Chilly sunshine

A big flock of cormorants streamed over the dam.  A Carolina wren got up early to eat mealworms before the oriole bullied it off the feeder. The red bellied woodpecker was feeling bolder today.  A white throated sparrow went straight to the seed feeder for breakfast.  Titmice and nuthatches were up with the sun.  A brown thrasher lived up to its name in the leaves under the azaleas.

When I got home, there was a small green spider on the car.  I tried to move it to plants where it might find a meal, but the spider did not trust me and dangled from its dragline.  Meanwhile dozens of crows were in and around the Hollywood junipers eating berries.  The berries that were crushed on the driveway smelled very Christmassy.  It seemed like the presence of all the crows was too muck for the other birds - I hardly glimpsed any.

I tried my new camouflage hoodie, but still saw nothing in the yard.  The wind was much weaker than yesterday, but it was colder.  A bufflehead was out on the creek below the dam.  A buzzard tilted on the thermals rising from the water.