Cardinals and chickadees

And a hopeful squirrel visited the feeder. The sun is out.

A terrifying afternoon storm boiled out of the West about 4:30pm, wind, hail and rain. The photo is hail on the ground. We lost two trees in the back yard. The paulownia uprooted and the nearer oak shattered. Cardinals, chickadees and titmice started coming to the feeder as soon as the rain stopped. Comfort food? One squirrel wandered around the oak seeming dazed.

Clearing?

The rain keeps struggling to maintain itself overhead. Sunlight seeps through then gloom returns. Meanwhile, chickadees and titmice chow down.

I know the paulownia is not a native and can be invasive, but the flowers are gorgeous, like huge purple snapdragons!

Spatters of rain after lunch moved off east quickly. The blue-tailed skink has reappeared, again headed for the leaf-litter under the rosemary.

Crisp and clear, for now

Considerably cooler. The wild cherry is in bloom and the paulownia has begun to blossom. Squirrels and robins are scrounging on the patio.

The clouds have been curdling all morning and the remaining patches of blue are very muted. Several osprey contended over fishing rights.

It has grown quite gloomy and hints at rain. A finch, a titmouse, and a cardinal visit the feeder while a grackle and a sparrow hunt in the mulch. And the first brown thrasher of the year joins them! A rabbit is out early, either because of the gloom or because it has a family.