Ups and downs

Yesterday was sunny and unseasonably hot - the Weather Service said 80° which was not a record.  However the warmth did not result in much to see.  Chickadees visited the feeder.  Geese paddled by.  Flying insects caught the light but I could not tell what they were or get a picture.  Mint moths and yellow jackets and seed fluff flew around.  I thought I saw a butterfly but it might have been a leaf.  Overnight, the temperature dropped.  

Today was still sunny but about twenty degrees cooler with a Northeast wind.  A flock of birds zipped around the trees too fast for the camera, but at least one was a bluebird.  Brown headed nuthatches dodged chickadees on the feeder.  Earlier the chickadees had dodged house finches.  A kingfisher shot down the creek in a blur.  Then after sunset we had all manner of strange beings come knocking.  And tonight we sleep long.  

Wakefield reported that the precipitation for October was ab inch and a half compared to an average of nearly four inches. For the year, we are down a foot from an average of 42.8".  Blame El El Niño.