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.