Spring

The last day of April and the white throats and butterbutt were still here.  The male red belly hit the seed feeder.  This made a male cardinal unhappy.  He wanted a goodie to take to his mate.  He settled on a barkbutter ball.  Later, a titmouse took over the seed feeder.  A couple of mockingbirds argued about the barkbutter balls.  The short-tailed squirrel got a drink and some mealworms, I think.  It was very skittish around other squirrels.  There was something in the water but it never showed itself.  K hung a fresh suet block and a downy started eating it.  

 

3 caterpillars

A Carolina wren attacked the suet from underneath.  Then a downy woodpecker male did the same thing.   White throats scuttled around.  The wren queued up with blue jays for barkbutter balls.  

Three first instar black swallowtail caterpillars occupied the bolting parsley in K's pot on the front patio.  The caterpillars weren't moving.  I harvested a pepper and admired some green ones.  The pinxter flower, a native deciduous azalea, was blooming as was the false indigo.  The moon was at first quarter.

 

 

Mellow day

White throats bathed on a very pleasant, sunny, room temperature day with a light breeze.  Blue jays wanted food and drink.  A mockingbird was bold enough to eat suet while I was near.  The male red belly almost collided with the mockingbird on the way to the suet.  Bluebirds ate the mealworms in the glass dish.  So did a squirrel.  Two doves progressed beyond flirting.  A male downy got some time with the suet.  

In addition to birds, I saw at least three butterflies -- tiger swallowtail, black swallowtail, and something smaller -- and a couple of dragonflies, one perched and one cruising about 18" above the grass.  A queen yellow jacket prowled the mulch looking for a nest site.  A skink panicked and rain right into my sandal.  

The azaleas were at their peak, but insects didn't seem very interested.  The wild cherry's flowers were too high to see details but they looked like spikes of white foam.  The coral honeysuckle was covered with flowers that will feed any hummingbird that arrives before I put the feeder out.  It's probably past time to retire the grape jelly.

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.  

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.  

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. 

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.  

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.  

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.  

Fog

Happy Lunar New Year and Mardi Gras.  At breakfast a light fog grayed the distant pines. It didn't seem to trouble the pelicans flying low over the creek.  Gulls, too, were fishing.  The committee of vultures took to the trees.  The two mourning doves returned.  Downy and red bellied woodpeckers came for the feeders.  So did a wren, a pine and a myrtle warbler, a brown headed nuthatch and starlings.  Blue jays flew past but returned for breakfast.

The sun finally got through at 10am.  Then a junco appeared on the seed feeder.  Where was it during the bird count?  Bluebirds enjoyed the sunshine.  A goldfinch also wanted seeds.  The pelicans kept on fishing, apparently with success judging by the splashdowns.  Cormorants had the same idea.  

 

Undertakers' converntion

The red bellied woodpecker was up early for suet.  Out on the creek, herring and ring bill gulls were fishing along with one bufflehead drake.  Pelicans flew over and the resident GBH chased another away.  Bluebirds ate seeds while a white throat complained that the barkbutter dish was empty.  Myrtle warblers got aggressive.  Clouds moved in.  A flock of vultures settled in the trees.  Bluebirds ignored them because I had refilled the dish.  Carolina wrens were pleased too.  A white breasted nuthatch ate seeds. The downy ate suet.  

Baltimore oriole

I got up late.  A lone dove poked around under the seed feeder.  Bluebirds and white throats cleaned the dish feeder.  A mockingbird wasn't happy about that.  A white breasted nuthatch ate seeds.  A starling seemed unimpressed with the choices.  A Carolina wren sat inside the dish.  I spotted a brown thrasher in a dogwood, obscured by twigs.  The red bellied woodpecker worked on the suet.  Myrtle warblers popped up everywhere.  A blue jay wouldn't leave the trees.  

A downy woodpecker also craved suet.  A song sparrow foraged in the last patch of snow.  The white breasted nuthatch enjoyed the refilled barkbutter dish.  A boat towed away another that was sitting at the dock across the creek all week.  Then a male Baltimore oriole showed up.  A brown headed nuthatch joined the crowd.  The Carolina wren was back.  

 

Still very cold

The creek was completely covered by ice and did not melt.  The sky was mottled with clouds and sunshine was intermittent.  Barkbutter balls lured the blue jays.  Bluebirds were right behind.   Brown headed nuthatches were hungry.  White throats scoured the ground but some wanted barkbutter balls.  Pine and myrtle warblers got into fights.  Titmice seemed to avoid confrontation.  A crow walked around briefly.  A Carolina wren took over the barkbutter dish.   

At lunch, a squirrel tried to break into the seed feeder but Yankee ingenuity won, again.  No sooner had it given up than a brown headed nuthatch landed on the perch.  A mockingbird landed on the barkbutter dish and found it empty.  A pine warbler had to see for himself.  Then a bluebird was disappointed.  Meanwhile, a downy woodpecker got a meal of suet.  A white breasted nuthatch came for seeds, and a barkbutter ball, alas.  A Carolina wren was disappointed too.  The red bellied woodpecker ate seeds even though there was a block of suet not a foot away.  

 

Birds stuffing themselves

You would have thought there was a storm coming* the way birds were stuffing their faces, um crops, today.  I was gone all morning but they were hungry at breakfast and still eating at lunch.  Bluebirds could not stay away from the barkbutter dish.  Brown headed nuthatches only wanted seeds.  The Carolina wren would try anything.  The white throats wanted food to fall down to them.  A butterbutt stared at the door as though that would make more food appear. The red bellied woodpecker diminished the block of suet.  A pine warbler was happy with mealworms

 Both wrens came for lunch.  A couple of pine warblers disputed possession of the suet.  The day was mostly cloudy but the sky cleared occasionally so we had some sun.  It lit up a pine warbler.  Then a bluebird frustrated another warbler.  Nuthatches persisted.  A white throat tired of waiting and got up on the dish.  Titmice were willing to eat everything.  The oriole wanted jelly.  Bluebirds stared down a house finch.  Two butterbutts watched for an opportunity to get a meal.  I saw but didn't get a picture of a downy woodpecker and a brown pelican.   Clouds pinked at sunset.  

*Winter Storm Fern, of all silly names! 

 

Thanksgiving

The temperature dropped a lot over night and the day only got into the mid 50s.  Morning light bounced off the creek to play across the bulkhead.  A crow investigated the stale barkbutter I had dumped.  The yellow cat investigated something under the wind cherry.  A pair of hoodies paddled downstream.  

At lunch, a Carolina wren dropped bits of suet then hustled down to pick them up.  A white throated sparrow came no nearer than the dogwood on the far side of the lower patio.  The wind brought down leaves and pine needles.  A great blue heron flew up into the pines but I lost sight of it.  The sky which had been a clear, dark blue began to be freckled with cumulus.  

I went outside to make some vitamin D and caught sight of the orange crowned warbler.   The dredge was taking the day off.  I heard a kingfisher but didn't see it.  The wind was too cold for me so I retreated indoors.  Then all the birds that had hidden reappeared.  The wren came back for more suet.  Chickadees were thirsty and hungry.  A male downy landed on the post but flew away to the dogwood.  I don't know if it felt too exposed or didn't like the looks of the suet.  

Bluebirds flitted around in the dogwood.  A football-shaped object floated downstream.  I could see labels on it but not well enough to read.  Several egrets flew around, maybe settling territorial rights.  There was always vegetation in the way.  The same was true for the gulls I saw.  Then a flock of cormorants flew downstream.  Enough leaves were gone that I could see the lake again but nothing appeared on it.  I am thankful to live here where I can see all this.  

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.  

Monarchs emerged

The creek reflected a gray day.  At lunchtime, a pine warbler visited the barkbutter dish.  I didn't realize at the time that a fine drizzle was falling.  A Carolina wren ate suet until a downy woodpecker pulled rank.  Today was much cooler and I did not venture into the water.  

Both monarchs eclosed today, which makes me wonder if the black swallowtail pupa died.  It's been 33 days, but then I read that it might be set to overwinter..  It also crossed my mind that the monarchs I saw last week might have been from more of the caterpillars that fed on the butterfly milkweed.  Curiously, the chrysalis remnants looked white, not jade green.  More accurately, the casing appeared to have been clear before being torn open.  Anyway, it was nice watching them pump up their wings.  I sup[pose they are all headed to Mexico.  

I checked on the mabel orchard spider as well as the black swallowtail chrysalis.   The spider seemed fine.  The canna bloomed again.  The Carolina returned for barkbutter but ignored the butterfly inches away.  The monarch held quite still.  Three moonflowers opened and a few moments of sunshine followed.  

Rain

A white breasted nuthatch joined the chickadees and titmice waiting for seeds while a cardinal exercised pecking order.  A downy ate suet. Not a colorful lineup.  The rain began at 3:30pm with a shower.  I slipped in a swim before the next wave of rain, which was much longer lasting.  Meanwhile four moonflowers opened with no pollinators likely.  I could find only the orchard spider, the black swallowtail chrysalis, and one monarch chrysalis.  That one appeared dark as though ready to eclose.