Eclipse

The female red bellied woodpecker was up early again to eat seeds.  Is a vegan woodpecker even possible? A white throated sparrow was early as well.  Apparently the weather was perfect for winged termite swarms.  They looked pretty flying in the sunlight, not so much on the ground.  The mockingbirds snacked on them and two dragonflies came to feast. 

The Solomon's seal popped up. The figs leafed out.  The rose made a bud.  A molting myrtle warbler stopped fro brunch.  A tiger swallowtail left eggs all over the wild cherry.  White breasted and brown headed nuthatches devoured seeds.

I made a pinhole camera to capture the eclipse.  We were outside the area of totality again but the level of light dropped noticeably.  All the colors seemed dull despite being in the sunshine.  NASA gave the timetable of the eclipse by zipcode with this handy graphic. 

I saw a skink on the lower patio but wasn't fast enough with the camera.  A pair of bluebirds perched in the maple.  A chipping sparrow ignored the eclipse and ate seeds.

Breezy

A hungry hummer came for breakfast and brunch.  The regulars were briefly joined by a male goldfinch.  A skink was up early.  A bug on the window caught the morning light.

The hummer was back at lunch, and later visited the Mexican sage.

Winged termites were bumbling in the air.  The bees and the wasps continued to feed on the herbs.  A beautiful orb web and its weaver caught the sunlight.  I also saw a black swallowtail, a 12-spotted skimmer and a widow skimmer.  A real swallow squeaked in flight.  A tufted titmouse fed its offspring.  The white breasted nuthatch was bold enough to come to the feeder while I sat nearby.

I missed the first quarter moon last night, but this evening's waxing gibbous made up for it.  Just enough clouds captured the setting sun's light.  Something made ripples in the creek's pink reflections - fish catching bugs?  And then the fireflies came out.

Pollen season

A gust of wind created a brief pollen storm, while dead oak flowers continually drifted down all morning.  Meanwhile, termites boiled up out of the mulch beside the birdbath to go on their mating flight.  I was surprised no predators came for them.  The pair of downy woodpeckers visited as did the cardinal pair.  The male towhee was back.  A titmouse and a starling appeared briefly.  White throats have not left yet.

The day began sunny but clouded over as the morning progressed.  Blue jays flew across the yard but never came close.  A mocking bird did its best to eat suet. The towhee , the starling, the woodpeckers, and the white throats all came back during the afternoon, as did the three regulars. 

The clouds got increasingly dark, then rain sprinkles began in the late afternoon.