in bleach.  The blue is getting hazy.

Around 6pm a hummingbird showed up looking for the feeder.  We put it back out later.  Skinks were still around.  A bird with a big head was in the top of the redwood, but just then the camera battery died. Toward evening a goose periscoped up and caught me watching so it escorted its goslings back down the hill. 

Another streaky orange sunset. 

Sunny

A short rain preceded dawn and the clouds moved East, vlocking the sunrise, but leaving clear sky behind.  The usual birds visited the feeder while the wrens kept working.  A skink popped up at 8:30am.

It is breezy but not like yesterday.  A goose eyed me and left.  Dragonflies and butterflies are out - I saw a darner and a red admiral.  More skinks scuttled around the patio.  The hummer came back.  I hear lots of different bird calls that I don't know, and I cannot see the singers.  Three blue jays hung out in the sycamore, then two flew off slowly, calling as they went - showing off for the third? 

A clear night - several bright stars or planets are out along with the almost full moon. 

Still hot

I had just gotten up at 7am when a goose came to see if the pool was available.  I made it clear it was not.  The house wrens continued their renovations.  A Carolina wren visited the feeder briefly, as did the regulars.  A skink was up early - about 9am.  Queen yellow jackets and other heavy-bodied wasps and bees banged on the glass.  I wonder what it looks like to them?

The azaleas are finished.  Blue eyed grass and yellow cinquefoil are blooming.  It's iris time and the roses are almost out.  In fact, there are two miniature blossoms under the rosemary and some roses out front.  The early overcast has broken up into separate clouds. 

The wind really picked up during the morning and the clouds look menacing.  A pennant dragonfly clung to the rosemary,  There's a large pale gall up in the oak.  The geese tried again but K ran them off.

Intermittent rain blew through between 3 and 6pm.  The female hummer came for its supper. Then a bluebird landed briefly atop the post.  The clouds continued to look menacing as cormorants and other commuters flew home. 

Hot sun

Busy wrens.  Ducks and geese are out on the creek. Mid-morning a titmouse teased me as I couldn't take its photo while doing physical therapy.  Another skink came out, but this one looked more like a five lined than a broad headed skink.  No photo, alas.

After we got home, I went outside to sit and see what might appear.  Lots of wasps and a ladybug prowled over the plants.  A couple more skinks hustled past.  Some small butterflies, probably pearl crescents, flitted around and the rue is hosting caterpillars. 

Overhead, I saw a couple of swallows.  I could hear an osprey, but never saw it.  Geese brought their little ones up the hill, but I sent them back.  A starling and a wren sang a duet atop the sweet gum.  The a robin joined in and later a red bellied woodpecker took the spot.  A female hummer came to the feeder.  A cooper's hawk swooped past the feeder as K was standing there and she never saw it! 

Meanwhile, the sky had clouded over from the SW.  This came apart late in the day and made a lurid, streaky sunset. 

Gray sky early

It looks like fog, only high up.  The sun gets through at times.  At least three wrens are busy around the birdhouse.  I don't know if the third is a helper or a competitor. 

The gray burned off and now it is hot and sunny, but a bit hazy.  Lots of skinks are out, adults and blue tails.  Butterflies and bees are roaming.  The birdhouse move-in continues.  Crows chased off a hawk but ignored another big bird with a white head.

Later a single crow escorted off another raptor, a coopers or a sharp shin, I think.  We had supper outside but it was a bit buggy.  I hope the house wrens feed well.  They were still hard at work. Some wood ducks paddled downstream but I was only able to photograph the last one. 

Birdsong

I left a window cracked and this morning songs greeted me on the way to the kitchen.  It was overcast but the sun kept leaking through.  A mockingbird hid in the saltbush by the creek.  The catbird sang and sang in the nearest dogwood.

Wrens were busy with the birdhouse and they paused to sing too.  Squirrels chased each other through the dogwood across the pool where the birdhouse hangs.  This flummoxed the poor wrens. The wretched tuxedo cat prowled across the bedroom windowsill.  Egrets jockeyed for the best fishing spot.

A lot of activity has occurred around the birdhouse.  The wren sang  in the dead branch nearby.  It also investigated the bird feeder.  The regulars have been to the feeder as well.  But the sunshine has still been intermittent. 

Butterflies - including black and palamedes swallowtails, dragonflies, bees, and wasps enjoyed the afternoon sun.  An adult skink hustled across the patio.  Geese paddled downstream with a string of goslings. A robin explored under the irises.