Six squirrels at breakfast

They were foraging and chasing and doing a lot of scratching this morning.  One came and sat on a chair to watch us eat.  Another hotly pursued what I assume was a flea, and then washed its face. 

I scared off a raccoon last night and this morning it had left a mess on the steps.  It also tried to open the feeder lid, but didn't quite get the latch undone.  I put out fresh hummer juice.

There was a flurry of activity at the birdhouse this morning.  I cannot tell if the wren is still nest-building or has moved on to other activities.  The sky clouded over while I was photographing the wren (and doing dishes) but the sun was back when I got to the computer. I guess it's going to be that kind of day. 

Blue sky morning

The usual.  Raccoons got a lot of seed before we remembered the brick last night. K is refilling it now.  I should refill the hummer feeder soon.

I've lost most of the day indoors, alas.  But I did see some dragonflies.  Chickadees and finches had trouble with the new feeder perch - it kept rolling on them making them do the lumberjack dance.  The sakaki is blooming.  It is loaded with blossoms this year. 

Magnificent piles of cumulus in the evening sky. 

Hot!

I'm late posting, but I've got a story!  Nothing much was going on this morning, just the usual three. At lunch a lovely widow skimmer took up a post near the parsley.  Other dragonflies zoomed and glittered.  Cabbage butterflies were also around.

I went for a swim mid afternoon and heard the wren scolding.  It was atop the post and buzzing like mad.  Then I saw why.  A fox cub had come calling.  It studied the bird and I thought I was going to get to see a fox climb a post, but the wren flew off.  Then the cub nosed the mulch while I maintained a low profile in the pool.  It caught something and I distinctly heard crunching.  I think it might have been a skink or possibly a mouse.  I sucked my teeth to get it to look up.  It was totally unwary, but then I think its mama called because it looked over toward the next yard and ran home.

Clouds and sun and rain

K refilled the feeder which pleased the finches.  A white breasted nuthatch also stopped in briefly.  At least, I think that's what I saw - might have been a titmouse. 

At lunch, a Carolina wren shared the feeder with cardinals and chickadees. Afterward, A pileated woodpecker buzzed the feeder causing hysterics.  I believe two more pileateds joined it over in the oaks and pines.  Then both adult towhees came to check out what had fallen.  Meanwhile a couple of squirrels spent more time chasing than eating.  The sky is very changeable with cumulus piling up and then clearing off.  It is dark in the East.

Mid afternoon the rain began.  Titmice and towhees didn't mind till it got heavy.  When the rain slacked off three Carolina wrens came to feed. A hummer came several times.  And a great crested flycatcher appeared in the cherry, flew over to the redwood, and then out of sight.   One titmouse preferred to stay and hammer its seed right on the perch, till a cardinal surprised it.

Tonight is the actual night when the full moon is particularly close to Earth, but It's still overcast.  The sunset was a delicate watercolor of cream and gray. What with the rain, I forget to hang the rock earlier.  When I hurried out with it the raccoon was already there.  So much for negative reinforcement. 

Up early

I woke and saw dawn's rosy fingers of cloud in the East so I got up and took the brick off the feeder.  A cardinal was on it before I got inside.  Chickadees showed up next.  A Carolina wren preferred to poke around the grass.  A second gladiola stalk was broken - they're in a vase now but I'd prefer to have them on the plant. A flurry of finches arrived after breakfast. 

Clouds have thickened, especially to the South.  The geese paid a short visit.  A skink scampered across the steps.  A tiger swallowtail and a little green heron swooped over the house and me, not at the same time.  The male towhee came for lunch.  A cabbage butterfly is flitting around.  Wasps, bees and beetles are enjoying the parsley.  I saw a Japanese beetle on the rosemary.  Later another skink hid behind the downspout to watch me. 

A skipper fed on the lavender.  I rescued a robber fly from the water and then it either died or pretended to.  The afternoon got grayer and chillier.  While in the pool, I heard a kak-ak-ak ratchety sound and discovered a pair of crows mating up in the pines.  A lot of noise came from the birdhouse, mostly a fussy buzzing. 

At supper, tufted titmice came to the feeder.  I went outside to see the extra big moon that is promised.  The female towhee showed up just as fireflies were beginning.  Then a fox sauntered past.  A little later I saw all four of them scampering around the neighbor's yard, but by then they were only shadows.  The moon still hasn't cleared the trees and it's supposed to have risen over an hour ago.

Finally, around 9:30pm the moon appeared.  I had to go down the drive to see it free of tree limbs.  Instead of craters, I saw a halo from the cloud remnants. 

Summer begins

At least three chickadees are tussling over who gets to perch at the feeder.  They are apparently too young to know what other things to perch on and what is too weak.  The hummer came, as did a Carolina wren, house finches, and cardinals.  It is cool and cloudy.

I spent the morning with children building fairy houses.  Despite the prediction of 0% precipitation, it has rained off-and-on.  Toward evening, the sky began to clear and the clouds tinted up. 

Beautiful morning, beautiful day

Titmice have been busy.  The male towhee whistled piercingly from the top of the post. He kicked mulch then perched on the shadow of the feeder.

More titmice and a hummer came at lunch. I was indoors way too much of this lovely day. Here's the brick closing the feeder.