Wind and rain

A friend said she was tired of March weather in April and that certainly fit the last day the month.  Morning was so windy there were waves on the creek.  Occasional blue patches of sky let in a little sunlight. 

Rain began around noon and was mostly gentle with a couple of downpours. According to the newspaper, that was a whole lot of rain.  And the winds approached hurricane force on the Outer Banks. 

Despite all that, a female goldfinch visited the seed feeder after lunch.  Then, just to confuse me, its place was taken by a pine warbler. 

Hazy sky

All I saw at breakfast was the cat.  The temperature climbed to 84 but it was very breezy.  I saw several skinks at lunch time, but the heat energized them and they were moving fast.  The same with insects.  I saw a butterfly but couldn't even tell what kind.  The bees, wasps, and hoverflies attracted to the rue were a little more leisurely, so I could tell there were honeybees among them. 

I restocked the bark butter balls and that brought out the bluebirds.  Around 9pm, I heard bangs against the window and discovered it was a big grasshopper or katydid, an Orthoptera at any rate.

Clouding over

 A titmouse came for breakfast.  They've been missing for a while.  Then a blue jay arrived.  Then I was busy for the rest of the morning. 

While I was out, I saw a song sparrow performing on an awning.  When I got home, a mockingbird in the pecan flashed its white wing stripes repeatedly.  But it was gone when I went back with a camera. Later I saw a couple of butterflies while pruning in the front yard.  I also found an infant earthworm struggling in a saucer of rainwater and encouraged it to move into the pot with the red ice plant.  What I did get on pixels was the male bluebird on the birdhouse. 

Blue grosbeak!

The hail storm at 11pm last night left evidence that hadn't melted by 7am.  A drift of ice flowed from the gutter downspout.  Fortunately, plants did not seem too badly battered.  Later I discovered that the dark crust on the patio concrete was scarred with spots that I believe were made by the hail. 

Several egrets were taking advantage of the stormwater flowing out of the lake which always seems to attract fish.  Rain continued to fall sporadically throughout the morning. 

Right after bluebirds breakfasted on bark butter mush, a darker bird about the same size showed up.  It was the first blue grosbeak I have ever seen in my life.  It didn't eat anything though.  I wonder if the storm carried it in?   The male downy checked to see if the suet had come back.  It hadn't so the downy had a little bark butter mush. 

Evening sunshine lit up the wet leaves as a bluebird ate.

Day improved

We began wet and chilly under a gray sky.   Nothing much was going on, perhaps because the cat was around.  Again it seemed convinced that something lived under the pool cover.  Skinks?

In the afternoon a brown thrasher ventured out for bark butter balls.  Bluebirds also came.  One had a caterpillar.  The temperature rose into the mid 70s. Skinks were everywhere.  A black swallowtail and a silver spotted skipper (I think) flitted past the flowers and left. 

I went outside and startled a crane fly.  The wind was strong enough to ground insects. Menacing clouds would threaten rain and a few minutes later the blue sky would have nothing but wisps.  A great blue heron perched on the channel marker.

I found a bee fly hanging around the blue squill flowers. Plants that I believe are milkweed were coming up.  Quite a few egrets were visible near the dam trying to get the best fishing spots. 

I saw puffy cumulus turn rosy at sunset which should have been a good sign.  But around 11PM, a storm slammed into us.  Howling winds, rain, and hail, beat against the house.  Thankfully, it was short-lived.  

Day went downhill

The newspaper's weather page must have been for some different day.  This one began sunny and warm and ended in cold mist.  A bluebird was up early.  it is easy to imagine they are showing expressions when they face front.  A squirrel found the dried up cinquefoil I had pulled up the other day and appeared to eat the root crown.  Cinquefoil is structurally similar to strawberry.  I like it but it was getting out of hand.  

It was warm and sunny so I spent time outside after breakfast.  I was going to move the hummer feeder but a little spider was busy under the ant moat. 

I saw a tiger swallowtail at lunch. By then the sky had clouded over.  A myrtle warbler in summer plumage showed up, but the camera focused on the background.   I caught it later in the wild cherry.  A cardinal hunted something all over the wild cherry.  Then all the birds went flying East.  I don't know why, perhaps to harass a predator. 

After that I went outside.  It was a lot chillier than in the morning.  A (first of season) great crested flycatcher hunted in the wild cherry.  Then a blue jay did the same, confusing me as to whether I'd really seen a flycatcher. But I have proof!  I guess the flowers were still attracting bugs even though they looked spent to me.  A brown thrasher made off with bark butter balls. 

Firsts!

Clouds looked like rain one minute and sunny the next.   They were being pushed by strong winds...A house wren checked out the feeder by my office.  It flew before the camera was ready, but I saw it and I'm declaring it FoS.  A yellow crowned night heron perched on the dock.

Blue jays and bluebirds snatched bark butter balls.  A mallard hen paddled downstream with a raft of freshly hatched ducklings.  A yellow crowned night heron (same one?) preened on a pine branch that overhung the creek. The day was very warm but the breeze and the come-and-go clouds kept it comfortable. 

Fiddleheads were opening on the fern.  I saw buds on the yellow flag iris.  There were a lot fewer flowers on the coral honeysuckle.  I thought I saw an odd bumblebee visiting the money plant.  Then I realized it was a hummingbird moth.  That was the first in many years! 

Around 5pm a very gentle rain fell.  A bluebird and a brown thrasher visited the bark butter balls.  The low sun broke through at one point and I thought of checking for a rainbow, but the temperature had dropped about 20 degrees.  Then the sky got dark and the rain hammered the ground during supper.  The clouds lightened up a little before twilight. 

Gloomy

I saw what was probably a sawfly on a parsley plant.   The gray morning turned to rain mid afternoon.  When no birds appeared in the morning, I put out some BBBs.  That brought bluebirds for lunch, but they didn't linger.  I saw a mockingbird on the way to PT.

Around 5:30pm the rain stopped and the creek was still. A great blue heron was on a dock post, but it saw me as soon as I saw it.  Off it flew to the dam.  The tide was low because last night was the new moon.

Cloudless

The brown thrasher got an early start on the bark butter balls.  Blue jays were not far behind.  One hunted below the feeder for anything that might have fallen. 

Ospreys were active all day.  I thought a half dozen were circling and diving after breakfast in the placid creek.  A small grayish bird scurried around the dock. I think it was a solitary sandpiper. 

Skinks were also enjoying the sun even though the air was a bit cool.  At lunch, one had a very red head.  In the afternoon I saw a blue tail with its second tail and very little sense.  It left hiding where it was safe, then dithered where to run, then nearly crossed my toes to go to the other side of the steps.  .

The birds emptied the bark butter feeder and I didn't refill because rain was predicted.  At supper time the cat showed up. 

Windy

 A  red bellied woodpecker tried to get a bark butter ball for breakfast, but he was even more awkward than the brown thrasher.  Next up was a Carolina wren.  After lunch, it was a blue jay's turn.  While the afternoon was warm, the wind gusts chilled me and the thrashing trees were unnerving.  Dark clouds threatened rain while the sun shone.  The wind did not keep the bluebirds away from the bark butter balls.  Then a blue jay had to have some.  I don't know why a house finch tried to hover over the birdbath.  Two Carolina wrens came back.  Sunset painted the clouds before they overtook it.

All day rain

The rain spotted and streaked the North windows making the camera unable to focus.  Most suet-loving birds except the red bellied woodpeckers shifted over to the bark butter balls.  A female downy was on that feeder when a brown thrasher tried to land.  She stood her ground and the brown thrasher backed down.  After the downy left, a blue jay settled in.  I saw a Carolina wren visit briefly.  A brown thrasher which seemed quite awkward also tried to land on the hummer feeder.  They don't manage well off the ground. I saw just a flick of feathers at the entrance to the bluebird house.

As predicted, it began to clear in the late afternoon, but by then I was busy so I didn't see any thing. The creek was flat as a mirror at dusk. 

White sky

The brown thrasher breakfasted on bark butter balls.  Bluebirds came next, then Carolina wrens.  Starlings poked around looking for something to replace the suet. In the late morning, I spotted the wood duck pair across the creek. 

K saw a skink at lunch but I missed it.  We both saw butterflies, a black swallowtail and a brownish one that might have been a questionmark. 

The brown thrasher was back and the Carolina wrens appeared to be courting.  A little later a wren was pursuing something at the base of the post when a blue jay crashed in to snatch the prize.  Whatever that was, neither got it. 

The dogwoods were finished and the wild cherry pretty thoroughly pollinated.  Blue eyed grass was blooming already.  The biggest azalea bush had three different kinds of blossoms:magenta, bi-color pink, and white.  Yellow bearded irises were beginning to flower.  There were lots of insects but none that wanted to pose. 

The first yellow crowned night heron this Spring stalked along the edge of the creek.  Downstream, a great blackback gull caught a fish. Finally, rain hit about 10:45pm.

Soaking rain

Rain fell all morning.  Starlings were shocked by the empty suet feeder, which they had helped empty.  A downy woodpecker clung to the post trying to make suet appear.  A Carolina wren scouted for new food sources.  Eventually the downy  turned to the bark butter balls. 

After lunch, the overcast tore apart exposing rifts of blue sky.  The sun pulled steam from the wet pool cover.  Raindrops glittered on leaves, but the camera couldn't see what I was seeing.  I wonder if the sparkle is actually a shift in the light so fast that it blends in my sight, but not in the camera?

An ambitious squirrel climbed the shepherd's crook to get to the bark butter balls.  But the hot pepper worked and the squirrel abandoned its prize to go get a drink. 

An egret stalked through the shallows at low tide, catching little fish.  It flew up and perched on a post that put it fairly close to me.  That's when I saw the aigrettes and green nares that showed it was ready to breed.  One turtle  was on the log after lunch but three hours later there was a crowd. 

A crow landed on the post but saw nothing of interest.  A blue jay was more optimistic. It tried the seed feeder but was too heavy.  A crane fly tried to pass through the glass. 

No more suet

Bluebirds checked out the bark butter balls in the early morning.  Then the cat came back. 

At lunch a turkey vulture flew low across the yard, and a few minutes later flew back. A tiger swallowtail also flitted across.  We saw a skink cross the step.  Later I went outside and startled another skink.  I glimpsed a brownish-orange butterfly. 

A blue jay stayed far from me in the neighbor's yard.  Wasps, bees and yellow jacket queens worked hard.  Honeybees liked the white azalea.  Dragonflies zipped past me but didn't perch.  A fragile forktail damselfly was more obliging.  Flies explored various spots. 

As we ate supper, a pine warbler kept checking to see if the suet would reappear.  A blue jay was bold enough to look around the patio. 

Sunny

I spent too much of a lovely day doing things that took me away from nature.  At least at breakfast I had time to watch the feeders.  The male downy reluctantly shared suet with the pine warbler.  Soon the male red belly took over.  Starlings interrupted.  The creek mirrored the sunlit bank. 

The Carolina wren was around all day, popping up here and there.  At supper, a squirrel investigated the bark butter ball feeder.  I think it smelled the sunflower seeds, but it could not get past the hot pepper bark butter. 

From gray to blue

Morning was wet and gray and entirely too full of starlings.  Thankfully, there also were bluebirds.   A pine warbler got some time on the suet but the light wasn't good.  The red bellied woodpeckers came for their share.

The creek was placid, disturbed only by geese and mallards.  The mallards invaded the patio repeatedly.  A blue jay joined the bluebirds, starlings, and woodpeckers at lunchtime.  Then a female oriole appeared in an explosion of colors.

Mid afternoon, the sky cleared.  I caught sight of a couple of squirrels in a public display of affection, but they separated before the camera caught up.  A myrtle warbler competed with the pine warbler for suet.  I'm not sure whether these were the ones that spent the winter because today the pine warbler seemed dominant.  The myrtle warbler was nearly completely molted into summer plumage.

Wood ducks!

At breakfast, K called my attention to a pair of wood ducks wandering around the patio like prospective home buyers.  Apparently we didn't suit.  Later the cat visited and all the feeder birds left.  The day was sunny and breezy and a seasonably Spring temperature. 

I didn't see anything else till late afternoon.  A male bluebird posed in the slanting sunlight but by the time the camera was ready, he left.  Downy and red bellied woodpeckers worked on the suet.  Blue jays teased but I won and got photos of the blue jay that went after suet.  It was a messy eater and dropped bits which it then pecked up from the ground.

A great blue heron was spotlighted by the sun though it was behind a saltbush.  Turtles were out sunning on their log at 6pm, supervised by another heron.

Gale

Another one of those pesky jet stream loops arrived with high winds that dried up what rain fell overnight.  The National Weather Service said, "South winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 60 mph expected." There was more rain around 8:30am, but not as much as I'd like.  The only bird that ventured out to the feeder was a cardinal.  A few gulls played with the gusts over the creek. Later in the morning we got more of a soaking. The rain was very directional - only the South side of the oak got wet. 

As we ate lunch I saw a Carolina wren and the bluebird pair. A damselfly bumped along the window.  Crane flies and bumblebees clung to shelter.  The wind made waves on the creek flow downstream even though the tide was rising.  A streak of debris and trash followed the wind's direction. 

Around 2pm the sun was visible through the overcast.  Low clouds blew past from Southwest to Northeast.  I was outside to drive off starlings before they gobbled up all the suet.  A blue jay and a downy woodpecker scolded me.  Trees thrashed in the scary wind gusts.  And by 3pm the clouds were patchy with stretches of blue between.

The wind finally slacked off in the late, sunny afternoon.  Remarkably, it was still room temperature outdoors at dusk.  Venus shown brilliantly above the pines on the West side of the house.

Easter

I rolled out of bed in time to livestream an Easter sunrise service on the beach.  There really was no sunrise as the sky there was overcast with a red horizon.  It was not overcast here, about ten miles inland. The air was quite still and the creek glassy at low tide.

 A red bellied woodpecker got to the suet first.  Bluebirds popped in and out all day.  Blue jays too.  Pine warblers got a little suet in the late morning as I was cooking. 

At lunch, an orange butterfly was too fast for me.  I also saw tiger, palamedes, and black swallowtails. Dragonflies, crane flies, bees, and wasps were energized by warmth.  The brown thrasher showed up after lunch. 

The day got progressively hotter and more cloudy as the wind from the South got stronger.  Since an overnight rain was forecast, I wanted to get the last of my seeds in the ground.  Other birds scolded but the downy woodpeckers barged right past me and helped themselves to suet.

Perfect Spring day

The birds were glad it was warmer and less windy than yesterday.  A red bellied woodpecker and a Carolina wren joined us for breakfast.  The myrtle warbler had molted into his summer face which revealed his sex. 

A palamedes swallowtail flew across the yard at lunch.  Afterward, I went outside and twice saw an osprey soaring over the creek.  A bee fly hovered around the violets.  A silver spotted skipper fed on the money plant flowers.  Two dragonflies contested the right to perch on one of my bamboo stakes.  My best guess for the one that perched is common baskettail.  A goldfinch capped my backyard time. 

We went for a walk and as we passed the lightning-scarred sycamore, we could hear a woodpecker rapping, but could not see it.  There used to be a pileated nest in that tree.  I saw an odd clump of lichen in a crape myrtle that might have been a hummingbird nest.  Since crape myrtles shed their bark they don't usually have lichens.  A flowering bush was humming with bees and at least one bee fly, Bombylius major.  I discovered a blooming rose in our front yard. 

At supper, I noticed two egrets together below the dam.  It was hard to get much of picture but I'm fairly certain they were snowy egrets.  Then the feral cat decided to rest on the pool cover,  But it seemed to think there was something alive beneath it.  Skink? 

Chill wind

The temperature plummeted yesterday evening, and today didn't make it out of the 50s.  It was mostly sunny but the wind peeled the warmth away. However, a bird's got to eat and bluebirds, Carolina wrens, downy woodpeckers and a molting myrtle warbler visited the feeders.  The warbler and a starling were all I caught on camera.  The Solomon's seal was in bloom.  Venus was a bright evening star. 

Hot

The overcast blew out to sea.  At breakfast, the creek was so still, the tree litter wasn't even moving.  Bluebirds came calling, looking for bark butter balls.  The red bellied woodpecker wanted suet.   A squirrel gathered leaves for nesting.

At lunch, we were joined by the brown thrasher who wanted suet.  Afterward, lake turtles basked on the logs.  A male bluebird perched on a piling.

Toward evening, a blue jay tried to feed on the suet.  It was even more awkward than the brown thrasher.  Fluffy cumulus tinted peach sailed East.

Operant conditioning

Since the suet feeder was empty, the bark butter balls were the main attraction.  Bluebirds , of course, were already fans.  The chipping sparrow took an interest.  A brown thrasher hung around, waiting for more suet.  Four blue jays kept an eye on me from the top of the oak.

The creek was placid though there was a breeze.  Clouds streamed across the sky from West to East, but the capricious breeze buffeted the trees from every point of the compass.   I saw dragonflies as well as bees battling the wind.  Falling dogwood petals fluttered like butterflies, but the only real butterfly I saw was flitting around the arbor vita in the front yard.  There were unseasonable flowers on the blue eyed grass.  One cardinal jealously guarded the yard and feeder, chasing off a rival. 

The downy woodpeckers continued to fly to the post to check on the empty suet cage.  This puzzled me because if they could see the post, they could see the empty feeder.  I suspect it was Skinner's conditioning at work - flying to the post produced a meal before, so maybe it would again.  A Carolina wren also inspected the empty cage.  I was hoping to discourage the starlings, but K put out the last block of suet at supper time. 

Birds and bees

The creek was a sheet of glass and every surface glittered in the sunlight.  Three blue jays visited and one perched conspicuously on the post while another sneaked to the bark butter balls.  I don't think they planned it, but they are smart. 

Other birds kept flying off just as I got them in focus. The brown thrasher had a tough time reaching the remnant of suet.  Bluebirds were active and curious. When the suet was all gone, a male downy hung under the suet cage hoping to find a scrap.  The wretched starlings made it disappear so fast that I'm of two minds whether to put another out right away.

An American lady butterfly nectared on a dandelion but furniture was in the way and I couldn't get it in focus.  A little spider ran in circles around the rim of a tomato cage.  Huge carpenter bees fed on the money plant.  The lake turtles spread out from their favorite log to occupy all the fallen trees.  We had a thunderstorm at dusk but later the full moon was visible. 

Possum!

The changeable weather was what I associate with Easter - showers alternating with bright sunshine. An opossum crossed the patio in front of me to snuffle for fallen sunflower seeds.  Then it hustled off around the corner of the house.

Starlings kept interrupting other birds to get at the suet.  Downy and red bellied woodpeckers, the brown thrasher, orioles, and warblers all wanted suet.  A Carolina wren and white throats foraged below. The cardinals found a way to share the seed feeder perch.  Usually their combined weight is too much.

The rain turned the bark butter balls to something more like granola.  This didn't bother the bluebirds, but it was too tedious for blue jays.  Two male bluebirds came to blows over the bark butter ball feeder. 

In the late afternoon, a titmouse sampled each of the feeders.  A goldfinch looked around at the feeders and turned up its beak.  Clouds tinted rose for sunset. 

High tide

The creek was as smooth as glass despite the very high tide.  The brown thrasher appeared to be addicted to the suet.   The bluebirds seemed very fond of bark butter balls.  The junco was willing to eat anything.  A Carolina wren appeared more curious than hungry.   The male red bellied woodpecker wanted suet.  So did starlings. 

An osprey cruised overhead, scanning for fish.  The molting myrtle warbler poked around.  A wasp enjoyed rue flowers. 

The night sky was clear so I took pictures of Venus and the moon.  They were no longer together.- Venus was sinking toward the trees in the West while the moon was still behind trees in the East.    

White sky

The bright blue breakfast sky turned white when I wasn't watching.  And the wind was gusty, though not as fierce as in the last few days.  Starlings found the suet, alas. They always show up in gangs that don't get along except when bullying some other bird.  Eventually the woodpeckers got their suet back, much diminished.  White throats foraged for fallen bits of suet. The starlings were messy eaters. 

Cardinals courted.  The female pine warbler was fierce in defense of her time with the suet. The molting myrtle warbler tried to intimidate the female downy. 

I caught a glimpse of an osprey flying overhead.  The chipping sparrow was back!  So were orioles, both a female and two males. The female seemed to be molting.   Bluebirds returned to the bark butter balls.  Juncos were still around.   A Carolina wren perched in a dogwood before foraging for fallen suet.  A blue jay stuffed itself with bark butter balls.  I think they may have been for its mate. 

The brown thrasher again had a standoff with a downy and the female downy won.  The female pine warbler joined the victory feast.  The male downy watched the whole thing and then wanted a share of the spoils.  And the last I saw, the female pine warbler was  in possession. 

Suet drama

Except for a gusty wind, it was a perfect Spring day.  Of course the cat had to spoil it.  Fortunately it soon gave up and left.  Then a male oriole came out of hiding. 

K put a new block of suet out.  A Carolina wren got a bit before the brown thrasher took over.  It spent more time watching for trouble than eating.  Eventually the female pine warbler got a turn.  Bluebirds and a blue jay went for bark butter balls instead. The grape jelly I put out for the oriole was licked clean by a squirrel. 

An osprey used the wind to soar over the creek.  Gulls flew lower.  The choppy water didn't bother a female bufflehead. A tiger swallowtail, a black swallowtail, and a cabbage white defied the wind.  I saw a skink mosey along the edge of the retaining wall.  The turtle log was full. 

One hickory was way ahead of the other.  The hackberry put out flowers and leaves.   I found a little brown mushroom next to the front walk.  A rusty-colored bracket fungus had grown into a juniper branch.   The coral honeysuckle was loaded with flowers, just waiting for an early hummingbird. 

A male downy confronted the brown thrasher on the suet.  It did not go well.  But then the male red bellied woodpecker did the same thing to the brown thrasher.  The female red belly expected a turn.  And then the downy was back.  A male pine warbler watched and yearned for suet. 

Just tired

The morning light made everything beautiful  A female pine warbler sampled the suet.  Then the male red bellied woodpecker came for his breakfast.  A male Baltimore oriole showed up. 

PT left me stiff and sore and too tired to think. But I did capture a blue jay after bark butter balls.  The myrtle warbler was a molting mess.  The brown thrasher was disgusted that there was hardly any suet left. 

At supper there were no birds.  Eventually the feral cat sauntered up to the door.  I hobbled over to yell at it.  The cat moved down the steps, then rolled over and displayed its belly.  I guess I've been caught bluffing.

High winds

Low tide looked like high and high tide was a flood.  And this was the first quarter phase of the moon when it and the sun are at cross purposes for tidal attraction.

A heron stalked around the dock. Two pairs of bluebirds came to the feeders when there were lulls in the wind and rain.

The sky cleared in the afternoon.  When I went out to close the seed feeder at dusk, Venus was bright in the West, but there was too much light to make out the Pleiades. The moon was further away, almost overhead.