End of the hear wave

A myrtle warbler breakfasted on barkbutter balls.  Then three starlings argued about who would eat first.  A white throat headed for the mulch to look for seeds.  A blue jay followed the starlings.  A different myrtle warbler tried the jelly.  One white throat appeared to be molting and looked a mess.  I saw an orange butterfly about the size of a cabbage white.

The sun was still bright at lunch.  Afterward I took the camera to the front yard.  Pollinators were busy around the jessamine but too fast for me to photograph.   The bumblebees buzz-pollinating the blueberries were a little slower.  Clouds rolled through and the wind made 70° feel a little chilly.  

I spotted some money plant flowers.   The birds stayed away while I was outside but showed up as soon as I came in.  Bluebirds and the red bellied woodpecker scarcely waited for the door to close.  A mockingbird came but by then the barkbutter dish was empty so it headed for the jelly.  I hadn't refilled the barkbutter balls because rain was predicted.  Around 4pm the sky darkened and the wind picked up and the temperature started dropping.  A rain shower passed through around 5:30pm but hardly wetted the birdbath.  A very red sunset glowed through the trees.  

HOT!

The song sparrow was up early to hunt elusive seeds in the mulch.   A white throat ate breakfast out of the glass dish.  K moved the peppers outside and already a couple started to ripen.  I tried to get a picture of the insects pollinating the jessamine, but they had too much solar energy.  Buds were opening on the blueberries.  

Bluebirds came for lunch.  A myrtle warbler snacked on suet then found a barkbutter ball.  A Carolina wren also dined on barkbutter balls.  The warbler moved over to the jelly dish.  I brewed tea in the sun.  The temperature rose over 80°!  I saw a cabbage white and a small orange butterfly, many bees, and a wasp flying.  NWS Wakefield said it was 83 and broke the record for March 10°.

Windy

The day looked beautiful until a gust thrashed the trees.  The thermometer showed upper 60s but not with that wind chill.  Most birds stayed out of sight but I  saw a couple of crows rowing hard to keep from being blown backward.  Yellow roses continued to bloom, one by one.  I noticed some flowers lingering on the lantana while just above buds swelled on the jessamine.  A bee or wasp visited a camellia.  The trees were beginning to get serious about fall.  

 

Yellow flowers

In the back yard the yellow rose bloomed and in the front yard there was a flower on the Carolina jessamine.  They are not supposed to bloom at the same time.  The orchard spider's web caught fluff from the saltbush.  I took the scenic rout home from the library but saw nothing.  

Dreary

The rain stopped yesterday and I was outside for a short while but it was long enough to get bit up.  The tide was up in the grass again.  A Carolina wren had some suet.  I relocated one sack of spider eggs from the rose to the sakaki so it wouldn't get pruned.   I also moved the chrysalis to the feeder pole outside my window because the dead rue will probably be cut down.  I think the rue died of old age.  It must have been more than thirty years ago when I planted it and its an herb not a shrub.  The orchard spider was disturbed but its web was still intact.  

Purslane was still blooming around the front patio and the Carolina jessamine tentatively opened a few buds.  The lantana had quit blooming but spread all over the flower bed.  Peppers were ripening.  Today rain fell for much of the day but didn't amount to much.  A few birds ate seeds but there really wasn't much to see and nothing to photograph.  The tide continued to run high.  

Vernal equinox

I notice the NWS said, "There are only two times of the year when the Earth's axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun, resulting in a "nearly" equal amount of daylight and darkness at all latitudes."  That "nearly" could explain why today's sunrise was 7:09am and sunset 7:17pm, 12 hours and 8 minutes.  The sky was hazy and streaky but the creek shone.  A male oriole spread orange gorgeousness as he ate suet.  A male bluebird flaunted both blue and orange.  A brown headed nuthatch took its seed to the roof to hatch.  Blue jays found the barkbutter balls.  One jay argued with a bigger bird, maybe the osprey?  

A heron groomed its feathers on a dock piling.  Signs of Spring included dogwood and oak flower buds opening.  Even blueberry flower buds got bigger.  Daffodils recovered from the storm.  The Carolina jessamine smelled lovely to me and the bumblebees. 

Chilly

Yesterday's rain continued through the morning. It flattened the taller daffodils.   As usual, there was more trash in the creek.  A Carolina wren was too hungry to care about the cold rain.  By late morning we were beginning to dry out though the sky remained gray with just a few flickers of sunlight.  The temperature was much lower and the wind was cold.  

Blue jays came hopefully but found only seeds.  The wren argued with cardinals over the seed feeder.  White throats reappeared.  Bluebirds also ate seeds.  The Carolina jessamine was finally blooming and making up for lost time..  Buds on the blueberry twigs were ready to open.  A mockingbird arrived in the late afternoon.  A myrtle warbler was starting to molt.  A white breasted nuthatch took some seeds to hatch.  

Warm

The West wind warmed the day up into a brief summer.  A titmouse came with the early chickadees.  Then blue jays tucked into the barkbutter balls.  Thrashing in the hackberry turned out to be a squirrel.  The weather confused the Carolina jessamine into a couple of blossoms.  More peppers ripened.  The four caterpillars disappeared, hopefully to pupate and the expensive milkweed appeared either dormant or dying..  The kingfisher was back on her post.  

Summer-like

The creek was exquisite at low tide in the early morning light.  The yellow long-haired cat tried to hunt birds under the feeders.  I need a Rube Goldberg device that would dump water on birdwatching cats.  A couple of brown headed nuthatches ignored the cat.  A white  throated sparrow perched in one of the dogwoods out of reach.  A pine warble landed on the feeder roof, then on the suet remnant. 

The temperature rose to 73°.  I emptied the bluebird house and, thankfully, found no eggs.  Carolina jessamine, daffodils, dandelions, and buttercups gilded the greenery. Hyacinths and a few azalea blossoms added other primary colors.  I don't know why people think Spring is pastel.  

An oriole perched in the maple, then visited the jelly.  A bluebird found the barkbutter balls.  So did a starling.  A white breasted nuthatch made it to the feeder.  A pileated woodpecker was disappointed because the suet cage was empty. 

Some buds burst on the oak and dogwood.  Buds on the blueberry bushes were close to opening and bees hovered around like it might happen any minute. I saw a cabbage white flitting around and after dark a tiny silver moth shaped like an isosceles triangle on the window.  Spider threads lurked on the jessamine. 

March wind

Apparently the weather didn't get the notice about leap year because the wind today definitely was "coming in like a lion."  It grounded a lot of birds, but not the woodpeckers.  I think I glimpsed a red belly but mainly it was pileated woodpeckers with the occasional downy.  The sky was mostly gray with a couple flickers of sun. 

Three varieties of daffodil were blooming, the early yellow ones, the dwarf yellows, and now the pale cream with yellow centers.  And I think I saw a bud on the fried eggs.  The Carolina jessamine has been confused by the up and down temperatures (way up today) and was just beginning cautiously to flower.  The sassanqua camellia finished last week but overlapped with the Spring camellias. 

Bright and cold

I was running around most of the day.  The tux cat made itself at home in the back so the birds stayed away.  I went out front where I could hear a blue jay but I never saw it.  There were birds in the cedar.  I glimpsed one I thought was a bluebird but I "pish, pished" to no avail.  The jessamine made a flower.  A freeze was forecast so we brought in the peppers. 

Daffodils blooming

The creek was as shiny as a metal mirror.  Orioles glowed in the sunlight as they snacked on jelly.  Blue jays got excited over the fresh barkbutter balls.  Then the birdwatching tux cat showed up.  

Bluebirds drifted in when the cat left. A Carolina wren arrived in the afternoon.  Warblers were around too.  Juncos came late to the party.  Brown headed nuthatches did too.  A song sparrow tucked into the barkbutter crumbs.  A starling had difficulty reaching the last bit of suet. 

The first daffodils buds opened also a couple of hyacinths.  Of course the Carolina jessamine was blooming and attracting honeybees and bumblebees.  I found tiny birdseye (speedwell, veronica) flowers in the grass. 

The turtles stayed out all afternoon.  Pelicans were fishing enthusiastically.  A flock of geese begin diving and splashing - I didn't know they could do that!  An osprey circled in the blue sky. 

 

Spring signs

A film of ice sealed the water in the birdbath when I got up, but soon melted.  While I didn't notice wind, the creek surface was not still.  A myrtle warbler was the early bird.  These warm days persuaded bulbs and similar vegetation to send up shoots.  The Carolina jessamine began blooming.  It all put me in the mood to shop for seeds.  

Bluebirds monitored the feeders from the top of the redwood.  The orioles definitely liked the mealworms along with the jelly.  It's a good thing they are satisfied with cheap grape jelly.  A block from home a flock of robins poked in the grass.  I don't understand why they so rarely visit us. 

During the day the temperature sneaked up to 58, but started to drop as the sun descended into a layer of thin cloud. I spotted a faint sundog.  Returning from the library, I went past Witchduck Lake which was full of ducks and cormorants.  I identified hoodies, shovelers, and wood ducks.  

One half of the moon hung overhead as the sun set.  

Last day of #GBBC

The creek was full of reflected light while still in shade.  The Carolina jessamine began blooming and the hanging pot of yellow flowers was still going strong.  K's rescue amaryllis put out four huge red flowers, indoors.  I had to take my car for inspection, so my bird count was in the late morning.  

I went outside because the temperature got up into the 60s and also for a better view of the creek.  My reward was a good view of an immature eagle.  It landed in the fork of a pine across the creek and was still sitting there when I went inside.  I got some pictures of the cocoon up in the hickory and was inspected by a queen yellow jacket looking for a nest site. 

Mallards, cormorants, and an egret were all the water birds I saw, unless I count the three crows on the neighbors' dock.  They had something I couldn't quite make out, maybe a clam or a fish.  What was fascinating was that one crow was clearly holding the object with a foot and inviting the others to inspect. 

I also recorded white throated sparrows, myrtle warblers, and a downy and a red bellied woodpecker.  During lunch, a female oriole arrived for grape jelly, which was very gratifying.  

Then the pileated woodpeckers came, first him, then her.  He wouldn't let her have a turn and took a big bite to make his point.  But he choked on it, and when he finally dislodged the chunk of suet, he dropped it.  She retrieved it from the crevice where it landed and had an appetizer while he continued to stuff himself.  It wasn't long before he flew off and she took over the suet.  And after her, a downy moved in.

A brown headed nuthatch tried to dislodge house finches and eventually got some seeds. Foraging white throated sparrows were joined by a song sparrow and a junco.  A pine warbler and a goldfinch drank from the pool cover even though I had cleaned and filed the birdbath.   

I went outside again because I thought I saw a hoodie but it was the rear end of a goose.  Then I did see a hoodie pair and what looked like a dead flounder.  Later on, a pine warbler and a myrtle warbler disputed possession of the barkbutter.  The butterbutt won but then the feral cat wandered through and we all gave up.

April flowers

The daffodils were nearly finished, but blue hyacinths and azaleas had begun to bloom and the Carolina jessamine and the money plant were still going strong.  The witch hazel looked like it was recovering from its drastic pruning.  Cilantro had already bolted.  And the pecan buds burst.  I planted some more seeds.  But I didn't do much because I wasn't feeling well. 

The Carolina wren wanted some suet.  A brown thrasher scampered around the patio, seeming to have difficulty making up its mind.  

Spring flowers

Morning was warm and sunny.  A bluebird greeted us.  Then a Carolina wren arrived, then blue jays.  A yellow rumped warbler considered its odds of getting some suet.  A mockingbird carried off a barkbutter ball.  A brown thrasher buried its head in the cup every time the camera clicked.  The cat tried to lurk but was discovered and sent away. 

In the early light, the creek mirrored the trees, but by mid morning the surface was crinkled.  An egret fished below the dam but otherwise the creek seemed devoid of waterfowl. A mallard pair napped on the dock.  The tide dropped very low in anticipation of the full moon.

I noticed the money plant by the feeder post had sent up flower spikes.  The redbuds were in bloom and some dogwood buds had opened.  The Carolina jessamine was loaded with flowers and smelled heavenly to bees as well as me.  Even the blueberries had buds. 

Clouds covered the sky in the afternoon.  K and I (mostly k) washed the windows that face the creek.  They'd gotten streaky with something.  I thought it looked like pine resin but K said guano.  K also leveled the birdbath so it holds more water.  There was quite a cavity underneath, but no clue what had excavated it. The window looked great but then rain fell in the evening.  A crane fly clung to the kitchen window. 

Warmer

A Carolina wren was the early bird, sampling every food.  Then there were warblers.  A brown thrasher was hungry enough to experiment and forage under the seed feeder where it was joined by a white throated sparrow.  The female oriole reappeared.  

Hooded mergansers and buffleheads paddled around and something larger sent ripples across the creek.  I saw a heron on the neighbors' dock. 

I think I saw at least three red breasted nuthatches at the same time but they zip around so fast there might have been many more.  One may have been this year's hatching because it did a feed-me dance, upsidedown.  Chickadees, house finches, and downy woodpeckers showed up as usual.  Then the feral cat arrived and a worried squirrel shot up the post.  

At lunch time I finally remembered to take a picture of an early Carolina jessamine blossom and my late peppers.  

Something interesting was up in the trees.  It may have been the song sparrow I saw later.  That was the first song sparrow in a long time, but not a winter migrant. 

Hot!

My car claimed it was 72 when I went to vote. The blueberry bushes had flower buds.  The Carolina jessamine attracted carpenter bees.

Rain began in the late afternoon.  There was a pine warbler on the suet at dusk again. Sunset was very rosy. 

Calm

The morning began cold and bright, but with only a light breeze.  I found that the rainwater in the barkbutter ball dish had acquired a clear ice lid.   There was no ice on the creek though it was as flat as a mirror and as full of reflections.  The warbler and the downy woodpeckers were back to their dispute over the suet. Carolina wrens and song and white throted sparrows returned. 

When I got back at noon, I went around the front yard picking up sticks and other fallen stuff.  Some fallen branches had jelly fungi and one had the beginnings of a polypore, I think. Moss had sent up setae with capsules atop.  Daffodils were recovered from the thrashing the wind gave them.  The warmth before the wind had also brought the red witch hazel into flower along with the Carolina jessamine.  While driving I noticed maples, callery pears, and one purple magnolia in bloom. 

The morning's blue sky was beginning to get hazy.  At lunch, a pine warbler entered the suet stakes.  I also saw the red bellied woodpecker.  By mid afternoon the sky was gray and the sun gone.  But after dark the full moon was bright despite clouds.

 

Warm and sunny

The tide was extremely low, morning and evening.  I startled a couple of wrens when I got the paper at breakfast.  I suppose they want to nest in the hanging planter again. Blue jays teased me all morning but finally came for lunch.  One bumped a cardinal off the bark butter.  A downy woodpecker ignored the bad behavior and focused on suet. 

The dogwood flowers started to open.  The myrtle warbler stayed screened by twigs in the wild cherry.  Carpenter bees pollinated the Carolina jessamine. 

Toward evening, the sky went white with a thin cloud layer.  Crows and ospreys had an aerial chase.  Meanwhile an egret stalked along the mud exposed by the low tide.