Bright snow

At bedtime last night I could see stars so I think the snow was finished.  This morning is sunny but the sky is hazy.  The creek is half iced but the ice is so thin it ripples.  Pelicans and gulls have cruised over the open water by the bulkhead.  Hooded mergansers and a canvasback paddled up and down.

The song birds were famished so I'm glad we left the feeder open.  I glimpsed a titmouse in addition to the sparrows and the regulars.  Juncos scurried in the snow.  A dove landed on the feeder roof.  Both male and female towhee fed from the feeder.  The cardinals continue their turf contest, both the males and the females.

The sky clouded over by noon and the day got progressively duller.  Mid-afternoon, a fine rain began.  The birds all continued feeding anyway.  The eaves dripped, the snow slumped, and the creek ice slowly retreated.