Dank

That's cold and wet, not thanks in German.  The pelicans fished up and down the creek and I saw a heron and an egret on the wing.  Around the feeders, titmice and downy woodpeckers joined the chickadees, finches, and cardinals.  Below, there were white throats.  The rain that began around 9am did not deter them or the squirrels. This male downy waited in the dogwood while the female ate, then took his turn in the rain.  I wonder if they don't feed together because the one waiting is a sentinel? 

We were joined at lunch by a host of songbirds despite the cold rain.  The woodpeckers, titmice, white throats, and juncos were back.  A little gray bird picked lots of something off the azalea next to the window.  I'm told it was a female orange-crowned warbler, not a blue-gray gnatcatcher.  A fox sparrow poked around under the yellow rose bush where I've seen it before.  Doves and a blue jay dropped in. 

In the late afternoon the sky cleared.  A Carolina wren stayed busy on the seed feeder.  Then white throats, juncos, and even finches settled on the mulch and birdbath while chickadees hit the feeder.  The creek was flat at low tide but there were no ducks.  Flying cormorants and gulls caught the setting sun.