Mole mortician

A brown headed nuthatch was today's early bird.  After K hung a fresh feeder a hummer appeared.  I drained the rainwater off the barkbutter mush but the birds were not that desperate.  In the afternoon, a blue jay tried the barkbutter mush but didn't stay for seconds.

I saw two skinks interact again but this time it looked less loving.  One flipped into the air and decamped.  Later, another adult skink and a tiny skinklet moseyed around the patio.  The adult had a regrown tail and the skinklet was already missing its tail tip. 

Something was floating that I thought was a chunk of mulch.  Instead it was an eastern mole, Scalopus aquaticus.  We've found drowned voles before but this was the first mole and it was twice as big.  Too big for a quick toss down the hill, so it went into a poop bag.  But first I took pictures of those amazing paws.  I did some research and learned that moles can swim but I am pretty sure this one was dead. 

A big monarch caterpillar appeared at the top of the plant, eating the flowers.  I had been expecting caterpillars since a monarch laid eggs a few weeks ago.  The usual wasps and bees worked on the mountain mint.  I saw one fiery skipper   Despite predictions and cloudy skies, there was no rain during the day.  

New beetle

I was afraid it was an emerald ash borer but it matched the red-legged metallic wood boring beetle, Buprestis rufipes.  Wood boring beetles are often beautiful and destructive but this one apparently prefers dead wood.  I suspect it might have come from the oak limb that fell in the storm.  Several blue mud daubers,Chalybion californicum, fed on the rue.  They seemed smaller than usual.  Paper wasps bustled all around the flowers and plants.  I saw honeybees on the mountain mint, and leather wing soldier beetles, of course. 

Blueberries began to ripen and the recent rain made them big and fat.  I picked quite a few of only the largest.  On my way, I found raised ridges in the grass and especially in mossy areas. One of them moved as I watched, which was kind of creepy.  I suppose they were dug by moles. 

At lunch, a mockingbird attacked a crow.  The mockingbird kept up its harassment until the dog noticed the crow and scared off both birds.  I suppose the crow got too close to the mockingbird nest.  A brown headed nuthatch slipped in among the chickadees to get a sunflower seed.  A hummingbird decided to risk my presence. 

I need to report that the goose excluders failed.  I had to chase four geese out of the spartina planting.  A yellow crowned night heron preened on a dock post.  Vegetation hid the bird's head.  

Surprisingly nice

The prediction was for a rainy day, and there was rain early, but the clouds that looked so menacing in the morning turned into white puffy cumulus.  The afternoon was warm and sunny and I was stuck at this keyboard.  But I finally saw the kingfisher.  It was a male.

I did manage a short walkabout the yard and fished a drowned mole out of the water.  A spider was using it as a raft. Eew!  Lots of beetles and crickets swam for their lives.