Wind and sun

The wind roared all night and pushed the last clouds east in the early morning.  A pelican came past, low to the creek.  Other birds were blown all over the sky.

The patio was very busy.  First the white spot squirrel dropped in.  Then a blue jay wanted a drink.  A robin perched on a chair arm, then the rest of the flock flew past.  A flock of goldfinches investigated the gumballs that had blown down.  As always, white throat sparrows and juncos kicked the mulch.  Carolina wrens joined them.  chickadees and house finches came to the feeder and I glimpsed a titmouse.   I am so glad to be home!

A flock of robins blew through at lunch.  A bufflehead and some geese paddled on the wind-blown creek.  Crows are up to something. 

Coast to coast

The only species I saw all week were humans and pigeons.  And there was no sun. Meanwhile, I missed the first snowfall since I began this blog.  Well, I guess Mt. Rainier ought to be enough snow for any reasonable person. 

Cold, seed balls

The creek is ice-free and a lone gull floated on its mirror-image.  I glimpsed some birds, but none settled in for a visit.  I need to thaw the birdbath.

I've been running around all day with no time to observe.  At lunch, great black-backed gulls were plunging into the creek after fish.  A few geese and buffleheads went by.  Nothing else to be seen.  I finally added hot water to the birdbath, but it may not have been enough to melt the ice. 

I think the cold got to my brain - I did not check the feeder when I filled the birdbath.  So, of course it has been empty all day.  K refilled it this evening.  Egrets have been working in sunny spots along the banks. 

So, for interest, here is a comparison of sycamore seed balls and sweet gum seed balls. Sycamore (top) are soft and pull apart into fluff.  Sweet gum (bottom) are spiky caltrops with holes for the seeds which the birds like. So, trees that grow their own ornaments. 

Chilly and bright

A beautiful dawn with a few cumulus cream puffs turning to butter.  But it is cold and gusty.  The birds came in a rush to breakfast.  First a red cardinal brightened the mulch. Soon sparrows and juncos joined.  A wren went for the feeder, then a female cardinal played queen of the hill, pushing titmice and finches and juncos off the perch.  This junco's counter-shading is very evident as it crunches a seed.  The demarcation between gray upper and white under makes me think of dying Easter eggs. 

Then they all left. Last to go was a white throat that often seems to stay behind.  I don't understand why they fight over the feeder then leave it alone then come back and do it all again.

An hour has passed and the sky has grayed over though the sun still shines.  It looks like the crows have found the hawk again.  Some doves stopped by briefly along with a lone white throat sparrow.  Then juncos showed up.  One pried very industriously at the seeds frozen in the birdbath.  A yellow-rumped warbler appeared and went to work on the rosemary.  It seems attracted to winter flowers, but I cannot tell what it is eating.  Carolina wrens came to the feeder. 

Bright and clear

Sparrows were out and about. A crow hammered away at something while perched on the fence.  Pelicans have been cruising by without success. 

Curiously, despite three freezes, parts of the lantana are still green.  The Carolina Jessamine seed pods have opened.  The seeds are like those in a pine cone - a little flat wing thickened at one end.  I distributed some in various spots around the yard.  The rose over by the fig has been blooming, presumably because all the pruning has given it more sun. 

A flock of juncos enjoyed puttering in the mulch, drinking at the birdbath, and occasionally flying up to the feeder.  A Carolina wren joined them.  Then a titmouse.  Then everyone disappeared and I too saw a hawk.

Late afternoon, I went out on the dock.  It was pretty warm but there was wind.   Three female hooded mergansers  scooted off to the other side of the creek.  The low sun turned their brown to gold.  A pelican was fishing very successfully.  I watched several go down the gullet.  Cormorants and gulls flew past and the moon rode high and bright. The mud bank is covered with raccoon prints. 

Warmer, still sunny

Pelicans and gulls are fishing our section of creek.  These are the great black back gulls that only show up in the winter.  Geese and ducks are also out there.  Sparrows and squirrels are busy on the ground.  Titmice, nuthatches, finches, and wrens have been to the feeder.  Juncos showed up mid-morning.  By then the streaky clouds at dawn were gone. 

It is very windy and that's keeping most birds away.  Only chickadees are venturing out to the feeder.  A flock of diving birds came driving a school of fish upstream and after a bit back down.  I saw red-breasted mergansers and cormorants for sure. The camera kept focusing on nearer vegetation so they are too blurry to post, but enough for identification. 

Pileated woodpecker

Frost everywhere but the creek is only half iced.  Squirrels were busy in the frosted mulch.  Nuthatches, titmice, and juncos visited the feeder while sparrows scurried on the ground.

Woody went to work on the sweet gum, then after giving one spot a good hammering, hopped over to a pine.  Actually, all I could see was the silhouette so I don't know if it was male or female.  The sky is again cloudless.

The birdbath was still frozen at 11 so I poured hot water in.  A white-throated sparrow was grateful.  Nuthatches and chickadees were visiting the feeder.  

I decided to watch the evening commute from the dock.  Three female buffleheads paddled downstream, then one took off and the setting sun highlighted the splashes.  The moon is at first quarter and the cormorants are flying in formation in larger groups at sunset. 

No snow

It is not cold enough for frost either.  So much for all the excitement.  It is, however, a beautiful morning with a cloudless sky and little wind.  The creek is shimmering - just enough movement to sparkle.  It has attracted geese, a male bufflehead, a pair of pelicans, and a black bird with a white head I hope was an eagle. 

The squirrel with the white spot was out early, along with a Carolina wren, white throated sparrows, juncos, and doves.  Cardinals, both kinds of finch, titmice, chickadees and nuthatches came to the feeder.

Mourning doves

A half dozen or so were scavenging in the rain, as were a squirrel, a junco, and a sparrow.  The doves sound like stage owls, their coo is really a who.  Something startled them but not the squirrel.  It is still gray and wet but this is supposed to be the last day of it.  A steady drop in temperature is predicted which will clear the skies.

By late morning, the feeder was quite busy.  A cardinal held it against titmice, finches, and a wren.  Later the finches did the same.  Juncos, wrens, titmice, chickadees, and nuthatches nevertheless snatched seeds.  Sparrows scurried below with more juncos, wrens and doves.  Meanwhile a pelican cruised over the creek.

All were gone by lunch.  Snow is predicted for tonight.  It has not snowed since my last week working. A cold, raw wind is driving the rain against the windows. 

Brown birds in gray rain

Sparrows and a wren scurried around the birdbath.  Finches and nuthatches fed at the feeder. Later, juncos, chickadees, and a drab goldfinch appeared.  A pelican took the plunge.

Four goldfinches eventually settled into the mulch.  A titmouse joined a cardinal and a house finch on the feeder and tripped the counterweight.

At lunch a nuthatch sat for a long time watching us. 

Gray misty rain

It is not really fog - the air is full of water but it doesn't obscure the trees.  Gothic dreariness. And now it rains.

At noon, chickadees, nuthatches and Carolina wrens braved the rain to visit the feeder.  Juncos and squirrels fed below.  A pelican passed through.  

After dark, back to thick mist. 

A beautiful dawn.

Clouds in all direction were flushed with color.  In the West, they were sharp-edged lens shapes shading from peach to lavender.  Streaks in the North were more creamy.  The clouds have been thickening since but the sun is still shining.  I hear crows but the only visible birds are flying high.  Geese paddled upstream.  It is shirt-sleeve warm, very wet, and the windows were fogged. A sparrow hid in the rosemary. 

By mid-morning the sun was gone.  Rain sprinkled intermittently.  The feeder was empty and is now refilled.  Only some chickadees and a cardinal have noticed. Something is still feasting on gum balls, but I cannot make out what bird it is.  A pelican is fishing.  It flew over the dam but did not see anything in the fresh water and came back.  An egret is fishing above the dam - they don't seem to care about fresh or salt water. 

The rain came on more heavily with evening and then faded to mist in the night.  The temperature dropped quickly.  

More fog, more birds

The fog is not as thick as yesterday at this time.  A pelican is catching fish quite frequently.  Birds are busy with the sweet gum balls.  That may explain the goldfinch and bluebird in the photo, because they did not actually feed on the feeder.  Nuthatches, house finches, chickadees and titmice did, while juncos and sparrows foraged below.

The fog lifted again but the sky is still white.  A weak sunlight is penetrating the overcast.  A pelican has been fishing all morning.   Crows rousted a hawk again.  A mockingbird paused on a dogwood.

By afternoon, the sky is just hazy and the sun is casting shadows.  The pelican is still at it.

Now it is getting on toward evening and the sky is blue with wisps of cirrus.  All day, the air smelled strongly of decomposing leaf meal - I found it pleasant. 

Fog

It is hanging heavy over the creek and the trees.  Sparrows were busy in the mulch while chickadees and cardinals visited the feeder.

The fog dissipated somewhat as the morning went on, but visible vapor was rising from Lake Smith at 11am.  It is quite warm.  I can hear birds but they refuse to appear.

As we ate lunch, chickadees, sparrows, titmice, and a Carolina wren ate too.  A blue jay observed from a distance.  Out on the creek a pelican fished fairly successfully. The neighbor's son's net fishing did not appear to go as well. 

In the late aternoon the fog is thickening again. When I looked out after dark, neighbors' outside lights were making the fog glow.  I wonder if it will persist through the night? 

Blazing sunrise, gray day

I did not have a camera with me when the sun came up.  There were a lot of clouds, but they were individually distinct with sky between.  First they were red to rosy-gray, then orange-gold.  The whole sky was colored as I drove West. 

When I came back around 10am, the clouds had merged into pervasive grayness.  Chickadees and sparrows were feeding along with a squirrel when I got home.  The creek appeared empty of activity.  It is still warm.

Hooded mergansers paddled upstream.  Right at 1pm the rain began.  

Goldfinches!

Clouds in the West were blushing when I got up but the ones to the North were already cream.  They are soft looking and lie in waves across the Northern sky.  Smaller pressure ridges cross-hatch them.  They are drifting East.  A large flock flew North in a high V formation.  I could not tell if they were migrants or the resident Canada geese.  Several herons flew around the creek which is again a perfect mirror. 

The feeder and mulch below have been busy.  Finches, cardinals, titmice, and nuthatches squabbled over a place on the perch.  A brown bird I did not recognize also showed up.  I think it was a female brown-headed cowbird.  On the ground, song and white throat sparrows and juncos scurried while a goldfinch got a drink.

Gulls and buzzards have been circling over the creek.  A squirrel tackled the feeder, got tangled in the perch, and fell off.  It immediately began pawing through the mulch as though nothing had happened.   Chickadees, juncos, nuthatches and finches are still hungry.  Squirrels seem to be thirsty as well. 

At dusk, mourning doves appeared.  

Creek mist

We are beginning with sunshine but there is a streak of cloud to the East.  Mist is hanging over the flat water.  The dawn mist that sublimes from the creek is one of my favorite things about winter in tidewater.  So far, a junco, a wren, and two nuthatches have visited.  The feeder and patio are still in shade.

As the sun reaches the feeder more birds appear.  Carolina wrens are usually loners so I was surprised when two shared the feeder.  Nuthatches, chickadees, titmice, and house finches joined them,  On the ground, squirrels and white-throated sparrows clawed through the mulch. 

I love it when the camera surprises me.  I saw a bird in the cedar and then it flew to the feeder and then away.  It had a gray breast so I thought it might be a titmouse, but I got two photos which reveal it was a yellow-rumped warbler.

More clouds appeared in the afternoon and the sun set in a blaze.  The day was very warm, shirt-sleeve weather.  I bet it will rain tomorrow.  The warmth brought out little moths that were all over the window outside the lighted kitchen. 

Still cloudless

There was frost overnight and mist rising from the glassy creek.  I poured hot water in the birdbath.  The nuthatches showed up first. I wonder if the color difference means male and female?  I checked and indeed it does - the male is on the left with the darker breast. 

Then a wren, chickadees and titmice, and finally a female finch came to the feeder.  Juncos, both kinds of sparrows, the female towhee, and a squirrel worked on the ground.  This is the first time I've seen the towhee come out on a bright sunny day, though it did stay in the shade.  Egrets and herons have passed, and I believe the hawk is lurking in the pines.  The blackbird flock passed over.

The afternoon is going cloudy.

Clear sky

Bright sunshine illuminating nothing but geese.  The nuthatch is up.

By late morning, everyone was busy eating.  On the creek, geese, buffleheads, gulls, and pelicans fished. Under the feeder, juncos, sparrows and squirrels found plenty.  To juncos got into a tussle and rose into the air.  Nuthatches on the feeder were joined by chickadees, titmice, finches, and the occasional junco.  One titmouse fiercely defended its place on the perch.

Across the creek, a raptor burst out of the pines.  A minute later, red-wing blackbirds fled past us. Is this a hawk or a young eagle? I'm going to guess red-tailed hawk. 

Little wet wren

It sat on the top step and looked and looked, and finally dashed under the rosemary.   After a while, two nuthatches visited the feeder.

An occasional streak of blue appears between clouds.  A buzzard circled.  Chickadees and squirrels visited.  One squirrel was very curious about me.  It or another scooted its bottom on the pavement just like an itchy dog.  I've never seen that before.

Things perked up at lunch with the arrival of a flock of blackbirds.  Some fed on the gum-balls.  The flock included robins and jays which came to the birdbath to drink.  One red wing blackbird flashed its shoulders dramatically as it swooped in.  Doves also arrived.  Sparrows and juncos joined the chickadees and nuthatches.  A mockingbird flew to the redwood.

By the end of the day, the cloud cover broke into little puffs and streaks flowing East tinted by the setting sun.  Flocks of birds headed home.

Lively breakfast

The birdbath is frozen, so it may not be any warmer, but the creek is ice-free and gulls are circling.  Three blue jays checked out the yard.  A half dozen doves pecked at everything including each other.  Also foraging on the ground were sparrows and the towhee, and of course squirrels.  On the feeder: the nuthatch, two titmice, two Carolina wrens, chickadees, finches, and cardinals.  The day is clear and bright, the creek is glassy and the air seems still. 

Coming home for lunch, I saw that the clear blue sky was now smudged with cirrus clouds.  The creek was still mirroring the sunlit trees but incoming current rippled the image.  The nuthatch came by, along with sparrows and squirrels. 

Freeze

The creek is iced over and there is frost on most surfaces.  It is clear and still and there is a hint of mist above the dam.  The ice in the birdbath was broken, probably by a squirrel, and the edges looked about a quarter inch thick.  I poured hot water in and a squirrel came for a drink,  A nuthatch came to the feeder.

It is cold enough that the hot water I added to the birdbath refroze.  At lunch, the creek is still iced on our side but open water against the bulkhead opposite - that's where the current runs.  A squirrel finally noticed the sunflowers today and chewed the biggest seed-head loose and carried it off.  Birds are still absent.

This evening, everything was melted.  Juncos, sparrows and doves were foraging for supper.  Cormorants were commuting home while gulls were just flying around, going nowhere.   There is a faint line of cloud on the Northern horizon. 

Gray day

An egret was reflected below the dam outflow.  Crows chased each other for lack of a better target.  Geese paddled around.

Three squirrels chowed down around the birdbath.  A couple of white-throats hung out in the bushes and I glimpsed a towhee. 

In the late afternoon, the clouds began to break up toward the North and admit a little sunset color.  Egrets, geese, and a bufflehead went by on the water, but nothing around the feeder.  Then the cormorants commuted home. 

More gray & wet

Not much activity so far. The leucojum is sending up shoots.  The pink camellia is past its prime and looking disreputable with brown petal litter. 

At lunch, the birds arrived.  First came the Carolina wrens, the nuthatches, and the chickadees.  Cardinals, sparrows, and the female towhee followed.  It is drying out and a moment of weak sun leaked through.

New year rains in

 It would make much more sense to me to begin the year at the solstice instead of ten days later.  Nevertheless, I overslept, and all I've seen this morning are a junco on the feeder and a squirrel trying to rob the feeder.  And raindrops plinking one at a time into the birdbath. A little later a chickadee showed up. 

When we returned after mid-afternoon, the birds were having a party with a squirrel.  A half dozen doves, a towhee, two wrens, sparrows, juncos, finches, cardinals, chickadees and a nuthatch were all making a mess.  Hulls everywhere.  They rushed off when we came in, but gradually drifted back.  The photo is a Carolina wren and a white-throated sparrow, both have white eyeliner. 

A flock of cedar waxwings paused in the redwood.  An eagle soared over the dam.  Gulls cruised the creek, occasionally making plunges into the water.  Not a bad start to the year.