Freezing

The low last night was 27°F and I poured hot water in the birdbath several times today only to see it refreeze.  Cold makes critters thirsty -I was worried a squirrel was going to get its tongue stuck on the ice.  The creek, however was not iced even though it was placid.  A little flock of hooded mergansers glided upstream.  One of the male orioles got up around mid morning and had some jelly.  Seven crows escorted a red tailed hawk upstream but I missed getting a photo.  And that was it. 

After lunch there was more activity, especially among fishing birds.  I saw great blue herons and great egrets, gulls and cormorants.  They made several trips upstream and back.  But I did not see pelicans, diving ducks (except those hoodies at breakfast), or kingfishers. 

A clementine had a bad spot so K put the good half out for the orioles.  One of the males found it acceptable.  So, we are now feeding them mealworms, suet occasionally, grape jelly, citrus fruit, and flowers.  That should make us a five-star destination. Red breasted nuthatches, chickadees, finches, titmice, and white throated sparrows visited in the afternoon.

Later, a small flock of bluebirds dropped into the trees by my window.  A nuthatch did its trick on the redwood trunk. 

I spoke too soon about not seeing any kingfishers.  About a quarter after 4pm, I saw one land on a neighbor's piling.  Then it disappeared and I finally found it pretending to be a weathervane on top of the purple martin house across the creek.  One more wave of fishing cormorants passed.  Egrets settled into the dead snags along the lake.  I wonder how I could let the property owners know I appreciate their picturesque dead trees?