New suet feeder

The peppered suet was as unattractive to squirrels as advertised.  Chickadees and titmice tested the new feeder but didn't seem to like it as much as the seed feeder.  Lots of other songbirds came by: a Carolina wren, a flock of juncos, several white throated sparrows, and a mockingbird in the beauty berry.  A yellow rumped warbler hopped around in the azalea by the window.

The lake fishing frenzy recurred at breakfast but tapered off mid-morning.  This time pelicans joined the gulls, cormorants, and egrets.  Geese and ruddy ducks were down on the creek.

At lunch a couple of downy woodpeckers discovered the suet feeder.  The male checked it out first, then the female.  A chickadee wasn't sure if it was safe to join in, but gave it a try.  Meanwhile a mockingbird alighted in the cherry, then dropped to the mulch. The sweet gum was full of birds that were just silhouettes under the gray sky.  A great blue heron flew by. 

The male downy woodpecker returned in the late afternoon.  The clouds congealed into thick and thin areas and picked up a bit of tint during the cormorant commute.