Black swallowtail

At lunchtime the swallowtail was checking flowers for nectar but I think most of them had already been visited.  The red belly came for suet and sparrows for barkbutter balls.  Fierce-looking clouds passed over but did nothing.  The day was hot and windy.  

Nuthatches

Lots of birds arrived at breakfast while my fingers were sticky.  I think one was a brown thrasher but I didn't see it again.  The first one that I caught on camera was a white breasted nuthatch.  White throats were everywhere, on the ground, on the feeders, in the pool puddle.  A myrtle warbler also looked for a drink there.  Bluebirds defaulted to seeds because starlings emptied the suet and barkbutter.  A titmouse investigated the empty dish feeder.  The male red belly ate seeds.  I put some mealworms out hoping the starlings would be less interested.  A crow didn't see anything worth its time.  

Azalea buds began to open as the day warmed up.   A pine warbler foraged for fallen food.  A chipping sparrow made a brief visit.  The mockingbird pair discussed the menu and decided on jelly.  Cardinals were courting.  A brown headed nuthatch tried to grab a seed.  When I put out more barkbutter balls, blue jays showed up immediately.  Bluebirds and white throats were right behind.  

March wind

A white throat started the day with barkbutter balls.  A blue jay was next, then a Carolina wren.  And then the voracious starlings showed up.  The wren moved over to the suet.  Chilly and gusty wind didn't discourage the starlings, alas.  Eight or ten of them attacked the suet, the barkbutter balls, and each other. White throats ate what fell.  Cardinals courted, doves foraged, and orioles ate jelly.  

Some of the white throats were a molting mess.  The pine warbler was back for more suet.  A downy ate seeds as did bluebirds.  A myrtle warbler also indulged in jelly.  The suet nearly disappeared during the day but a wren found a few bites.  Lots of money plant flowers opened so that's something for hungry nectar feeders.   

 

Downhill weather

Morning was very warm and my car was well dusted with pollen.  A Carolina wren carried off a barkbutter breakfast ball.  Clouds came in and dropped the temperature.  The red belly chose suet this time.  Unfortunately, so did starlings.  A female bluebird ate seeds.  By supper it was chilly and birds seemed frantic to pack in some calories.  But the light was too poor for photos.  Thus a brown thrasher got away without paying for its meal.  

Pairing up

It looked like the cardinals were getting in the mood to nest.  An egret flew upstream and I believe I also glimpsed a great blue heron.  A pine warbler ate suet.  The two doves returned.  I chased off the short haired yellow cat which was trying to hide behind an azalea.  Starlings bathed alongside a white throated sparrow.  The male red belly came for seeds, but still no sign of a female.  The day was sunny and warm though clouds thickened toward evening.  

Orioles

Three orioles showed up at breakfast. A female had barkbutter while the male went straight to the jelly.  Then another female shoved him off the jelly.  A mockingbird also enjoyed the jelly.  Blue jays, bluebirds, and a brown thrasher wanted the mix of barkbutter and mealworms that K had restocked. So, alas, did a half dozen starlings.  Bluebirds seemed flustered  by the battling starlings and mostly stuck to seeds.  All the sparrows appeared to be white throats.  At lunchtime a pelican flew upstream.  

 

Junco

I saw a male oriole eating jelly at breakfast, but I don't know if it wintered here or was just passing through.  I only got pictures of its rear, unfortunately.  A Carolina wren didn't find much in the glass dish.  A bluebird did better at the seed feeder.  A pine warbler came for suet.  A mockingbird helped itself to suet at lunch.   A myrtle warbler visited the jelly.  A brown headed nuthatch came for seeds.  White throated sparrows ate at feeders and under them.  

Later in the afternoon, a junco appeared.  Perhaps it was migrating North?  The feeder perch gave the bluebirds some trouble by twisting underfoot.  They looked like logrolling lumberjacks.  A blue jay drank from the pool puddle.  A starling tried to get some suet.  The mockingbird switched to jelly.  

 

End of the hear wave

A myrtle warbler breakfasted on barkbutter balls.  Then three starlings argued about who would eat first.  A white throat headed for the mulch to look for seeds.  A blue jay followed the starlings.  A different myrtle warbler tried the jelly.  One white throat appeared to be molting and looked a mess.  I saw an orange butterfly about the size of a cabbage white.

The sun was still bright at lunch.  Afterward I took the camera to the front yard.  Pollinators were busy around the jessamine but too fast for me to photograph.   The bumblebees buzz-pollinating the blueberries were a little slower.  Clouds rolled through and the wind made 70° feel a little chilly.  

I spotted some money plant flowers.   The birds stayed away while I was outside but showed up as soon as I came in.  Bluebirds and the red bellied woodpecker scarcely waited for the door to close.  A mockingbird came but by then the barkbutter dish was empty so it headed for the jelly.  I hadn't refilled the barkbutter balls because rain was predicted.  Around 4pm the sky darkened and the wind picked up and the temperature started dropping.  A rain shower passed through around 5:30pm but hardly wetted the birdbath.  A very red sunset glowed through the trees.  

Hot sun

The song sparrow came early to forage.   A myrtle warbler was disappointed that the glass dish was empty.  A bluebird found seeds in the feeder.  A white throat wandered the patio.  A brown thrasher hoped for barkbutter but the dish was still empty.  I did refill it after breakfast.  A downy ate seeds in lieu of suet since that was empty too.  

It was at least 85° this afternoon, and sunny.  Paper wasps were flying, along with a cabbage white.  The squirrel with the light spot on its back came close and sniffed my toes.  I guess I passed inspection.  A brown thrasher watched from the maple.  Bluebirds and blue jays were skittish but wanted barkbutter balls.  Lots of sparrows scurried around.  A mixed group of white throats and house finches drank from the pool puddle.

The oaks were in full bloom, mating with the wind.  A squirrel was feeding on the pollen.  The volunteer domestic cherry had flowers though the wild cherry was leafing out before blooming.  

Warmer

A blue jay demanded breakfast.  The song sparrow hunted for its own meal.  A starling arrived after the dish was empty.  A white throat posed flaunting its field marks.  A downy worked to extract the last morsels of suet, but dropped some.  The sunshine felt warm but the breeze did not. 

The temperature sneaked above 70° at lunch before dropping back to the upper 60s.  While I only saw a bumblebee, I expect the birds found more insects to eat.  The regulars visited the feeders but didn't seem especially hungry. The male pileated wanted some suet but little remained.  Annoyingly, a brown thrasher on the barkbutter dish kept its back to me.  A pair of doves perched in the oak.  Bluebirds ate seeds.  They like something in the mix I bought from WBU.  A crow hoped to find something tasty.  

Vernal Equinox

Today the bluebirds and the red bellied woodpecker arrived early.  White throated sparrows soon followed.  Blue jays flitted through the trees.  Carolina wrens shared the barkbutter balls.  The song sparrow got up a bit late.  So did a myrtle warbler.  I didn't get any more photos after breakfast.  Morning was sunny but by evening the sky was clouded.    

Spring arrived as this was the equinox, although there were twelve hours and eight minutes between sunrise and sunset according to NWS Wakefield.  (Sunrise at 7:09am, sunset at 7:17pm.)  I do not understand.  I attended online the Reed Environmental Writing Award presentation which was exceptional.  I signed up in order to hear the keynote by Christian Cooper who was very moving, but the two award recipients were also very good.  

Sweetbeaks

I was away for meetings, morning and afternoon, in the windy, chilly sunshine.  At breakfast the male red belly ate seeds while the downy had suet.  Blue jays focused on barkbutter balls.  A brown thrasher also visited the glass dish of  barkbutter balls.  The song sparrow stayed busy under the feeders.  White throats were up and down, to the feeders then foraging under them.  

At lunch time a mockingbird headed for the grape jelly dish.  I started offering grape jelly the first time I saw an oriole, but now warblers snack on it and even the mockingbird has discovered its sweetbeak.  A Carolina wren perched on the chair by the window.  Bluebirds ate seeds.  Doves foraged and flirted on the ground.  A crow had something way up on a tree limb.  

Chilly

Today looked lovely but it was cold to the touch.  I had meetings morning, afternoon, and evening so I only saw birds at mealtimes.  K kept them fat and happy with mealworms and barkbutter balls.  A white throat sat on a chair arm until we got the point.  The red belly male just worked on seeds.  A white breasted nuthatch stopped me as I came in the door.  Bluebirds showed up at lunch.  A male downy ate seeds just like the red belly.  A starling wasted barkbutter balls.  

In the afternoon, a mockingbird couple checked out the menu.  Trying to get them both in the frame, I got overexposed blurs.  One monopolized the suet and the other seemed agitated.  Later The male pileated landed so it was a three woodpecker day, all males.  

Green day

The storm went with the night and morning was full of sunshine and birds.  The temperature had dropped to 40, but not to the predicted freeze.  Sparrows foraged with a couple of doves.  A Carolina wren ate barkbutter while a myrtle warbler waited.  A female bluebird chose seeds but a blue jay stayed with barkbutter balls.  Then the bluebirds wanted barkbutter balls too.  

The male pileated came for lunch.  I hope he takes some back to the female.  Then a starling found the barkbutter balls almost gone.  So it tried the suet the pileated was eating.  The woodpecker didn't seem bothered but the starling was taken aback, literally.  

Brown thrasher

Surfaces were wet and the sky overcast, though the sun occasionally found a tear in the clouds.  I glimpsed a bufflehead on the creek.  Because of the predicted storm, K left the dish feeders covered.  That didn't bother the seed eaters, though the white throats missed their barkbutter snacks. The song sparrow foraged on the ground with a squirrel and bluebirds ate seeds at the feeder trough.  But a brown thrasher was left with nothing but the suet.  It gamely tackled the suet block but was almost too big to get both feet and beak on the cage.  

At noon the air was quite warm and surfaces had dried so I scattered some barkbutter balls on the ground under the dish.  A crow and some sparrows were happy to find them.  Bluebirds lunched on seeds.  Several white throats took a bath on the pool cover.  Rain began shortly after 1pm.  The wind was gusty but not fierce.  The rain trailed off after an hour then returned after another hour.  It was off again at supper time.  We got no hail and no strong winds, just a good soaking.

The Ides but no murders

It was a typical March day with the usual birds.  Bluebirds showed up first.  A dove drank from the pool puddle.  A Carolina wren dug into the barkbutter balls.  A myrtle warbler was next.  The yellow long haired cat hung around bothering the birds.  Blue jays wanted their barkbutter balls.  The myrtle warbler cleaned up what fell.  The song sparrow looked for fallen suet crumbs.  Both Carolina wrens returned for second helpings.  A couple of chickadees shared the seed feeder.  

At lunch time a white throated sparrow tried to bully a warbler off the glass dish but the warbler held on.  The sparrow flew to the seed feeder instead.  A blue jay got a drink from the pool puddle.  A starling came for lunch.  Two doves foraged together.  One acted horny but the other didn't catch on.  Some violets bloomed.  A crow poked through the mulch.  

 

Warmer

We began with sunshine and somewhat warmer temperatures.  Bluebirds came for breakfast.  Carolina wrens shared barkbutter balls.  White throats wanted them too.  We were gone for the middle of the day but the bluebirds were still there when we got back.  A male downy came for suet.  Blue jays snatched barkbutter balls.  Clouds thickened during the afternoon. 

Steaming creek

I think the water was warmer than the air at sunrise.  My breath smoked too, when I went out with bird food.  A Carolina wren tackled the suet.  A myrtle warbler sat on the seed feeder perch but ignored the seeds.  It doesn't really have the right kind of beak for seeds.  On the ground beneath, a song sparrow hunted fallen seeds.  The song sparrow didn't get along with the white throats.  A pine warbler showed up, the first in some time.  But the myrtle warbler got to the barkbutter balls.  Dogwood buds popped open.  

The male red bellied woodpecker peeked around the post and chose seeds.   Blue jays were faithful to the barkbutter balls.  Bluebirds wanted them too but were willing to eat seeds.  The male oriole was still here, polishing off some jelly.  A white throated sparrow took a turn with the barkbutter balls.  A starling wanted suet.  Then a brown thrasher argued with starlings over the barkbutter balls and mealworms.  Sunshine spangled the starlings.  

March weather

From 72° at breakfast we dropped to 38° at supper, accompanied by rain and wind.  At first, the day was not unpleasant.  The song sparrow started foraging early.  A white throat went to the seed source.  A myrtle warbler contemplated mealworms while a Carolina wren preferred suet.  Bluebirds chose seeds.  I was pleased to discover that the orioles hadn't deserted yet.  A female ate suet.  

Later, the wren glared at a downy on the suet.  Then a red belly took over the suet.  The wind and rain did not deter the song sparrow from foraging. Bluebirds were still hungry.  Then a male oriole showed up, but we'd covered the dish to keep the rain out.  The poor bird was very frustrated.  I think he could see the food inside the glass dish.  The myrtle warbler did its best to hover beside the suet.  The rain slacked off in the late afternoon and the sky began to clear around sunset.  

 

85°

Sunshine lit up the creek.  Today the birds were lively.  White throats and maybe more than one song sparrow foraged.  A brown thrasher visited early. The warmth was stimulating leafing out on many of the trees.  Hyacinths sent up blooms and the first dogwood buds opened.  Oak flowers began to grow.  

A white throat ate mealworms but I don't think it liked them very much.  A bluebird tossed them out of the dish.  A myrtle warbler scampered around looking for fallen food.  In the late afternoon I tried to seduce a squirrel with peanut fragments.   Meanwhile a downy fussed because it wanted suet and thought I was too close.  A mockingbird found the mealworms in the glass dish.  A wasp discovered the jelly.  Two cedar waxwings landed in the oak!  The day's high temperature set another record.  

HOT!

The song sparrow was up early to hunt elusive seeds in the mulch.   A white throat ate breakfast out of the glass dish.  K moved the peppers outside and already a couple started to ripen.  I tried to get a picture of the insects pollinating the jessamine, but they had too much solar energy.  Buds were opening on the blueberries.  

Bluebirds came for lunch.  A myrtle warbler snacked on suet then found a barkbutter ball.  A Carolina wren also dined on barkbutter balls.  The warbler moved over to the jelly dish.  I brewed tea in the sun.  The temperature rose over 80°!  I saw a cabbage white and a small orange butterfly, many bees, and a wasp flying.  NWS Wakefield said it was 83 and broke the record for March 10°.

Still warm

Thick fog cloaked the trees in the morning.  The yellow cat sheltered under a too small plastic table.  A mockingbird protested that we hadn't uncovered the glass dish of barkbutter balls or the jelly.  Well, it was wet from the fog.  A red belly ate seeds.  A white throat was disappointed that it had to forage but a song sparrow preferred to find its own food.  A Carolina wren just looked for the feeders that were open.  

The fog finally cleared by lunchtime (which was earlier than last week because we are saving daylight).  While I was outside a big carpenter bee buzzed around.  A myrtle warbler noticed that the barkbutter balls were now available.  But so did the blue jays and bluebirds.  I spotted the brown thrasher foraging under the oak.  A sparrow took a bath in the pool puddle.  

 

Overcast

Occasional sunshine and more frequent wind gusts punctuated a mostly overcast day.  I saw 78° on the thermometer again.  The pileated woodpeckers made repeated visits to the suet.  White throats polished off some barkbutter but there was plenty for a pale pine warbler.  

Daffodils were in full bloom, not just the dwarf clumps.  Other bulbs were sending up leaves.   A pelican flew upstream past the silent dredge equipment.  I noticed that the Argiope egg sack looked deflated so perhaps the spiderlings took advantage of the warm wind to spread out.  

The male red bellied woodpecker returned but spooked before he got any suet.  Then the female pileated showed up, so maybe that's why he left.  A cormorant paddled past the dredge barge.  Others flew to their roost under heavy clouds.  

 

Fog

Yesterday evening's mist was thick fog by this morning.  A starling showed up early.  A myrtle warbler lurked at the edge of visibility.  White throats foraged in wet mulch and a song sparrow got up on a dead vine for a better view.  A Carolina wren ate barkbutter scraps.  A goldfinch just observed.  Bluebirds were around in the fog but I only got photos once the sun had cleared the vapors away.  I heard a pileated woodpecker calling and saw it land but I was in another room.

 

Spa time

Morning was sunny.  The male pileated was an early visitor.   To my surprise, a mockingbird partook of the jelly.  Bluebirds and Carolina wrens wanted barkbutter balls.  Later, so did a myrtle warbler, then a blue jay, then a white throat.  Meanwhile other sparrows took advantage of the warmth for a bath.  One was a song sparrow.  

A starling looked beautiful in the sunlight, even if it was eating way too much.  The sky was hazy and clouds came and went.  Cardinals also wanted a bath.  A brown headed nuthatch just wanted seeds.  The female pileated got a turn at the suet.  A dove searched through the mulch.  In the afternoon, the temperature dropped and the sky got gray, then misty.  

 

Even warmer

The early bird was a myrtle warbler.  I was glad to see the song sparrow foraging.  A Carolina wren went straight to the barkbutter balls.  Two starlings picked through the barkbutter balls.  Bluebirds followed them.  Then a white throat ate some.  The dredgers brought in a two-story work boat for some reason I couldn't figure out. The sky was hazy but sunny and the temperature reached 78°.  The pileated swooped in for some suet.  A brown headed nuthatch slipped away before I had the camera ready.  

 

Very warm

A mockingbird breakfasted on barkbutter and mealworms.  A white throat was next.  The song sparrow stayed on the ground.  Then a brown thrasher took over the glass dish.  A crow stalked around the patio.  I saw 73° on the outdoor thermometer so I went out to make some vitamin D.  Dwarf daffodil clumps were blooming.  A myrtle warbler kept an eye on me.  A squirrel got a drink from the ant moat.  A Carolina wren had some barkbutter.  

 

Damp

Damp morning air grayed out the distances.  A couple of mourning doves poked through the mulch under the seed feeder.  Both song and white throats foraged alongside them.  A female bluebird tried to find something to eat in the glass dish.  After I took more food out, the male appeared too.  A white throat and a Carolina wren were tempted by the fast food, but not the song sparrow.  It did get up on the dead moonflower vine, but no closer.  

There was a brief sprinkle around mid day, right after I had refilled the glass dish.  The birds gobbled the barkbutter and mealworms fast enough that I doubt the food got wet.  Starlings, blue jays, and a mockingbird argued about it.  A myrtle warbler waited till the bigger birds left.   The male red belly visited the seed feeder.  A female junco wandered around the steps.  

 

Gray

A little sun, a short sprinkle, but mainly the day was overcast, and the wind more gusty like March.  A Carolina wren dug into the barkbutter balls.  Then a white throat seized a big one.  A pine warbler took a turn at the dish.  Then a starling grabbed some and scooted.  Meanwhile, a female and a male oriole ate jelly.  K hung another block of suet.  A male downy erected his tiny red crest as he ate the fresh suet.  

The song sparrow scampered around the steps.  A crow walked around but apparently did not find what it sought.  It stomped through the pool puddle for no reason that I could see.  A female bluebird pecked at the seeds while a male watched.  Buzzards soared in the gray sky.  A white breasted nuthatch visited the seeds.  I saw but didn't get a picture of the red belly.  The downy also had some seeds to vary his diet.  

Lamb-like weather

A little googling suggested that the proverb owed as much to constellations in the zodiac as to weather prediction.  However that may be, the month began with soft, warm air under a sunny sky.  Bluebirds made the feeder rounds.  White throats did too, and also foraged on the ground.  The song sparrow stayed on the ground.  A myrtle warbler wanted what was in the dish.  Another white throat took a bath in the pool puddle while a dove walked around the edge.  Starlings made repeated forays but spooked easily.  Blue jays were wary but got their share of barkbutter balls.  So did a white breasted nuthatch.  I saw a brown headed nuthatch but it was too quick.  A crow investigated.  

I refilled the glass dish.  A mockingbird must have been watching.  A couple of bufflehead drakes dived and a couple of pelicans flew over the creek.  A Carolina wren finally arrived.  Then a brown thrasher showed up.  Baltimore orioles visited.  Three female brown headed cowbirds picked over the mulch.  I think they wanted the stale popcorn.  More daffodils bloomed.  The temperature cooled as the day went on, there were some wind gusts, and clouds moved in.