Bye, blue water

Today the pool was covered for the winter.  Morning was chilly despite the bright sun and even after lunch I stayed in the sun for warmth.  A dark butterfly kept moving so I couldn't be sure of its identity.  After errands, I saw chickadees and cardinals eating seeds.  Then I caught a flash of kingfisher wings so I moved to the back window.  Not one, but two kingfishers were competing for a good vantage point to watch for fish. back and forth among the dock pilings they chased each other until an egret swooped in and sent them both away.  

At supper, I saw a Carolina wren and a downy woodpecker.  The downy ignored the suet and ate seeds.  She appeared to be missing her tail feathers.  

Dragonfly nymph

I found the monarch caterpillar again and it was growing fast and dumping fress.  A couple of black swallowtail caterpillars ate parsley stems.  A small sulphur butterfly alighted briefly.  I also saw a red spotted purple. When I went for a very late swim, there was a bigger frog with a green jaw under the lid of the skimmer.  It jumped down into the basket full of leaves so I let it stew there for a while.  When I lifted the basket to empty it, the frog jumped into the pool.  I saw it a couple more times but then it disappeared so I think it must have jumped out.  Just in case, I checked the skimmer again and here came a young skink swimming out,  I carried it out onto the patio and took photos.  

I also encountered a dragonfly nymph, perhaps the same one I've seen before.  This time it obligingly clung to the side of the pool steps where I could photograph it.  A kingfisher landed on one of the pilings but didn't stay long.  The Berkley's polypore looked bigger. The hibiscus bloomed again.  The beautyberries were colorful.  A lot of cloud cover and a North wind kept the temperature down but the air was humid.  

 

First daffodil

The last day of February was quite warm.  A Carolina wren worked on the suet while a myrtle warbler picked up crumbs.  The song sparrow blended in with the mulch and pine needles.  A brown headed nuthatch waited on the feeder hanger.  Bluebirds made a late entrance.   

A mockingbird arrived for lunch.  The myrtle warbler tried to hover like a hummingbird at the suet.  This was not a success and it retreated to the barkbutter.  When I refilled the dish, I saw a flower on one of the dwarf daffodil clumps.  A pine warbler came quickly for the fresh barkbutter balls.  

In the late afternoon, a kingfisher landed on a dock post.  I think it was a male.  It changed posts and then flew off.  

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  

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.  

Betwixt seasons

Winter migrants mixed with summer insects.  More white throated sparrows arrived.  A white throat ate beautyberries which looked past their prime.  An orange crowned warbler showed up and made straight for the jelly.  A goldfinch that was dressed for winter looked at the menu and left.  A Carolina wren popped up under the beautyberry bush.  Except for its eye, it completely blended in with the leaves.

But I also saw a leaf-footed bug that was missing a leg and a cucumber beetle on a rose.   The temperature rose into the upper 60s, but the sky clouded and partly obscured the sun.  At least three hoodies paddled together.  Egrets jockeyed for good fishing spots.  A kingfisher streaked past in a gray and white blur.  A half dozen mallard drakes paddled along the bulkhead, feeding.  Both domestic and wild cherry leaves turned fall colors.  

Creek action

This was a lovely day, warm and sunny, and not too windy.  The creek was busy but the feeders were not.  I saw some bees, or perhaps yellow jackets, buzzing around the roses.  Trees were coloring up and beginning to lose leaves.  The solomon's seal turned hay-color.  Pelicans fished but I got no pictures.  A kingfisher landed on a dock post but saw me first and flew away.  Cormorants didn't care.  K cleaned the guano off the window.  

In the late afternoon, something plunged after a fish and, while the photos were overexposed, it looked to me like a black crowned night heron.  Then an egret flew across the creek.  Cormorants commuted to their roosts and sunset arrived at 5pm.  

 

Water birds

Sunshine was promised but it didn't arrive till lunch.  Two moonflowers were slowly folding up.  I don't think any of the moonflowers have been fertilized.  I saw a pair of mallards but let them go without a picture since I got that nice one the other day of the female rising up and flapping herself.  Then I spotted a kingfisher on one of the dock posts, but unfortunately the photos were overexposed so I don't know if it was male or female.  A great blue heron seemed agitated.  It put on a threat display across the creek, but then flew to our side.  

 

Kingfisher and eagle

Thin bars of cloud striped the blue sky.   A Carolina wren joined us for breakfast.  A mockingbird followed.  An egret perched on a post downstream while another waded.  Gulls patrolled the creek and cormorants dived.  Three pelicans sunbathed on the roof of the boathouse across the creek. 

Two mockingbirds came for lunch.  So did a pair of bluebirds.  The Carolina wren was back too, eating some of everything.  While morning was sunny, over lunch the sky clouded up.  Two egrets looked tor the best place to fish.  Bluebirds and the occasional white throat ate barkbutter crumbs.  The mockingbirds sampled the different offerings. Three daffodil varieties bloomed.  A light shower occurred around 2pm, then gradually the sky cleared again.

I was looking for pelicans in the late afternoon when I spotted a kingfisher. Cormorants, pelicans, a great blue heron, and a female hoodie passed, then I saw something swoop.  Crows came after it and finally I saw it between the goose fences.  I was afraid it was trapped but it flew out with no trouble.  Meanwhile, the kingfisher had teleported downstream.  

Three pelicans a-bathing

A dark, misty dawn turned to rain during breakfast.  The usual birds - cardinals, house finches, titmice, white throats - rushed to eat when the rain started.  A Carolina wren had seeds and suet.  Then I saw pelicans afloat on the creek in the rain.  Instead of fishing, they were ducking and flapping just like a songbird in the birdbath.  A cormorant and a hoodie investigated the commotion.  

The wind picked up and the mist cleared though the sky stayed gray.  A great blue heron stood on a dock post to preen its feathers which were sticking out every which way.  A male and a female oriole came to the suet.  The male didn't figure out right away how to get at the suet and when he did, he kicked off the female.  When he left she returned to the frustration of a waiting downy.  He paced vertically on the post, then gave up and ate seeds.  

A myrtle warbler was the next suet visitor.  Then the male pileated woodpecker arrived.  A female downy was frustrated this time.  The female pileated wanted a turn too but the male was too greedy.  I caught a glimpse of a kingfisher on the post where the heron had been.  A couple of crows landed in the redwood.  The rain came back and I gave up watching. 

Springlike

Creek reflections at breakfast shimmered with light bouncing off the trees before the sun was high enough to shine on the water.  The female red belly got an early helping of seeds.  A mockingbird arrived early enough to get some barkbutter balls.  A downy tucked into the suet.  The temperature rose into the low 70s though there was a definite windchill.  Despite the warmth, we had sunshine.  White throats foraged.  Titmice visited all the feeders but by then the suet cage was empty.  

I went outside but didn't stay long because of the wind.  A myrtle warbler posed on an oak limb.  I could hear a woodpecker scolding.  The crescent moon had risen above the trees.  I saw pelicans and a kingfisher, but only got pictures of ruddy ducks, one hoodie drake, and a cormorant.  Bluebirds  stayed in the trees till I went inside.  

A male red belly wanted barkbutter balls and displayed his red belly while hanging on the feeder.   A starling tried to dislodge him but failed.  A male oriole found the jelly.  A pine warbler got a turn with the barkbutter balls.  Red-winged blackbirds ate seeds and BB balls.  On the front patio, the hanging potted plant that blooms in the winter was covered with yellow flowers. 

Some snow

There wasn't much snow and it turned to rain before I got up.  The white throats ran around trying to decide where the seeds were hidden.  Little was left of the suet and the dishes were still covered to keep the rain out.  The creek was iced with an odd crosswise break.  During a morning meeting online the clouds broke apart and sunshine melted more slush.  

By lunch, the suet was gone.  I took the lids off the dish feeders and K replaced the suet.  Warblers were right on it.  The yellow cat scared the birds away.   Soon a brown headed nuthatch was back at the seeds.  A starling noticed the suet.  Blue jays heard the call of the barkbutter balls.  

Buffleheads fished on the creek though the ice wasn't all gone till late afternoon.  A Carolina wren sunned on a dogwood branch.  A myrtle warbler did the same on a higher perch.  Near sunset, a kingfisher used the dock bench to tenderize her supper.  Certainly that was hard on the fish.  

Gray

A great blue heron perched on a dock post.  The mockingbird came by at lunch.  White throats foraged.  A Carolina wren did not like the rain shower but it didn't last long.  A pine warbler observed that there was no barkbutter to eat.  Still, it brightened the gloom.  K moved the crops back out to take advantage of the warmth and free water.  In the afternoon a kingfisher took up the dock post.  

Cold

The weather was much like yesterday, cold and bright.  Birds were puffed up against the chill.  The female oriole had grape jelly as a pick-me-up.  I was pleased that she found the dish.  Pine warblers alternated between suet and barkbutter crumbs.  (It was too cold at breakfast to go outside and refill the dish.)  Goldfinches didn't seem to know what to eat.  White throats kicked through the mulch.  A bluebird and a cardinal shared the seed feeder.  The downy didn't want to share suet with a warbler.  The mockingbird stayed faithful to hydration, making repeat visits for a drink.  

At lunchtime I decided to brave the cold, since the temperature had risen from the upper 30s to the upper 40s.  The fresh barkbutter balls got a warm reception from warblers, bluebirds, and of course blue jays.  A white breasted nuthatch varied its diet with a barkbutter ball along with the usual seeds. A brown headed nuthatch seized the moment to get seeds itself.  The oriole alternated between barkbutter and jelly.  The sky was a milky blue again. 

I spotted the sapsucker on a dogwood trunk, then later on a hackberry tree.  Something made a commotion eating hackberries.  A dove alighted on the patio.  Then a Carolina wren came to dine.  A crow surveyed the possibilities but got into a fight with a squirrel.  The squirrel got a drink from the ant moat instead of the much more accessible birdbath.  A female hoodie paddled by headed upstream. An egret fished under a dock.  I caught the kingfisher in flight, on the neighbor's dock, and diving on a fish.  Cormorants flew in every direction at sunset. 

Wet

Birds rushed to get a snack just before the rain started.  The mockingbird needed a drink.  The male downy wanted some suet but the female took seeds..  Titmice and chickadees went for seeds too.  A warbler chose barkbutter balls.  A white breasted nuthatch grabbed a seed to hatch.  Then the reds, cardinal and finch, landed on the seed feeder. 

For a while the light dropped but the rain wasn't heavy.  Then the wind picked up.  Another band of rain passed through around 2pm just as predicted.  The sky finally cleared around 4pm and the sun lit up the bend of the creek.  The kingfisher showed up on her favorite post.  Cormorants and an egret commuted to their roost past tinted cloud remnants. 

Noisy

Starting at breakfast, yard crews were running mowers and blowers, presumably so they would finish the week's work before the holiday.  A pine warbler visited the barkbutter balls.  Then one blue jay after another came until the dish was empty.  Occasionally a titmouse got a morsel.  I saw a brown headed and a white breasted nuthatch but they didn't hang around.  The mockingbird peered in at me from a chair arm, then went to the birdbath for a drink.  

Sunlight set the neighbor's Japanese maple afire.  One hickory was leafless but the other was bright as brass.  Four doves landed and locked around the birdbath for any food other birds had missed.  White throats puttered around.  I too puttered around pulling down cobwebs that had gotten garlanded with blown leaves.  A Carolina wren investigated all the feeders, as usual.  

A downy worked on the suet.  I still haven't seen the bigger woodpecker species this Fall.  A bluebird came in the afternoon and pushed the pine warbler off the barkbutter dish.  The sun glowed behind a layer of Stratus Translucidus cloud.  The kingfisher was back on her dock perch but my photos were all blurred.  

Bright light

White throats were up early.  I was rushed and didn't have time to really observe till lunch.  Also, my eyes were dilated and the sunlight was really bright.  Bluebirds arrived and split up among the feeders and the birdbath.  A pine warbler scarfed up barkbutter crumbs.  The white throats were still around.  A female oriole appeared.  K said the bird found the jelly.  

Finally my eyes returned to normal so I went outside.  The sky again had that dilute blue skim milk look in the afternoon.  A handful of small birds flew over so very fast that they seemed like gray phantoms.  I wasn't fast enough to capture them.  I did capture a female kingfisher on the dock post because I heard the bird cackle.  An egret flew downstream.  The blueberry bushes had turned red.  I smacked a late mosquito. 

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.  

Very warm

I saw the Carolina wren again but didn't get the camera focused fast enough.  The kingfisher took up her post again.  Cormorants commuted homeward before the spooks came out.   

Sunny and dry

Yesterday, the kingfisher was back on her post, but not for long.  Maybe I bothered her?  The domestic cherry leaves began to turn.  Saltbush fluff was snagged everywhere. 

There was still not much to see today beyond the turning leaves and pretty reflections under a beautiful blue sky.  In the afternoon, faint cloud ridges formed.  

Tufted titmice visited the barkbutter balls.  A Carolina wren scurried under a chair.  A blue jay and some gulls flew overhead.  The three regulars -- cardinals, house finches, chickadees -- ate seeds.  

A Canada goose stood on the back of the dock bench.  I spotted a pied bill grebe in the water with a mallard for scale.