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.  

Very warm

The day was overcast and windy but the temperature rose into the upper 60s.  That often means that birds have other food besides the feeders.  At breakfast, a pileated woodpecker came to finish off the suet.  A blue jay checked on the barkbutter balls. At lunch, a flurry of birds arrived, including a perky chipping sparrow.  A male oriole found the jelly.  I also saw a Carolina wren, bluebirds, warblers, and a mockingbird.  Then something spooked them and I saw no more birds.  

 

Clearing

The creek was quiet but the colors were dull.  It took a long time for the patio to dry because of the humidity.  Around lunchtime we had some sunny moments.  What I think was a young chipping sparrow tried to get lunch but the house finches were too greedy.   Then it gave a side-eye to a garden spider.  A Carolina wren was more successful with the barkbutter balls.  The cardinal was beginning to grow a new tail.  

A monarch butterfly perched on a dogwood, probably because there was so little left of the milkweed.  As I left for a meeting, I spotted two large parasol toadstools at the foot of the drive.  I was busy till evening but did see the cloudless Western sky turn beautiful colors after sunset.  

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.  

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.. 

Gale

In the morning, the National Weather Service measured "Wind Speed S 36 G 46mph" with light rain.  The creek was empty of birds but a few made it to the feeders.  I saw a chickadee, two white throats, a pine and a myrtle warbler, a wren, two bluebirds, a downy, a blue jay, a mockingbird, two orioles, and a cardinal.  A squirrel seemed to wonder why I wasn't counting it. 

Before noon the rain strengthened, but then slacked off as we ate lunch.  The thermometer read 67° and the wind was, if anything, stronger.  But the birds were hungry.  I counted two bluebirds, two house finches, a junco, a blue jay, a white throat, a downy, a mockingbird, a red belly, two cardinals, a chickadee, an oriole, a wren, a starling, and the pileated pair.  

Around 4pm the wind started tearing up the clouds.  The shreds blew East as did the water in the creek.  No waterfowl appeared interested in the low water level.  Some bluebirds, a warbler, and a chipping sparrow were visible in the trees.  Lured out by the warm air, an ant and a midge walked on the window.  The setting sun lit up the fleeing clouds.  A pelican began passes over the creek but the light was failing.  Cormorants commuted home despite the wind. 

Icy

The creek was thinly iced and the thermometer read 31° at breakfast.  The male pileated was an early riser, wanting suet.  A mockingbird showed up next and complained about the empty barkbutter dish.  Then the female oriole headed to the jelly dish for some quick calories.  A couple of goldfinches tried to get a drink but I think the ant moat had frozen.  

White throats picked through the mulch.  After the woodpecker left a pine warbler worked on the suet.  When another bird investigated the jelly, the oriole came shooting in to take possession.  Bluebirds ate seeds.  A chipping sparrow came back and ate seeds.  The red bellied woodpecker did too.  A blue jay peered into the dish but found no barkbutter.  Three doves foraged in the mulch.  A butterbutt ate suet.  

A starling came for lunch, maybe because I finally refilled the barkbutter balls.  Buffleheads widened the open water where the current flowed under the bulkhead.  Blue jays queued up in a stream for the barkbutter balls.  A white breasted nuthatch ate seeds and bluebirds returned for more.  

Wintry

I saw no ice but the temperature was below freezing when I got up and I never saw it get higher than 35°.  There was a lot more cloud cover than predicted.  The cold made the songbirds very hungry so I took too many photos.  A pine warbler and a Carolina wren argued over the barkbutter crumbs.  Then a bluebird took over but the warbler didn't give up.  A chipping sparrow looked at the barkbutter balls and a second chipping sparrow appeared to dispute possession.  A pine warbler evicted them.  

Meanwhile, a downy was contending with warblers on the suet.  A white breasted nuthatch preferred seeds.  Blue jays grabbed the last of the barkbutter bits.  A titmouse had a little of everything.  The female red bellied woodpecker chose seeds over suet.  A mockingbird also scrounged barkbutter crumbs.  Three pine warblers all wanted suet so the downy ate seeds.  Of course there were white throated sparrows, chickadees, house finches, and cardinals.  

I didn't see activity on the creek, unlike the busy feeders.  At lunch, the poor downy was still afflicted with warblers. The female oriole finally showed up.  Three bluebirds tried barkbutter crumbs and weighed down the seed perch.  A brown headed nuthatch got some seeds and a drink.  Then at least two myrtle warblers arrived.  I wondered if they were new migrants as there hadn't been any for weeks.  The wind blew feathers awry.  A mockingbird came to the window.  

I stopped then because I was afraid I'd taken more pictures than I could deal with.  

Birds in the mist

The cool, misty air and gray light seemed to encourage birds.  White throats scurried around the mulch.  Pine warblers seemed famished.  They were joined by an orange crowned warbler.  A couple of male bluebirds wanted seeds.  A little flock hopped around in the trees but the light was too poor to identify them.  At least one was a robin but another might have been a house finch.  The female red bellied woodpecker took over the seed feeder.  

Muted colors were reflected by the flat creek surface.  Mallards slept on the water. A chipping sparrow joined the white throats.  A flicker explored a branch stump on one of the dogwoods. The male pileated was back for suet.  A mockingbird poked through the crumbs in the barkbutter dish.  A Carolina wren poked at the mulch.  A brown headed nuthatch tried to get past bigger birds to the seeds.  Even a goldfinch dropped by.  

Sunny, chilly, & birdy

The temperature dropped after yesterday's rain.  The sun returned and cast beautiful reflections on the creek.  Either the chill or waiting out the rain made the songbirds very hungry.  It also brought out the yellow cat but I didn't see him didn't catch anything.  The mockingbird was first.  Then a Carolina wren made the rounds. A male bluebird checked out the menu.  A pine warbler focused on the barkbutter porridge, then the suet.  The white throats were rather late arrivals.  

A couple of goldfinches investigated the foods they're not supposed to eat.  At least four hoodies paddled downstream.  Something rustled around in the beautyberry bush but I couldn't see what.  A blue jay sorted through fallen leaves and took what it found up in the dogwood to hammer.  And that was breakfast!  

At lunchtime, many of them were back.  A starling showed up and ate barkbutter crumbs.  A chipping sparrow hopped about the patio and then took a bath.  Why didn't it just stand out in the rain yesterday instead of waiting till the temperature dropped twenty degrees?  Nuthatches finally appeared, brown headed, then white breasted.  A female oriole I assume was the same as I saw before came for a drink.  And then they all went away. 

Cold wind

A flock of Canada geese paddled in the dawn-gilded creek.   White throated sparrows kicked mulch under the seed feeder.  The mockingbird returned to the ant moat and the birdbath.  A Carolina wren poked through the seeds.  Both red and yellow roses had buds but the cold air should slow down their unfolding. 

I saw a kingfisher on the dock but my hands were full of tea and, by the time I traded that for the camera, it was gone.  After I refilled the barkbutter dish, two blue jays got into a fight.  They finally, warily agreed to take turns.  At least three bluebirds visited.  A warbler eating barkbutter balls was backlighted but I think it was a pine warbler.  The white breasted nuthatch(es?) found it difficult to get time on the seed feeder.  A chipping sparrow joined a finch on the seed feeder.  

Rain at last

The chrysalis I had accidentally pruned eclosed today.  So did another in the mountain mint.  I found tiny ants carting off fragments of what I hope was a third and not either of the two I watched.  Maybe I pruned another and didn't notice?  I was sad the butterfly didn't make it but intrigued that the ants carved up even the wings to carry off. 

The chipping sparrow came back.  It was definitely a juvenile.  (Unless it was a song sparrow that was missing its chest spot?)  A great blue heron flew up into a pine behind the oak and hackberry.  I couldn't see it there but I could hear it grumbling.  Nuthatches visited the feeder and mckingbirds came for a drink, but I didn't see many birds beside the sparrow.  Of course, I didn't put out any barkbutter balls because I expected rain. 

Clouds gathered and dissipated and the temperature reached 90°.   I swam in the morning fearing an afternoon thunderstorm.  There were two frogs to entertain me.  And I extracted that stupid caterpillar from the skimmer again.  I didn't wait around to see if it revived again.  I also fished out a honeybee. 

A tiger, two black and, I think, a palamedes swallowtail all flew past.  So did a cloudless sulphur and a sleepy orange and some smaller lepidoptera I couldn't identify except for a fiery skipper.  The overexposed and blurred photo I got of the Palamedes might have been a giant swallowtail.  No dragonflies, however, and only a few wasps and the Argiope were around as predators.  

After 6pm the light got very low.  Finally rain fell for about half an hour.  Then the sky lightened and the rain slackened but didn't stop. 

Chipping sparrow

Brown headed nuthatches were waiting for breakfast.  A molting Carolina wren was next.  Goldfinches were thirsty and hungry.  Mockingbirds and blue jays went for barkbutter balls but then a brown thrasher took over.  The mockingbird got a drink instead.  Hummers got their own drink.  Late in the afternoon, a white breasted nuthatch visited among house finches and a brown headed cousin.  A downy woodpecker arrived around the same time. 

After checking with All About Birds, I think the chipping sparrow might have been a juvenile bird.  In fact, I may have been seeing two birds, a juvenile and a molting adult.  The one without streaks visited the feeder while the streaky one foraged underneath.  I got curious and learned that Chipping in a place name means market.  There was no indication whether that applied to the sparrow.  Perhaps it originated as "cheeping" instead?  

There were two frogs in the pool and a black swallowtail caterpillar in the skimmer.  I put the caterpillar in the sun to see if it would revive and it did.  Thinking that it had left the rue to look for a place to pupate, I put it in the mountain mint but it was not happy and crawled away.  A red wasp was buzzing around the mountain mint so maybe it was wary.  I saw a black and a tiger swallowtail, a cloudless sulphur, a red spotted purple, and some small fliers I couldn't identify. 

The Argiope seemed healthy though deflated.   A dead shrew was lying on the patio.  I wonder what brought us that gift?  I picked it up with a leaf and hurled it down the hill. A very small skink oozed between the retaining wall logs.  The sky was hazy with wisps that might have come from contrails.  I think I finally identified the fungus that comes up every year under the oak as Berkeley's Polypore  Bondarzewia berkeleyi. 

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Chipping sparrow

The creek was rough but cormorants were fishing in the early morning.  Mockingbirds wanted their breakfast.  A pine warbler was very cautious.  A brown headed nuthatch came and went quickly.  Then a bluebird considered the seeds.  The chipping sparrow investigated the dish feeders.  A dragonfly used one of the bamboo perches but flew away as soon as I noticed.  Bees and wasps investigated me.  Clouds covered the sky but the day was very warm - I saw 77° on the thermometer.  

Eclipse

The female red bellied woodpecker was up early again to eat seeds.  Is a vegan woodpecker even possible? A white throated sparrow was early as well.  Apparently the weather was perfect for winged termite swarms.  They looked pretty flying in the sunlight, not so much on the ground.  The mockingbirds snacked on them and two dragonflies came to feast. 

The Solomon's seal popped up. The figs leafed out.  The rose made a bud.  A molting myrtle warbler stopped fro brunch.  A tiger swallowtail left eggs all over the wild cherry.  White breasted and brown headed nuthatches devoured seeds.

I made a pinhole camera to capture the eclipse.  We were outside the area of totality again but the level of light dropped noticeably.  All the colors seemed dull despite being in the sunshine.  NASA gave the timetable of the eclipse by zipcode with this handy graphic. 

I saw a skink on the lower patio but wasn't fast enough with the camera.  A pair of bluebirds perched in the maple.  A chipping sparrow ignored the eclipse and ate seeds.