Clear and cold

The blue sky was intense and there were skins of ice on the creek.  White throats discovered the suet while juncos buzzed around the patio.  A female towhee played peek-a-boo in the azalea.

Later in the morning, a male towhee took over the feeder.  The butterbutt seemed concerned by this. The woodpeckers were more concerned with the competition from white throats. 

Out on the creek a great blue heron nabbed a huge fish.  Mallards paddled along the edge of the ice.  A big flock of hooded mergansers rushed upstream.

At lunch, the pelicans were cruising the creek and a male kingfisher landed on a dock piling.  Herons were still busy.  I glimpsed a black and white duck that didn't quite look like a bufflehead, but it disappeared under the boatlift before I could focus. 

In the afternoon, white throats and juncos scurried around and frequently dashed to safety.  Do they remember the hawk or is it back?  Two yellow rumped warblers disputed possession of the suet.  A large flock, probably mixed blackbirds, boiled up from beyond the pines, then suddenly shifted to go back. At least eight mallards paddled around.