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.  

Tenants moving in

Despite the rain bluebirds were busy with the bluebird house.  As I made the beds, I also saw a blue jay and a brown thrasher hanging around, watching the bluebirds move in.

Lots of birds showed up at lunch.  A pine warbler didn't remain still long enough, especially as the camera was coping with rain-streaked glass. The brown thrasher reached the fresh block of suet more easily.  But a considerably smaller downy woodpecker got frustrated and leapt onto the suet, causing it to spin around which was more than the brown thrasher was prepared for.

A Carolina wren was not pleased with the soggy bark butter balls.  A crow visited but everything was uncomfortably small.  Then a female oriole settled on the suet. The wren moved to its favorite perch in the dogwood.  The wind got in its feathers and made it look furry.

Raindrops like jewels dotted the purple witch hazel.  Water off the roof made waves in a bucket.  The fig put out leaves.  The redbuds contrasted with the yellow pompoms.  One strange result of the all day rain was finding an earthworm hiking across the bedroom carpet around 7pm.  When I tried to pick it up, it clung to the carpet with bristles and segment edges and I may have damaged it somewhat before tossing it outside. 

More arrivals

Hooded mergansers appeared on the creek.  They soon flew off though.  Blue jays breakfasted on the bark butter balls but eluded me. Doves loitered but I ignored them.  I snapped a shot at something in the cherry which turned out to be a flicker. 

The white throats stayed under the shrubbery and never came close.  But a yellow rumped warbler and a pine warbler were tempted by the suet.  Then a squirrel ran up the post and the pine warbler took off. 

Parachute-equipped seeds were dispersing on the chilly breeze.  The chaste tree had a flower spike amid its seeds.  Witch hazel was in flower as well.  The camellia by my window had exactly one bud, on the wrong side.  A single leaf clung to the fig.