Still cool

The Carolina wren checked out the buffet early this morning.  Then we rushed off to a meeting.

When we arrived home I saw the bluebirds, and also a butterfly on the indigo.  But after I got the camera, nothing.  A squirrel worked on the neighbors' bird feeder.

A female hummingbird tried out the feeder.  A small blue tailed skink crossed the steps.  The downy woodpeckers were willing to try sunflower seeds now that the good suet was gone.

Toward evening when the light was poor, I saw something drop from the trees.  It turned out to be a mockingbird.

Cooler and windy

Brown debris from the trees' flowering coated the creek in the morning.  At lunch time, I saw dragonflies.  A female amberwing perched.  A different dragonfly with clear wings hung from the middle of the daffodil leaves.  I believe it was a common baskettail.  I also saw a butterfly, but it got away as did a damselfly. The cat sauntered through the yard in the bright sunlight.

An odd bee, or possibly a bee fly, sipped and hovered around an azalea. Turtles were out n the lake logs.  A paper wasp worked on the bench.  I saw a bluebird go into the nest box. but missed the photo. 

Warm and sunny

Downy woodpeckers wanted the last bits of suet.  They were confused when I took that suet cage down to get ready to hang a hummer feeder.  A Carolina wren checked out the feeders.  Then a crow awkwardly helped itself to the mealworms.  Blue jays, on the other hand, watched from the trees.  The warbler and the white throats were still here.  The goose families made several attempts to move in.  The first flycatcher of the year hopped around branches.  A house wren sang in the late afternoon. 

Lots  of spider threads were scattered randomly.  Bees and wasps were after nectar.  A blue tailed and a mature skink came out into the sun. The blue eyed grass had a couple of flowers.  Fiddleheads were unfurling.  Clouds at sunset turned a pastel orange.

Goslings

A few drops of rain fell in the morning, then the sky cleared.   The summer outfitted yellow rumped warbler was still around.  Downy woodpeckers worked on the last bit of expensive suet.  The cheap suet was only about half nibbled. I saw a red bellied woodpecker and a bluebird up in the trees.  Crows were hanging around for some reason.   Two goose families visited, one with the Muscovy nanny. They left a lot of poop, mostly where it would be annoying. 

Bees were flying and I thought I saw dragonflies, but they didn't land.  They certainly zipped around like dragonflies.  Yellow jacket queens searched for suitable nest sites.  A wasp visited azalea flowers.   Lots of turtles were out on logs catching the sun. 

Missed opportunities

A house wren hopped all around the feeders then departed just as I was getting focused. An adult cormorant studied the water from the neighbors' floating dock.  A juvenile perched on a lake snag, ignoring a turtle.  I was away for the middle of the day. 

It was a beautiful day that I spent too little time appreciating. I went outside intending to plant seeds in anticipation of rain tomorrow.  But I got caught up in looking around and never got to the seeds.  The coral honeysuckle was covered with flowers.  The pink azalea had a patch of magenta flowers and another patch of white.  Yellow jackets were more interested in nectar than color.  The purple iris had only four buds left. 

Unfortunately, I discovered the tall red cedar is infected with something that causes swelling and then bursts through in rusty orange lines. And a veil of clouds poured East bringing a chill that drove me back inside

Toward evening, I saw the first hummingbird of the year, his ruby throat flashing as he tried to get nectar from the blue wood hyacinths.  Not only was I not fast enough with the camera, I had taken the feeder in to clean and hadn't got around to putting one back out.  A female red bellied woodpecker didn't wait to be photographed either. The bluebirds dashed in and out of the nest box so I assume the eggs have hatched. White throats poked around and a summer-suited yellow rump warbler visited.  I don't know if it was a migrant passing through or one that wintered here.  The cat came with the dusk. 

Wet day

There was fog in the early morning but that lifted and we had sunshine.  White throats didn't wait for breakfast.  Nor did the male red bellied woodpecker.  All the many shades of spring green glowed in the sunlight, washed clean of pollen.  The creek was placid but clouded with silt. 

In the afternoon, threatening clouds built up.  Geese brought their goslings to help fertilize the lawn.  Lightning cracked and soon rain fell - blindingly for a short time, then very lightly till sunset.  The sinking sun made a rainbow.  Later, the moon had a ring.

Rain

Dawn was pink, then misty.  It soon turned to rain, sometimes light, but all day and into night. I saw white throated sparrows, downy woodpeckers, cardinals and chickadees.  Coming home from the morning meeting, I annoyed the bluebird who popped out of the box and flew off. The wild cherry was beginning to flower.  Slugs climbed the windows.