Overcast

I hustled everyone's breakfast and the birds began to arrive around 8am.  Carolina wrens came first.  The female red belly was back.  A white throat went straight to the seed feeder instead of waiting for seeds to fall.  Red breasted nuthatches showed up earlier than they usually do.  The light was too poor for closeups. 

Both a yellow rumped and a pine warbler popped up.  The song sparrow got inside the birdbath again.  All the regulars came out, including the cardinals that have been scarce lately.  And finally the oriole arrived, followed by titmice.  Then juncos joined the crowd and one of them got on the seed feeder.The second male oriole ate some jelly while watching for trouble from the dominant bird who appeared all too soon.  A pelican took the plunge but was screened by trees.

At lunch time a murder of crows flocked to our juniper by the driveway, but I could see them from the backyard.  I don't know what they were after.  The driveway has been full of juniper berries for several days.  A few hoodies glided past on the glassy creek.  I spotted three doves up in the oak. In the late afternoon, egrets and a heron again congregated on the dead trees by the lake.