Sunshine returns

K saw a blue jay on the feeder, but I missed it.  The house wren is in fine voice this morning.  I saw a lot of dragonflies down on the lower patio and around the shrubbery.   One had a black body and another, bigger had a white-powdered blue abdomen.  Others were too fast for any detail.  A cabbage butterfly was out as well.  And the usual feeder birds.  It is a gorgeous final day of the Merrie Month of May.

Dragonflies came around all day long.  In the late afternoon I got to watch fathers at work - house finch and towhee. The towhee, however, stashed his kid in the shade of an azalea so I couldn't get a decent photo. 

At supper time the towhee was forging around the birdbath.  After it took off, a brown thrasher started tossing the same mulch around.  We are overdue for fresh pine bark.  Sunset was very orange.

Still gray

There was a brief glimmer of sun so I have hope.  The house wren hunted bugs in the azalea next to the window while the regulars came to the feeder.   The windows picked up too many reflections for me to get a clear shot of the wren. 

A fox sauntered past after lunch.  I saw brown butterflies that I cannot identify. Clouds came and went, keeping the day from warming up, plus it's windy. 

K saw a hummer at supper. I ate later and the fox (or another) walked past again following the same route.  Do they come back by a different path? A cardinal watched from the railing.  Then, like a folk tale, the geese appeared with their goslings.  I shooed them off and on the way back saw the male towhee.  I'd been hearing its piercing one-note whistle but unable to locate the bird. 

The sky cleared at twilight and the breeze dropped.  A few clouds moved down from the WNW and sunset was a rich rose.

Gray sky

The rain stopped well before dawn but the day is cool and dank.  A female hummingbird seemed satisfied with the feeder juice, but camera shy.  Squirrels and the regulars visited.  One squirrel chased another up the feeder post and the pursued leaped into the birdbath with a mighty splash. The termite inspector came early and claimed to have seen a fox with a goose in its mouth in the front yard! 

The hummer was back at lunch.  The cardinals spend so much time patrolling the yard, I wonder if they have time to nest.  I could hear other birds I could not see.  The wrens continue to bustle around their house and to sing.  Have I mentioned there is a wren nest out front on a downspout hidden in the jessamine vine?  I think it's a Carolina wren but it's too dark to be sure. 

Mid afternoon, sprinkles of rain showed in the water. They returned after dark. 

Cloudy

Cardinals were busy on the feeder this morning and squirrels beneath.  Chickadees came later. 

The sky cleared during the morning and lots of dragonflies patrolled the yard.  At lunch time, I was ready for them so, of course, no dragonflies.  Meanwhile, a white glaze slid over the sky.  The wrens out-sang the other birds. 

By evening, there were distinct clouds again.  The wrens occasionally paused to survey their domicile.  Sunset was peach and gold behind the pines.  Some days are full of critters, some aren't. 

At bedtime lightning was flashing, followed by a crack that sounded like it struck the yard. Then the downpour. 

Fledging season

First up was a hungry brown thrasher which found and hammered something in the mulch.  A fledgling finch tried out the feeder.  A house wren came to the feeder area - I wish I could put out mealworms for the insect eaters.  The male cardinal continues to worry about its reflection in the pool. 

Mid morning, a big dragonfly buzzed around the patio but never paused to be identified.  A cabbage butterfly also made the rounds.  Then I saw a goose periscoping behind the rosebush and two half-grown goslings headed for the pool.  They were the size of adult mallards.  I yelled "go away" and they did. 

A female widow skimmer caught me without the camera.  A black swallowtail flirted with the rosemary and a skink hid beneath.  Dramatic cumulus made sunbeams but no storm.  A fledgling crow made a considerable racket and was attended by the whole family.  A young squirrel was curious about the pool and me.  I got a nice picture of a long legged fly. 

A few sprinkles of rain fell toward evening but didn't amount to anything. 

Fox visit

First thing this morning, before breakfast, a fox checked out our patio.  It nosed everywhere, looked right at me through the glass, trotted around the pool, and left.  Of course, a crow had to set up a racket announcing its presence.

Later the regular songbirds came to breakfast and the finches brought their four fledglings.  The house wrens were also busy.  It's another sunny morning.

It's getting hot.  I saw a black swallowtail and a smaller brownish butterfly.  Spiders are beginning to make noticeable webs. 

At lunch, an osprey landed up in the treetop on our side of the creek.  A dark and yellow butterfly flitted around the cherry, possibly a palamedes.

Mid afternoon, I saw a yellow crowned night heron land on the dock and walk to the West side.  Meanwhile, geese were foraging on the East.  Then the people across the creek came out to party and it looked like they were attempting crabbing.  That cleared out the birds.  There have been some clouds, out of the Southwest, but not as much as predicted. 

More sunshine

Squirrels have been active.  One begged at the window.  The regulars came to the feeder, along with a titmouse.  I glimpsed a female towhee under the rosemary and a female goldfinch above the birdhouse.  I shook off the chair a spider I think is a ground spider.  A cabbage butterfly took great interest in the money plant pods.  A blue tail skink ran across the steps.  After lunch, a female hummer fed briefly.  K checked and didn't see any mold. 

While we were in the pool, she saw foxes next door.  We think they were an adult and two cubs but a screen of shrubs made that uncertain.  Certainly, our neighbor noticed them too - I heard him say, "three of them."  I think I saw a towhee feeding a fledgling under the oak, but again, it's hard to be sure.  The sky has grown hazy.

Another pink sunset.  Fireflies are out already.  I saw them a couple of nights ago as well.