Weekend Soup and a few sightings

My weekend was a soupy one, as you can see by my photo this morning. The soup continues into Monday and certainly contributed to my need for a headlamp when I walked the still slightly skunky Dog this morning. Were the humidity within a normal range, he might not give off an odor, but with the atmosphere looking like this, I can still get a whiff of skunk every now and again.

The good news about the soup is that it means the temperature isn’t 90 degrees or more. Saturday felt almost like fall, though I’m sure part of that was simply my relief that it wasn’t 90 degrees. The sense of fall was heightened by the drought-withered leaves falling to the ground in the slightest breeze.  You can see the results of that in today's photo, with yellowing leaves littering the path.

I found a large eastern garter snake stretched out in my driveway, likely hoping to catch a few rays. I was glad I didn’t have Dog or Baby Dog with me when I saw it, though a camera would have been nice. I carry my camera whenever I take a walk, but not usually when I’m feeding the chickens.

The soup also likely contributed to the great horned owl calling at a time when on a sunny morning he would already be abed (or is that a-limb?). The eastern pewees and wood thrush were singing together this morning, the pewee no doubt confused by the late dawn, and the wood thrush not to be deterred, despite it.

Overall, I think the soupy weather reduced the number and variety of birds I saw this weekend. Once the air clears, early migrants will certainly move and give me something new to look at.