Frozen creek

It was still and cold last night so the ice is not surprising.  No birds are up yet except an egret at the dam outflow.  I poured hot water into the ice in the birdbath. 

By lunch, the far side of the creek had melted where the current flows.  Pelicans, great blue herons, gulls, crows, ducks and geese all got the message that there was open water.  Chickadees, titmice, finches, and sparrows came to the feeder while the squirrel with the white spot foraged underneath.  A breeze had come up and most of the birdbath was ice again.   Brrrrr!

 In the afternoon, the sky was so clear that high altitude jets only left faint scratches that healed quickly - no contrails. 

The pelicans continued past sundown.  Cormorants and other birds commuted home.  When it was almost too dark to see, a cardinal pair and a sparrow argued over the feeder.