Cold and bright

The creek is frozen.  A cormorant sailed over it looking for open water.   Three squirrels are up.  Two are rooting in the mulch while the third does back-flips off the dogwood trunk.  I've seen squirrels do this before but the only explanation I can think of is simple joy at being alive.   I need to try video recording for behaviors like this.

The feeder is unvisited - I'd better check whether it is empty. It has plenty of seeds, so I guess the birds are just waiting for the temperature to rise.  I haven't added hot water to the birdbath because I figure as long as the creek is iced, it will be useless.

OK, some finches had breakfast.  After 10am more arrived: doves, cardinals, juncos, sparrows, chickadees, towhee, nuthatch and titmouse. The female towhee lost a seed to and aggressive white throated sparrow. Cold seems to make birds cranky.  On the other hand, it seems to make squirrels amorous.

The water is now open on the far side of the creek where the current flows.  Egrets and herons are hunting for a fishing spot.  Geese and mallards are paddling and dabbling. I got distracted by the mundane and didn't start counting till 4pm.  A flock each of grackles and of robins flew over.