Skink

I got up early and hustled off to a meeting in Norfolk.  Gulls were circling over downtown but I couldn't tell what species.  Anyway, I didn't observe much until lunch.  A Carolina wren tackled the suet which was almost gone.  A bluebird grabbed seeds.  Then a white breasted nuthatch worked on the suet nubbin.  

The evening primrose patch began to flower.  A yellow jacket queen investigated the splitting timber edging the step.  That would not be a good location for a nest.  I thought I saw a dragonfly but the only critter in the photo was a tiny snout butterfly.  Cabbage whites danced together in the air, but whether courting or fighting, I have no idea.  

In the late afternoon or early evening a very reg-faced skink moseyed along the step wall.  It seemed to pace back and forth before finally going off into the mountain mint.  

Hummer caught on camera!

Mockingbirds hoped for breakfast.  Even a chickadee wanted what was in the dishes.  Bluebirds supplemented seeds with barkbutter and mealworms.  The red roses opened.  The wild cherry flowers turned into green berries.  The wind whipped trees at mid day.  

At lunch I spotted a hummer so afterward I stationed myself just far enough from the feeder and waited.  The bird returned.  Alas his back was to the sun so his throat looked ebony instead of ruby.  Later, the female pileated came for suet.  Blue jays wanted barkbutter balls.  I got glimpses of dragonflies along with wasps and what I thought was a small, brown butterfly.  

Another hummer missed

I glimpse a goldfinch at breakfast.  A mockingbird worked on the caked barkbutter crumbs.  (The rain shower yesterday dampened the dish.)  The male red belied woodpecker snooped around the base of the post before ascending to the suet.  A bluebird and a Carolina wren ate seeds.  A squirrel washed its face and fluffed its tail. 

I went out after lunch to enjoy the beautiful day.  A yellow jacket queen hunted a desirable location.  A bluebird brought what looked like a spider to feed the nestlings.  Then in the back yard, the hummer and I startled each other.  I was sitting too close to the feeder when he arrived and he was gone before I could lift the camera. 

A mockingbird wanted barkbutter balls bad enough to ignore me.  A black swallowtail, a cabbage white, and many wasps flitted around.   The butterfly milkweed emerged from the mountain mint.  Despite a cardinal's arrival, a bluebird kept her place on the seed feeder.  A blue jay eventually risked a visit.  After I went back inside, the male red bellied woodpecker returned.  A myrtle warbler all decked out for spring stopped by for some suet.  

The pecan was in bloom finally.  Blue flag irises were blooming too.  A skink hurried across the corner of the patio.  A white breasted nuthatch joined us at supper.  

Cooler after rain

The creek looked very dusty in the morning.  Lots of birds came while my hands were full of breakfast.  The first I actually captured was a Carolina wren.  Bluebirds were close behind.  I dumped and refilled feeders and soon a mockingbird arrived. Then a blue jay got interested.  Even a downy wanted some.  Pileateds visited several times.  

Woodpeckers

Rain fell overnight.  Several roses opened.  The male red bellied woodpecker got down on the step wall, perhaps hunting suet crumbs.  He certainly looked out-of-place.  Bluebirds concentrated on seeds.  A blue jay tried to reach the suet.  A downy had not trouble getting plenty of suet. 

The day grew very windy and more cloudy than sunny.   A black swallowtail hung around the rue, understandably as there wasn't much parsley..  A picture-wing fly clung to the window but the camera didn't want to focus.  First the male pileated then the female came for suet.  A mockingbird dug into the mealworms and barkbutter balls.  Two Carolina wrens seized opportunities to get some suet. 

The day's temperature reached the mid 80s.  Both pileates came back for more suet but this time the female got to eat first.  A blue jay got some seeds. Then an early evening rain shower hit shortly before supper.  After the shower when the feeder was surely flooded a hummer appeared.  He next tried a rose  and then looked around the post as though maybe he'd been here last year when the feeder hung there.  I hope he fount the coral honeysuckle.   

Insects

A female pileated woodpecker came for suet for breakfast.  Blue jays came for barkbutter crumbs and one ate seeds too.  Unlike the squirrels, the bird outwitted the feeder counterweight.  The mockingbird pair showed up again, as did bluebirds.  Clouds floated on a milky haze. 

The day grew considerably warmer than predicted.  A dragonfly I think was a female common whitetail landed on a step right in front of a white throated sparrow.  The sparrow looked more startled than predatory but the dragonfly didn't wait around and I didn't get a photo.  A queen yellow jacket investigated the azalea beside me but moved on.  I saw other wasps as well.  Several butterflies visited, a palamedes and a tiger swallowtail, a small brown butterfly that might have been a snout, and the ubiquitous cabbage white.  A little black beetle wandered on the concrete. 

Carolina wrens came at mid day and tried to share the suet.  A blue tailed skink wouldn't stay put for a photo.  Later in the afternoon the clouds thickened.  First the female, then the male pileated returned.  The female tried hanging from the suet cage instead of reaching from the post.  That made more suet fall on her belly and thus the ground. 

Mockingbird v. blue jay

The early bird was a blue jay, closely followed by a mockingbird.  The mockingbird got very huffy because the blue jays were hogging the barkbutter balls.  Huffy meant the bird puffed up its back feathers and tried to look much bigger.  The jays didn't care.  A Carolina wren went to the seed feeder.  White throats disappeared into the cinquefoil that seems to grow an inch a day.  

We will soon have many roses.  I counted seven buds on the red rose and maybe a dozen on the yellow.  Speaking of yellow, there was a flower on the yellow flag iris, also on the blue iris.  Money plants in the shade were still blooming but those in the sun had gone to seed.  Also, the azaleas were past their peak.  

Bluebirds showed up at lunch.  I saw and even photographed a butterfly flying over the beautyberry bush, but I couldn't be sure of its identity.  I think it was a monarch.  A skink ventured out into the sunshine when the afternoon temperature got up into the 70s.  

Late in the day, a brown headed nuthatch decided to get some seeds.  Then the female pileated arrived to enjoy the fresh block of suet.  The cardinals tried to share the feeder but together they weighed too much.  The male pileated stopped by very briefly and didn't even have any suet.  

Mockingbird love

Overnight rain filled the birdbath but stopped before I got up. The creek was a mirror at breakfast.  A Carolina wren got up early for seeds.  White throats explored the wet weeds.  Rose buds showed color.  A mockingbird lamented the rain-filled dish with mealworms floating.  The suet was gone too, leaving only seeds.  Then the other mockingbird joined the first and I finally got photos of the two mockingbirds together.  

A bluebird arrived late.  The male red bellied woodpecker had a difficult time with the seed feeder perch.  I dumped the rain soup and refilled the dish with mealworms.  The jelly was partly dissolved but I left what wasn't liquid.  Ants must have thought it rained manna.  

Earth Day

Mockingbirds joined us at breakfast.  White throats were still on vacation.  A red bellied woodpecker worked on the remnants of suet.  Then I went off to tour of the Ryan Resilience Lab which is working on ways to adapt to rising sea level and mitigate its carbon footprint.  A lot of the tour was outdoors and hot, though cloudy.  Much of the outdoor work was quite new and there were saplings in tubs still to be planted.  

At lunch, the mockingbirds were back.  A blue jay joined them.  Then I had errands.  When I got back, a Carolina wren was trying to finish off the suet.  The wren also had seeds.  A light rain fell around 7pm.  

Egret and night heron

Again the high was in the low 80s under a pale, hazy sky.  The white throats were still here.  I saw several butterflies, a tiger swallowtail, a dark swallowtail (palamedes?), a small brown butterfly, cabbage whites, and possibly Spring azures, but got no photos.  Mockingbirds came for the buffet.  Bluebirds were mostly interested in seeds.  The red bellied male was back for more suet.  A blue jay was not happy with mealworms.  A Carolina wren stayed hidden in vegetation. 

A great egret stalked along the bulkhead in the wake of a yellow crowned night heron.  It made me realize the difference in size.  It seemed very odd that the two should be so close together and the big bird following the smaller, but I think they sought different prey.  The first blue flag irises opened.  Gladiolus leaves appeared.  The black and white cat prowled along the pool.  

No bunny, just a possum

Enough sunlight got through the white sky to cast shadows.  The wind wasn't as fierce as yesterday, fortunately because the air was not as warm either.  The temperature did rise into the 80s. A bluebird came for breakfast.  

After lunch I spent some time outside.  The coral honeysuckle was a mass of flowers - something for hummers if the sugar water has gone bad.  A few coral lilies had started to bloom.  Fern fiddleheads were unfurling.  A freshly bathed bluebird flew up from the pool puddle.  Next a white throat got in.  A couple of doves drank from the pool puddle.  I could hear woodpeckers fussing because they thought I was too close to the food.  

Once I was inside, birds rushed to the feeders.  Blue jays got their barkbutter.  A cardinal went courting with a barkbutter ball.  A male cardinal had some of the dried up, pollen covered jelly. I took photos of movement in the trees but missed most of the causes.  A myrtle warbler, however, was just slow enough that I got one photo.  A male red bellied woodpecker enjoyed some suet.  Then a female pileated woodpecker took over.  Finally a mockingbird got a turn at the barkbutter balls.  A white breasted nuthatch paid an evening visit to the seeds. 

The possum came back and lay down in the pool puddle.  Despite this, doves decided it was safe to get a drink.  An egret huddled on a dock post.  A true bug of some sort landed on the window.  It was shaped like last year's bordered plant bug but lacked the red outline.  

High wind

Another hot and hazy, sunny day was alleviated by strong winds.  The dogwood blossoms were done, even the curly mutant flowers, and the wind sent petals skipping.  The male pine floweres had fallen to the ground.  A starling picked at barkbutter crumbs.  A blue jay thought about it.  A Carolina wren ate suet, then checked on the barkbutter dish.  A red bellied woodpecker also wanted suet.  I saw a downy and a pileated but didn't rush for the camera.  

I planted moonflower seeds that I'd carefully nicked and soaked - fingers crossed.  While I was outside, a very red-faced skink wondered if I was safe to approach.  Flying insects caught the sunllight and I hoped they were dragonflies.  One may have been a ladybug.  Bluebirds came for seeds.  

Very warm

The creek shown with reflections in the early morning though the tide was very low.  White throats were up to their usual mulch kicking.  The sky was hazy but I spotted an eagle flying very high.  The pair of wrens lunched with us.  The money plants were nearly done flowering and were busy making pods.  Flower spikes on the wild cherry looked like an explosion.  A little black beetle with big eyes scuttled around the patio.  A Polistes wasp harvested plant fibers.  The wind was very strong.  An egret preened on a dock post.  Mockingbirds visited the barkbutter balls.  Then a pileated female came for suet.  

Mockingbirds

The mockingbird pair visited, one on the suet, the other on the empty barkbutter dish.  The bird who checked the empty dish was very huffy about it.  A blue jay watched the display.  The mockingbird tried the dried up jelly.  A Carolina wren ate seeds.  White throats scoured the ground.  The female pileated woodpecker came for suet. 

I had an afternoon meeting.  When I returned, the male pileated made a late afternoon visit to the suet.  

Opossum

As we were eating breakfast, a portly possum ambled across the lower patio.  A blue jay watched and a mockingbird ate suet.  Sometime later the possum returned and I went outside hoping for a clear photo.  We looked at each other but there was too much vegetation in the way for the camera.  The possum went downhill, then right between the bank and the creek, and out of sight. 

A bluebird watched from the post before settling in on the seed feeder perch.  A Carolina wren opted for suet but also grabbed a seed.  White throats continued their foraging.  A dove wandered around thee pool puddle.  It was a perfect day for turtles but they must have found somewhere else to bask.  A bumblebee pollinated the Solomon's seal.  I saw some flowers on the blackberry brambles by the dock. 

Windy

Mid morning, bluebirds dropped in for a few seeds.  A Carolina wren snacked at the barkbutter & mealworm dish.  A bumblebee bustled among the azalea blossoms.  All the wild cherry trees were flowering.  In the afternoon the wind grew very strong and petals blew sideways like a blizzard.  The temperature was warm but the wind must have discouraged wildlife.  The black and white cat didn't help.  

Summery day

The creek was flat as a mirror but dusty with pollen.  A pair of Carolina wrens joined us for breakfast.   Then a mockingbird dislodged the wren on the suet.  A squirrel foraged with the white throats.  A cardinal and a bluebird, both males, disputed the use of the seed feeder.  Blue jays stayed with their favorite barkbutter balls.  The male red belly felt the same.  

The black and white cat prowled around the pool.  By then it was very warm.  I started planting seeds.  I saw a cormorant trying to swallow a fish.  Bachelor mallards paddled around.  An egret fished below the dam.  The female pileated came for an evening suet snack.  

2 cats and a tiger

Yesterday was gray and depressing, so much so that I forgot to blog.  (That and I was finishing a book.)  Because of the threat of rain, the only bird food was seeds. A red belly resigned himself to the seed feeder.  A mockingbird did the same.  A brown headed nuthatch, of course, was fine with seeds, but not with the house finch monopolizing the feeder.  A bluebird shared the perch with a cardinal.  Eventually, K hung more suet and the mockingbird was right on it.  Once the threat of rain passed, we opened the dishes and a white throat checked for barkbutter balls. 

The sun was back today.  The long-haired yellow cat wanted to hunt birds in the morning.  Around lunchtime, the black and white cat basked on the pool cover.  I chased both away.  I chased the tiger swallowtail with the camera but never caught it.  I did catch the male pileated enjoying suet.  A mockingbird had suet when the woodpecker left.  Bluebirds ate seeds as did a Carolina wren.  Even the mockingbird had some seeds.  I put out mealworms and one of the mockingbirds had those as well, followed by a long drink from the birdbath.  A skink ventured out thought the temperature was barely into the 60s.  Blue jays sneaked mealworms when I wasn't looking.  

Rainy day

A Carolina wren was put out that the dish feeders were covered to keep out the rain.  The wren settled for suet.  Then a mockingbird had to make sure the barkbutter balls really weren't reachable.  The bird glared at me before moving on to the suet.  A white throat found other options.  An orange crowned warbler also substituted suet for barkbutter.  A bluebird landed on the post to watch.  

Up in the wild cherry, a goldfinch showed off his summer outfit.  A brown headed nuthatch made repeated forays to the seeds, no matter who else was there.  A female bluebird was displaced by the mockingbird who was still hungry.  The cardinals were making kissy-beak.  House finches and chickadees hung out at the seed feeder too. 

The rain was mostly gentle but there was a frog-strangler around 4pm.  It knocked petals off the dogwood.  The gentler showers made bubbles in the birdbath.  By evening it appeared that the rain was diminishing.  

Mockingbird pair

The weather or something has messed with the meteorologists.  For today they predicted cloudy but the sun shone till mid afternoon.  Granted, the sky was hazy and the haze gradually thickened till finally it was overcast.  The male red belly came frequently to work on the remnant of suet.  A Carolina wren stepped in between woodpecker visits.  I had mixed mealworms with the barkbutter balls and a blue jay approved.  

I'm not so sure about the pair of mockingbirds because I only saw them take barkbutter balls.  A handful of white throats were still vacationing here.  Bluebirds seemed to be in a hurry.  A pine warbler was lured by the mealworms.  A myrtle warbler came late to the party, half dressed in its summer duds.  The wild cherry had flower buds.  

Sunshine

White throats cleaned the barkbutter dish.  The male red bellied woodpecker plugged away at the suet.  A pair of mockingbirds visited, one had suet, the other jelly.  A miserable-looking, molting myrtle warbler also had jelly.  The chipping sparrow was back and this time it got a turn at the seeds.  It also foraged on the patio.  A Carolina wren got a turn at the suet.  Bluebirds chose seeds.  A male cardinal investigated the jelly.  A dove joined the foraging team.  A blue jay and a bluebird checked out the pool puddles. 

The unfolding hickory leaves looked like green origami.  The oak leaves were fully formed but still looked tender.  

Another failed prediction

It was as cold as predicted, but the "all day sunshine, high UV," was a great disappointment.  We had gloomy gray skies until my meetings started mid afternoon.  The azaleas enjoyed the 1 1/2 inch of rain yesterday.  The ant moats were brim full.  But in the middle of the morning a male hummer arrived.  He tried the hummer feeder but it must have flooded, then the money flowers but didn't like them, then the red dish of grape jelly, oops, not what he expected, so he flew away.  But I got a photo!  

Bluebirds showed up along with a bedraggled myrtle warbler.  A Carolina wren was hungry for everything.  White throats had barkbutter balls then blue jays did too.  A white breasted nuthatch flew in for some seeds.  An orange crowned warbler was interested in the jelly the hummer spurned.  (I think the orioles must have departed.)  Once the clouds disappeared the temperature got up to 55°.  It was only 48° when I was weeding, windy too.

Rain, finally

Every surface was wet when I got up but little water had accumulated. A Carolina wren was disappointed that the barkbutter balls were still covered up.  A red belly and a downy visited the suet.  Chickadees and cardinals ate seeds while white throats picked up what fell.  The gray sky promised more rain.  After lunch, the rain did return, first as a gentle shower, then around 2:30pm a blinding downpour.  The rain continued into the night.

H O T

A crow poked around under the suet.  Its beak was open like it was panting.  Then a chipping sparrow landed on the seed feeder roof but it didn't have anything to eat.  A bluebird claimed the top of the post again before getting seeds.  A red belly landed on the post but didn't stay.   Blue jays got their barkbutter balls.  The female pileated learned a new trick and clung to the suet cage instead of the post.  White throats were tempted by the barkbutter balls. 

While I was weeding around the birdbath, a damselfly glided past me.  Of course I didn't have the camera, but I probably couldn't have got it if I did.  A black swallowtail danced around the plants before discovering the rue.  I thought I glimpsed a yellow swallowtail too, and I definitely saw cabbage whites.  Lots of big bees bumbled around and fed on the money plant.  A big mulch roach scuttled under the grill. 

The thermometer showed 91 after lunch but the SW wind was really strong so it didn't feel that hot.  The wind blew the tide down to full moon low even though we just passed the first quarter.  The heat rushed the bulbs and the daffodils were nearly all gone.  Hickory buds popped open.  The blue sky grew hazy, then cloudy, as the day went on.   I cooked hummer juice and put a feeder out.  That meant rearranging the hanging dishes but I was reluctant to give up on the jelly just yet.  Toward evening the temperature had dropped almost 30 degrees..