Overcast blew out East

The patio was wet at breakfast and there were even a few sprinkles early, but I saw a glimpse of sun around 9am and by 10 there was quite a bit of blue.  Squirrels were feeling Spring-y.  The warbler continued its hopeless  defense of the suet, despite starlings.  A Carolina wren investigated everywhere.  A song sparrow and a junco put in brief appearances.

There were successive waves of cloud cover and sun through the morning while the temperature dropped.  The afternoon was cold, bright and very windy.  Buzzards and a few gulls tested the wind.  A pelican flew upstream and later a heron downstream, both below the treetops.  Geese, hoodies and buffleheads were out on the creek. 

The song sparrow and juncos were back and a white throat showed up briefly.  A couple of doves also dropped in.  Cardinals and house finches visited the seed feeder.  Blue Dutch hyacinths and dwarf yellow daffodils were in bloom.

The starlings were determined to get at the suet. I chased them off more times than I could count.  Then the flock flew away but left one sentinel behind, to test my resolve.  Two male red winged blackbirds hung out with the starlings but took no interest in the suet.  The butterbutt was no help.  It merely harassed the juncos and other warblers.  Both kinds of woodpecker came for suet when the starlings let them.

A mama squirrel continued to build a nest over the NW corner of the house.  I saw her stuff her mouth with leaves then head up a pine trunk. The sky remained clear into the night and the wind dropped though it was plenty cold anyway.  Stars were visible.