Jessamine in January

I know it has been a mild winter but this is 3 months early! The Carolina jessamine is in a planter against a wall with a Southern exposure, but still...

I left before dawn for a meeting. When I got back, blackbirds and robins were all over the sweet gum in the front yard. In the back, a chickadee was singing in the oak. Gulls, mergansers, egrets and a pelican were monitoring the creek. The pelican was on the boathouse roof and a great black-backed gull was honking from a piling. The egrets were picking their way along the low tide edge. A lot of mud was exposed - half way out to the end of the dock. The camera battery must be low because all the photos were over-exposed and out of focus.

Today was certainly warm enough to be Spring.

More sunshine

And a glassy creek. House finches and blue jays sang in the treetops. Gulls and crows sat on the dock while a turkey vulture patrolled overhead. Chickadees flew about the yard.

At lunch, chickadees and juncos visited the feeder while squirrels were everywhere, including one that nibbled on the nandina berries right outside the kitchen window. A pelican checked out the creek.

At dusk a few smudges of cloud in the Northeast turned pink as background for the daily cormorant commute. Some head toward each compass point passing others headed opposite. Why don't they live near where they fish?

The planet that has been trailing the moon is now ahead of it as the moon waxes toward first quarter. Both are visible in the West during evening now and a different planet shows up in the early morning.

Cooler with sun

But it was freezing at this time last year. Cloud puffs blew off to the East. They tinted very nicely at dawn. A couple of herons flew downstream. Then a thirsty sparrow showed up for a drink.

It is clear blue now. A female cardinal and a chickadee have visited the feeder. Then a mockingbird landed in the top of the redwood.

The creek was a mirror at dawn. Then it got quite ruffled and looked to be flowing in. Now at mid morning is is glassy again.

A robin and some doves stopped in for a drink. Then juncos showed up. The sky stayed clear all day and a crescent moon trailed the sun by about 90 degrees.

Bright and warm - big and small

The early morning creek was a perfect mirror when the geese cruised by. Now it is wavy but still glassy. One of the eagles circled over it at noon.

Meanwhile the feeder was visited by titmice, chickadees, finches and juncos. And honeybees are still coming to the rosemary on every warm day. More bulbs are up, not just the snowbells which started growing a month ago.

Later a pelican passed through. In the late afternoon, a flock of gulls feasted on something in the water under a dock across the creek. I couldn't see what they were darting their heads under to catch. A great blackback sat on the roof of the boathouse and harangued them. Most of the gulls were small with a few ring-bills. The warmth didn't last though the blue sky did.

Wet and warm

The pavement looked like it was sweating at dawn, but now it's just rain. Nothing much going on.

And then, at lunch, the sun came out. The clouds moved off Northeast and a rainbow appeared. Juncos, chickadees, titmice, cardinals, sparrows all came out of hiding. Mergansers appeared on the creek.

Warm with clouds coming

The day started bright, but clouds moved in around lunch. Kathleen refilled the feeder. Juncos and house finches were delighted. The closer bird in the photo is a female and the male is stretching tall.

Squirrels and bulbs are anticipating Spring. Gulls were about, including the great black-back that seems to have staked out this territory. Bees visited the rosemary. The air is warm but the damp makes it feel cooler.

Honking and cawing

Geese came through before it was fully light. Then an eagle landed in one of the neighbor's trees. Crows drove it across the creek. The dawn was pink and the sky clear. The eagle has now returned at least twice to the same perch.

After Dallas, it feels very chilly here, though it is actually the norm for this season. A pelican flew up the creek at lunch. I haven't seen any birds on the feeder. Later a great black-backed gull was swimming and feeding on something just offshore. Interestingly, I saw one exactly a year ago doing the same.

After sunset, a planet trailed a moon sliver into the West.

Home again

And all the wildlife I saw in the course of a week was some pigeons.

Overnight rain

And today the temperature is supposed to drop back into the winter range. A damp wind is pushing the clouds but it is not as strong as yesterday. Juncos were out at dawn feeding and geese were honking. A few pelicans checked out the creek along with gulls and crows.

By noon, the sky has gone blue. A pair of cardinals keep chasing the juncos off the feeder. A pair of finches squabbled between themselves instead. A buzzard swooped very low over the house - since I'm facing North toward the creek, birds I cannot see cast ominous shadows that I can see. Last year it was misty on this date. I'll be back next week.

Much, much warmer

From ice yesterday to shorts today! A tangerine sunrise and fleecy clouds blowing East. It is breezy enough to blow a big flock of crows off course. A pelican nevertheless flew upstream into the wind. Juncos, doves, and the robin pecked on the patio and visited the bird bath. Chickadees and finches visited the feeder.

There was a mid-January warm spell last year which brought out a mockingbird and goldfinches as well as the usual suspects.

The wind is very strong. Clouds are flying across the sky and crows and gulls are playing on the gusts. A buzzard struggled West. The robin came back for a drink but nothing is attempting the feeder. It is swinging too much.

Rain was predicted but the sky was clear at sunset.

Ice on the creek

A flock of geese landed, and skidded. Their weight is enough to create a little round waterhole for them to sit in. But they can also walk on the ice. I wondered if they would be able to take off again, but they did. I poured more hot water into the birdbath. I have refilled the feeder but no one has noticed yet.

The creek has refrozen where the goose puddles were. I notice the creek was frozen a year ago, on the 15th actually.

By mid afternoon, the creek had melted, though there were still ice chunks in the birdbath water. The robin was back along with a yellow rumped warbler. A male cardinal, a junco, and chickadees discovered the feeder.

Sun and wind

A fleet of geese passed upstream. Pelicans, egrets, and herons have been fishing. Doves and squirrels investigate the patio.

A junco alerted me that the water in the birdbath was frozen even though it's not down to freezing on the thermometer. So I added warm water which pleased a female cardinal and a chickadee. Blue jays and a brown thrasher scouted around on the steps. The feeder needs refilling.

Out on the creek several hooded merganser pairs have passed by along with cormorants and possibly a red-breasted merganser.

Robin

The robin scared off a junco. I can't call it the first robin of spring as they never leave. I saw a flock fly over the creek a few evenings ago, very red in the sunset. But I don't usually see any close to the house in the winter. Also appearing this morning, a crow proclaimed from a dock piling and a flock of geese went by.

Mid morning a half dozen buzzards circled them moved on. At lunch, pelicans were fishing. Crows harassed a hawk. And a flock of doves pecked around the patio. Several egrets flew downstream.

Roaring wind

The temperature is supposed to drop steadily all day. The feeder is rocking but a chickadee hopped on during a brief lull. A female cardinal and juncos stuck to the ground. A flock of diving birds went downstream but I couldn't tell if they were cormorants or ducks. Gulls and pelicans are fighting the wind to go upstream. A white throated sparrow had a drink at the birdbath.

At long last, today the red maple tree was planted to replace our lost oak. We had McDonald Garden Center do it which gives us a 2-year warranty. I wonder how long it will be before it begins to replace the shade we lost. At least, it is a native and adds variety for the critters who need native vegetation.

Blue sky is back

And it is getting warm. The moon is waning but very bright in the West at dawn. An early pelican inspected the creek.

The feeder is popular again. Finches were queuing up for a perch. Juncos ate both on the feeder and the ground, where they were joined by white throated sparrows.

In the afternoon, bees visited the rosemary. Doves cooed in the trees. Soft little clouds streamed out of the Southwest, but by evening they were all gone. Geese lined the bulkhead, then jumped into the creek, then flapped back out. Hundreds of cormorants did their evening commute, some heading upstream and others down. Gulls all headed North. Between the breeze and the lack of clouds, the sunset wasn't much.

Pink sunrise, gone gray

No visible moon setting this morning. A cardinal is on the feeder and I hear geese honking. A disturbance on the creek resolved into cormorants boiling up from below and then a pelican joined them. But I was on my way out and couldn't wait to see more.

Squirrels are romping. More pelicans. The rain has come.

It let up a bit and juncos and a white throat appeared. Then it returned in a lethargic way - distinct drops - but enough to keep everyone out of sight. The empty feeder is reflected on the wet concrete.

Dramatic moonset

It went down into a cloud bank on the horizon. Now the day is sunny with heavy dew everywhere.

On the creek, a bufflehead and a pair of mergansers swim by. A brown thrasher and a mockingbird are in the trees. Now the geese are lined up on the bulkhead again.

It's only low 50s, but bees are out, and yes they do like camellias as well as rosemary. Chickadees and titmice are busy on the feeder. Something I cannot quite see is scurrying under the rosemary.

Rain

So far the rain is very light, splashing in the birdbath but leaving a dry spot under the mesh patio chairs. Squirrels greeted dawn as did a bufflehead. It is keeping station out on the creek off the end of the dock. Juncos are hunting seeds on the ground and one took to the feeder.

Lunchtime and the lone bufflehead is still out there. A pelican just flew by. Dreary day.

Last evening I watched First Flight, a video of a hummingbird and its nest. The photography was great, though they had a unique opportunity with the nest on a clothesline on a porch - so they could get images from every angle. I could have put the sound on mute though, as they overdid the music and the narrator had an accent. The hummingbird was a western species but not all that different from a ruby throat. One thing I will remember is that if I see a hummer with spiderweb, there is a nest somewhere near.

The sun continues, but cooler

A squirrel was around so early there was barely enough light to see it. The feeder has been popular with titmice and a female cardinal. Pelicans are cruising the creak - four came downstream together.

The geese are all lined up on the bulkhead, this afternoon. Juncos are back from wherever they go on warm days. Doves and white throated sparrows are also hunting on the ground.

Raccoons

Two burly raccoons were on that patio at 11pm last night. One climbed the feeder post. It didn't manage to open the feeder and my picture-taking annoyed them so they left even though the camera refused to flash.

This morning a squirrel tried the feeder - possibly it smelled the raccoon? A half dozen finches and a cardinal and a wren also visited the feeder.

I spent the morning in a meeting and, coming out, saw this pelican on the Lafayette River.

Getting warmer

Cirrus wisps and sunshine, breezy with a ruffled surface on the creek. The clouds dissipated and it warmed up enough for honeybees. And a three hour power outage! Since I could do nothing electrical, I sat with the camera, which was uncooperative again.

Nevertheless, I caught the wren demanding room on the feeder and the yellow rumped warbler hanging about. Also on the feeder were a male cardinal, house finches, chickadees and titmice. Down below were squirrels, doves and white throated sparrows. A blue jay paused for a moment then left.

Crows hassled a hawk, a buzzard circled, and gulls took a great interest in the creek, first two black backs, then a flotilla of medium size gulls. An egret fished along the bulkhead.

Still cold

The sun is shining and the squirrels are hopeful. One watched another preen, then they played chase, then right at my feet (but outside the window) one crawled into the watering can and the other hopped on top. The one inside scrambled back out and the chase was on. I wish I could have photographed it, but they were too close and the window frame reflection interfered. But it was a hoot!

Meanwhile the feeder hosted finches, chickadees and titmice while sparrows and juncos hopped below. Jays and a cardinal hung out in the bushes. A great blue heron sunned on the bulkhead across the creek. At lunch, the female kingfisher showed up again, but I don't think she caught anything despite several plunges. And another squirrel crawled in the watering can! I put water in the birdbath in case that's what they are after. It is warmer today after a hard freeze earlier in the week.

I spent an hour freezing out on the dock. A lone goose on the far bank heard the honking of a passing flock, cried "wait for me" in goose, then jumped into the creek and took off from the water. A hooded merganser pair paddled past, she in the lead by about 20 feet. The waxing gibbous moon rose over the pines as birds flew home to roost. Several photos were no good because my battery was dying.

Cold and sunny

Not much going on - a few gulls.

Now the feeder is in the sun and juncos, chickadees, titmice, and a male house finch are feeding. A white throated sparrow is hunting for dropped seeds on the steps, along with more juncos. And pelicans, cormorants and egrets are out on the water along with mallards and buffleheads. A yellow rumped warbler and a yellow shafted flicker showed up at lunch. (We really need new shingles!)

Last year I saw a mockingbird along with the usual suspects.

Cold wind blowing

It must be harsh out on the bay. Cormorants and gulls are fishing the creek instead. A heron was poised by the bulkhead across the creek, but it flew off. Then crows hassled a hawk in the pines over that spot - maybe that's why the heron left?

Egrets gathered below the bulkhead where it's in the sun and out of the wind. Then a female kingfisher landed on the dock bench with a fish. She whacked it on the wood repeatedly as she worked it around into swallowing position. I had to take the photo through a screen unfortunately.

Clouds have rolled in and the wind is even stronger. A lone bufflehead paddled upstream and some mallards passed it on their way downstream. An eagle put in a brief appearance overhead. Chickadees and titmice visited the feeder, then a male red bellied woodpecker showed up. It perched almost upside down with head back and tail tucked under the feeder. I think that's because woodpeckers always brace with their tails on tree trunks, but Kathleen thinks it was to make room for the long beak. At any rate, it flew off to the oak and busied itself with a knot hole. Last year one did the same feeder trick in mid-February. But a year ago today was not so interesting, though I did hear an owl then.

Chilling down

Windy too. A lone bufflehead was out on the creek in the early light. They seem to spend more time alone than other ducks and more time paddling than the mergansers. Crows were making a ruckus early.

I took the New Year's oyster shells down to the creek. The sun felt good, but the wind was cold. However, a dandelion popped into bloom despite the drop in temperature. Birds were plentiful: a male hooded merganser, a female bufflehead, mallards, geese, crows, great blue herons, cormorants, pelicans, and a herring gull. The pelican overhead appeared to worry the bufflehead which changed direction to avoid its shadow. But even the pelican's splashdown didn't disturb a nearby cormorant.

This day last year was my first firm sighting of the eagle, and I noted other birds were fishing. The feeder was busier, possibly because of the snowstorm, and I saw robins and a sapsucker in addition to the usual suspects. Not this year!

Happy New Year

Mist hung over the creek as the sun came up. Herons, a bufflehead, gulls and cormorants were fishing. Juncos scouted the patio while chickadees and titmice visited the feeder.

Last year was somewhat colder with the melting remains of snow. Virginia Beach Naturally (which I've now finished) has a monthly calender which recommends watching & listening for foxes and owls in January. We saw an animal across the creek that might have been a red fox but was probably a dog with a brushy tail.

Around lunch, I saw a pelican. Squirrels were getting their exercise. Also, there were contrails, and more interesting, one contrail cast a shadow across another. It was quite windy.