Hummingbirds

The wild blue morning glories were blooming when I replaced the low-hanging hummer feeder.  When I went for a morning swim, three frogs awaited me but two hopped away and only one dove into the water.  I caught and released it on land too.  A black swallowtail egged the gone-to-seed parsley and a dragonfly flew fast over the water while I swam.  I found a tiny, pretty beetle afloat but it never revived.  It was about the size of a ladybug but not so round.  iNaturalist identified it as a shield-backed cryptocephalus, Cryptocephalus mutabilis.

A hummer came to the little feeder but did not stay long.  Maybe rainwater diluted it?  A tiny orb web hung between the feeder and the post.  Later, a hummer visited the 3-hole feeder and still later, two hummers argued about it.  

As I dripped dry, I noticed ridges in the clouds coming from the Southwest.  They were perpendicular to the wind direction, sort of like ocean waves.  They're classified as altostratus undulatus clouds.  A red spotted purple rested on a dogwood branch.  A little skink followed the edge of the concrete to cross the patio but on the way back it took a shortcut.  A downy woodpecker hung below a branch it was hammering in the section of the dogwood that lost its bark and died.  A titmouse fussed because I was too close to the seed feeder.  

 

Sunny day

The day was quite warm but the breeze made it very pleasant.  A female downy woodpecker had a seed breakfast.  A Carolina wren also visited.  Hummers found the new feeder, which was fortunate because the old one was empty.  (I'll put the other out tomorrow.) There were at least two hummers because I saw one chase another away.  I spotted one preening in the wild cherry.  

A  bird circling very high was a Mississippi kite. Another, I think, was a vulture.  Again, there were two frogs but they didn't put up much of a chase.  I rescued a spider from a mostly submerged twig.  The pool steps had a lot of drowned greenhouse millipedes.  A cicada's cast-off shell was lying on the patio.  I also found some cicada wings that had been discarded by whatever ate one.  There were plenty left to sing in the afternoon sunshine.  

The sky was mostly clear blue with clouds being hurried along by the West wind.  Occasionally, they cast sunbeams against the upper atmosphere.  I saw skinks of all sizes running errands and basking in the just right temperature.  Alas, they always dodged out of sight when I moved the camera   A blue dasher kept my space clear of small fliers.  

The butterfly milkweed had more pods developing than I have ever seen, probably because it wasn't feeding any caterpillars.  I think wasps got them.  Tiger swallowtails flew around the trees and a dark butterfly swooped through closer to the ground.  I saw something that might have been a snout heading into the dogwood.  A strange feather blew around the patio.  I thought it was white till I caught it and realized it was half black.  It was a big body contour feather so it came off a large bird, possibly the kite?  

 

Thirsty

Another day in the 90s, but the wind shifted a couple of degrees North of due West.  Chickadees and titmice were thick at breakfast.  A downy joined them and a goldfinch arrived later for a drink.  A hummingbird showed up at lunchtime.  It sampled the milkweed as well as the sugar water.  Then a Carolina wren wanted a barkbutter ball, but not until I went indoors.  It was molting and looked rough.  It inspected the hummer feeder too.  I thought I saw a white breasted nuthatch but I never caught a picture to verify it.  A fledgling cardinal came to supper.  

I found another little monarch caterpillar eating milkweed flowers and got curious about whether insects are deterred by caterpillar toxicity.  This says, "Only about 5% of monarchs reach the last larval instar."  Three butterflies, a yellow, an orange, and a dark one, flitted over the yard but didn't give me a chance for a photo.  I think the yellow was a sulphur.  The orange seemed small for a monarch, so maybe a fritillary?  A fiery skipper made the rounds of the mountain mint.  So did the usual bees and wasps,  In the afternoon, dragonflies gathered.  A yellow one zoomed over me and disappeared, but a blue dasher and a widow skimmer used the perches.  

While I was in the water, I evicted two frogs and two spiders, and rescued a moth.  The dragonfly nymph was still active,.swimming very fast.  A thirsty squirrel dangled over the water to drink.  Either that, or it was having a Narcissus moment.  

Humid

While not especially hot, today was stuffy with humidity.  The hibiscus had another flower today, the third in a row.  Lots of cherries were on the ground and in the water, but I didn't see as many birds eating them.  I spotted a downy woodpecker doing chin-ups in the tree.  A catbird popped up on the fence.  Something that I think was the kingbird perched atop the redwood, briefly.  A hummer visited the feeder but didn't feed, so I will replace the sugar water tomorrow.  A Carolina wren was more satisfied with barkbutter balls and a brown headed nuthatch with seeds.  A crow hesitated, but finally ate K's peanuts.  A songbird chased a bigger bird into the trees too fast for me to react. 

I rescued three mama spiders and a very big scarab beetle, also smaller scarab and ground beetles.  The humidity brought dragonflies.  A female blue dasher used one of my perches.  A female great blue skimmer used another perch.  And prince baskettails zoomed overhead.  A tiger swallowtail and a small pale butterfly moved too fast for a picture.  I found a firefly under a gladiolus leaf.  A snail floated in the water but I suspect it was a land snail so I rescued it, maybe. 

Rain

Rain yesterday, rain today, and rain tomorrow.  Something left a small offering of what looked like cherry pits, though I didn't think the wild cherries were ripe yet.  The baby squirrel was back.  A squirrel tried to reach the barkbutter despite the rain-slick railing.  A titmouse joined the cardinals seeking seeds.  A downy had suet.  The cardinals were courting again.  I went to dump the rain & barkbutter soup out of the glass dish and dropped it.  I hope I got all the glass picked up.   A crow had a bath and then a snack, courtesy of K.  

 

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.