Catbird

At breakfast, a catbird found the beautyberries and had a feast.  The creek was glassy and full of color in the bright sunlight.  At lunch, some guys K hired cut down two dogwood trees because they had some dead limbs.  My heart hurts.  Flotillas of geese passed by on the creek at supper.  A fat or pregnant gray cat sauntered through the backyard at supper.  

Hot sun

Thinking that the sun would be less intense this close to the equinox, I didn't wait for shade.  The larger bullfrog awaited me in the skimmer.  It acted lethargic but eventually it hopped off my palm and into the water.  I didn't see it again.   A skink rafted on a sinking leaf and I assisted it onto a rescue stick so it could have the satisfaction of saving itself.  A field cricket was also rafting so I set its leaf raft on the concrete.  I also fished out a couple of black ground beetles and a mint moth.  Something tickled my back and after brushing it off  my skin, I saw it was a very tiny spider.  The long-haired yellow cat sneaked past while I was swimming and I yelled at it.  An egret flew behind the trees and something that might have been a kite soared in the hazy blue sky.  The seed eaters were all I saw at the feeders.  Squirrels were busy up in the trees.  The only photos I got were plants.  

Butterflies

A black swallowtail landed on the Solomon's seal, but didn't give me quite enough time for a photo.  The usual cabbage white made the rounds.  What I thought was a painted lady landed on the nandina in an awkward spot I couldn't get in focus.  It turned out to be a red spotted purple.  Rain lilies bloomed at the foot of the dry creek.  The false indigo bloomed too.  

The brown thrasher pair and a mockingbird were lured back for barkbutter balls.  So was a titmouse.  The sky was a beautiful blue but the wind was strong.  The yellow cat prowled alongside the water, then darted after something in the azalea bush.  

A pair of mallards found the pool.  I yelled at them but when K shook the pool net at them they left.  Meanwhile, a crow landed, hopped down to the top step and had a drink not ten feed from me.  Clearly those birds do not see me as much of a threat.  A buzzard soared over the house.  

Catbird!

The catbird chowed down on the aged, desiccated grape jelly.  I had no idea that jelly would interest a catbird.  Then an actual cat sauntered past.  It was the yellow long hair.  After it was gone, a mockingbird fed from the dish of barkbutter & mealworms.  A blue jay, and the male red belly stuck to the barkbutter mealworm mix.  Later the catbird returned and tossed mealworms everywhere.  A squirrel thought about raiding the dish but decided to go elsewhere.  Bluebirds showed up at mid day.  

Something sat in the top of the hackberry and preened.  It turned out to be a freshly bathed blue jay which really fooled me.  Lots of butterflies came out even though it wasn't quite 70°.  I saw a tiger swallowtail, a silver spotted skipper, and some I couldn't identify.  A downy rejoiced in a fresh suet block.  

Insect season

The heatwave persisted and again the temperature was well into the 80s.  We ate outdoors and afterward I saw bees, wasps, butterflies, and an uncooperative dragonfly.  The butterflies were a cabbage white and a tiger swallowtail.  I couldn't identify the dragonfly.  I heard blue jays bud didn't see them.  The long haired yellow cat tried to catch a squirrel.  The squirrel was outraged and I hope I embarrassed the cat.  Azalea buds began opening.  

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.  

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.  

 

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.  

 

Waterfowl

A wren dug into the seeds for breakfast.  So did a downy. I saw a goldfinch, but it got away.   A brown headed nuthatch also collected seeds.  K put our a fresh block of suet and the warblers found it.  The clouds lifted as time passed. At high tide, I spotted the orange cat perched on a stump at the water's edge.  

Pelicans fished along our stretch of the creek.  A variety of gulls fished too - herring, ring bill, and black back.  The sight of a great black back gull with a fish attracted a young pelican still in brown plumage.  A great egret flew upstream.  A cormorant photo-bombed a picture of a gull.  I saw another red breasted merganser.  A great blue heron stood watch below the dam. A mallard pair paddled across the water.  A female bufflehead dived.  

Sunny but not warm

The sun was back today after 2/3 of an inch of rain yesterday.  The creek work continued.  I saw a pelican and a great blue heron in flight but not when I could get a picture.  A Carolina wren was glad the barkbutter balls were available again, but they disappeared fast.  A shorter-haired yellow cat watched the birds for a moment.  I had an early meeting, then more meetings.  

Bluebirds came for lunch.  Pine warblers joined them.  Brown headed nuthatches plundered the seeds.  A white throat cleaned up the barkbutter dish and a titmouse hunted crumbs.  A myrtle warbler was sad over the empty dish.  Then a brown headed cowbird pair came to see what was on offer but left disappointed.  And I left for yet another meeting.  

 

Predators

The sun was back but a skin of ice floated on the creek at breakfast.  As usual, the chill made birds hungry.  A Carolina wren started with suet where it was joined by an orange crowned warbler.  Meanwhile, blue jays cleaned out the barkbutter balls.  The orange cat wandered through but didn't come close.  A goldfinch was tempted by the suet but didn't succumb.  The red belly returned.  A myrtle warbler scurried around the patio and finally got a chance at the empty dish.  The wren was disappointed too and glared at me.  Even a cardinal, a bluebird, and warbler had to see for themselves that it was empty.  

White throats stayed on terra firma.  A great blue heron landed in the pines.  Pretty soon another came along and chased it off.   A goldfinch tried mountain mint seeds.  A second Carolina wren joined the first.  I refilled the dish, this time with mealworms.  At lunch, we saw another Cooper's hawk.  It was sitting on the fence so I had a much better view, but of its back.   

Once the hawk flew, hungry songbirds returned starting with pine warblers.  Bluebirds followed.  Brown headed nuthatches went after sunflower seeds.  The female oriole was attracted by the mealworms.  A myrtle warbler looked into grape jelly.  One yellow rumped warbler had some yellow on its throat like it might be a mix of myrtle and Audubon varieties.  The red belly came back but he also went prospecting up the trunk of a dogwood.  

Bufflehead drakes bobbed up and dived in the creek after the ice was gone.  I think there were three of them.  They kept it up as the sun went down.  

 

More birds

The prediction was for low clouds, fog, and general gloom but that was gone by 9am.  It was cold but not windy, good bird watching weather.  The new cat ambled across the patio early, but I didn't see any other predators.  Pine warblers were particularly interested in the dish of mealworms.  Bluebirds made the rounds of feeders.  Blue jays would really rather have had barkbutter balls.  The orange crowned warbler went straight to the jelly.  

Fuzzy clouds blew past and out to sea.  A Carolina wren picked through the dish but didn't seem pleased.  Pine warblers tried to get past bluebirds to the mealworms.  A titmouse clung to the brick wall, seeming interested in a cavity in the grout.  I thought I saw a butterbutt but couldn't be sure.  A white throat foraged under the seed feeder.  Juncos were also hard to catch on camera.  The two female orioles showed up for mealworms.  A pair of house finches kissed beaks.  

A flicker landed up in the wild cherry.  Then a male red bellied woodpecker chased a downy away from the suet.  He had a noticeably red belly.  

 

Chilly

The prediction was for a sunny day but the sky took its sweet time clearing.  The gray sky at breakfast lacked wildlife even though I restocked the dishes.  At lunch a brown headed nuthatch bullied chickadees.  Then a cardinal took over the seed feeder.  The temperature was in the low 40s but there wasn't much wind and the creek was flat.  A squirrel leaped the tree gap.  

Later the black cat walked across the lower patio.  I went outside to see if I could see the round moon, but vegetation was in the way.  Three egrets flew over, one at a time, headed North.  Many cormorants flew every which way as the shadows got long.  

 

Fishing

The sun shone, but a cold wind kept me inside.  Small clouds drifted across the blue sky.  I glimpsed the first bufflehead of the Fall migration.  Unfortunately it was just passing behind a tree and it didn't reappear.  The feeders were busy.  Cardinals, chickadees, and titmice wanted seeds.  A pine warbler ate barkbutter balls and an orange crowned warbler ate jelly.  Then a female oriole had some jelly and a drink.  

A female kingfisher rested on the back of the dock bench.   A different yellow cat showed up on the patio.  It wasn't as long-haired as the other.  In the late afternoon, a fishing frenzy began with cormorants, gulls, and great egrets.  One great blue heron and a couple of crows followed the action.  I counted a couple dozen egrets resting in the pines after fishing.  Oddly, I didn't see any fishing ducks  

More birds

While the sun was still bright, today was cooler than yesterday.  That might be why more birds visited in the morning.  Titmice competed with the house finches.  The long-haired yellow cat watched the feeder which agitated the birds but they refused to leave.  Earlier, the black cat walked past without stopping.  A blue jay flew across my field of view but didn't come close.  Brown headed nuthatches bullied the chickadees.  A downy woodpecker stayed in the trees.  Then a Carolina wren poked through the seeds and the barkbutter balls.  The last bird I saw was a female oriole with a barkbutter ball.  

Storm coming

There was sunshine early but it grew progressively weak and watery and by evening the cloud cover was thick.  The yellow long-haired cat prowled around the far side of the pool.  The temperature was too low to swim so I tried to skim leaves with a pole, not very successfully.  The orchard spider caught some fuzz from the saltbush.  Mallards were having a good time out on the creek.  Tropical storms were predicted for the next few days.  

Sunny

I got excited by the sunshine but the gusty Northeast wind held the temperature down and discouraged me.  The tide ran very high considering that the moon was neither new nor full.  The only wildlife was the feral black cat, some mallards, and a cardinal pair.  The moonflower vine continued to bloom.  Sunset turned the sky gold.  There must have been some thin mist to catch the light.  

Summery

It was a warm, beautiful day!  The dawn creek mirrored the sunlit bank.  First the yellow cat and then the black cat stared into the shrubbery.  A brown thrasher visited at breakfast.  I know it's anthropomorphism, but brown thrashers always look outraged to me.  This one didn't like what was left of the suet.  A brown headed nuthatch had to wait for a titmouse to hammer its seed.  A Carolina wren sampled the barkbutter balls.  

A great blue heron perched on the dock.  The water was still very fresca, but I rescued two young skinks.  A red spotted purple flitted around and even drank where I'd dripped pool water while taking skink pics.  Earlier, a tiger swallowtail flew among the trees.  The five monarch caterpillars wreaked devastation on the butterfly milkweed.  I hope they pupate soon!  The one black swallowtail caterpillar probably had enough rue left to finish that life stage.  The chrysalis was unchanged.  I still could only find one yellow garden spider.  

 

Skinks

The temperature was still cool but by tomorrow it is predicted to warm up.  A hummer arrived before its feeder was ready.   Again the yellow cat hunted in exactly the same spot as yesterday, apparently fascinated by something on the ground.  I yelled at it.  A tiny skink ran across the patio before I could get a picture.  That was about it for the morning, but when I went out to swim things livened up.  An adult skink that should have known better was floating near the steps.  It wasn't moving and I was worried, but soon it began to paw at the pool wall.  I eased it out and noticed it was very thick in the middle like it might be pregnant.  (Is that the right term for an egg layer?)  

Not too long after, I found a young blue-tailed skink paddling in the deep end. I carried it back to the steps for a posing session.  When I looked later, the silly thing had its nose over the edge peering down at the water.  So I beeped its nose.  It took the hint.

Meanwhile, a cicada killer wasp had also fallen into the water and all my rescue sticks were missing.  I found a dead twig and carefully lifted it out.  As often happens, it didn't want to let go of the twig for a while.  Eventually, it got over the trauma and flew away.  I also rescued a ladybug and some scarabs.  The sky was a deep, clear blue and the sun was hot to balance the chilly breeze.  

I could only find one Argiope, the one behind the bench.  When I checked the rue, the chrysalis was fine.  I noticed a first instar caterpillar, a middle size caterpillar that might have just molted, and only a couple of the big ones.  But I didn't see any more chrysalises.  On the butterfly milkweed, I located the same caterpillars as yesterday.  

Yet another skink hustled across the patio and the steps.  Its tail was so blue it was ultraviolet.  At supper, a punk-looking blue jay wanted barkbutter balls.  A couple of titmice argued over the menu.  The usual species kept the seed feeder busy.  

Windy

The wind from the Northeast continued to push clouds through and keep the air unseasonably cool.  The yellow cat prowled along the far side of the pool.  All the monarch caterpillars were stuffing themselves and I saw a very small, new addition to the throng.  More millipedes were in the water.  From what I read, that may be a sign that the mulch has dried out.  The water was chilly too.  I found the third Argiope, back between the azalea and the nandina.