An overcast sky meant low light again. The female red bellied woodpecker was back almost as soon as I restocked the oriole's treats. And the oriole soon followed. Lots of white throated sparrows showed up for breakfast. Titmice, nuthatches, yellow rumped warblers, wrens, and the usual cardinals and chickadees all put in a breakfast appearance. A downy came late to the party. Meanwhile, pelicans flew back and forth, but too often behind a branch or other obstruction. Eventually one plunged where I could see it and took its time swallowing its catch.
The clouds broke up around noon. A couple of herons carefully spaced themselves along the creek. Cormorants and fishing ducks began to join the pelicans. I saw both hoodies and buffleheads. Crows herded a hawk across the sky, then back the other way, and I missed it both times. Then, a surprise: a brown creeper worked its way up the multiple trunks of the wild cherry, dropping to the ground to begin again. A pine warbler shared the suet with a downy. A blue jay took off every time I got it in focus.
Mid afternoon, the cormorants alerted other birds and herons, hoodies and a pelican joined the fishing. Meanwhile on the lake, shovelers were joined by dark ducks I didn't recognize. My best guess is
common goldeneye. An egret landed on the dead snag near them. Down on the creek, a lone female bufflehead fished after the other birds left. The Western sky lit up with tangerine-edged clouds at sunset.
An overcast sky meant low light again. The female red bellied woodpecker was back almost as soon as I restocked the oriole's treats. And the oriole soon followed. Lots of white throated sparrows showed up for breakfast. Titmice, nuthatches, yellow rumped warblers, wrens, and the usual cardinals and chickadees all put in a breakfast appearance. A downy came late to the party. Meanwhile, pelicans flew back and forth, but too often behind a branch or other obstruction. Eventually one plunged where I could see it and took its time swallowing its catch. 
The clouds broke up around noon. A couple of herons carefully spaced themselves along the creek. Cormorants and fishing ducks began to join the pelicans. I saw both hoodies and buffleheads. Crows herded a hawk across the sky, then back the other way, and I missed it both times. Then, a surprise: a brown creeper worked its way up the multiple trunks of the wild cherry, dropping to the ground to begin again. A pine warbler shared the suet with a downy. A blue jay took off every time I got it in focus.
Mid afternoon, the cormorants alerted other birds and herons, hoodies and a pelican joined the fishing. Meanwhile on the lake, shovelers were joined by dark ducks I didn't recognize. My best guess is common goldeneye. An egret landed on the dead snag near them. Down on the creek, a lone female bufflehead fished after the other birds left. The Western sky lit up with tangerine-edged clouds at sunset. 
I've decided they were ring-necked ducks, not common goldeneye.
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