Shadowless morning

We are outside the range of groundhogs and it is illegal to move a Marmota monax here, but if there were a hypothetical woodchuck visiting, it would see nothing but overcast this morning. Originally in Europe other hibernating animals were presumed to emerge on Candlemas or Imbolc. "If Candlemas Day is clear and bright, / winter will have another bite. / If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, / winter is gone and will not come again." I'm not aware of any hibernating animals here. It was warm and raining last Groundhog Day.

Everything is dripping though the rain is stopped for now. The usual suspects are on the feeder, primarily finches and chickadees, but I thought I glimpsed a wren. I can hear jays. Robins are on the roof getting a drink from the gutter. A blackbird flock comes and goes. Now robins are all over the yard and birdbath. Lots of chirping between the blackbirds and robins. A pelican checked out the creek and I saw an unidentifiable woodpecker hopping up a tree. Across the creek crows were harassing a larger bird, probably the hawk.

Nasty at noon - wind and rain, and one finch hunkered down on the feeder perch. But after that blew through, patches of sky appeared and glimpses of sunlight. The juncos came out to feed. The sun has been playing peek-a-boo since, same as last year. And by mid-afternoon it has gone all blue! And it stayed that way right through sunset.

After dark, I saw a wolfish face at the window. There's a husky in the neighborhood who gets loose every so often and somehow gets into our back yard. It's friendly, but I don't want it chasing the wildlife.