Despite the cold, the creek flowed free beyond a margin of ice and waterfowl returned. Red breasted mergansers started fishing right after breakfast. There were more females than males and a mad-eyed juvenile.
Up at the feeders, the red bellied woodpeckers showed up early. Wind ruffled her stripes. Yellow rumped warblers were hungry too. A half dozen doves hoped for water in the birdbath but it kept freezing as fast as we poured in more hot. The tailless blue jay returned. Downy woodpeckers waited for their big cousins to leave.
When we got home, the was a wigeon drake on the creek. It tried to join a flock of hoodies. A great blue heron caught a fish bigger than its beak. I believe I glimpsed an eagle with a fish.
The sky clouded up during lunch. Pine warblers joined the butterbutts. Carolina wrens appeared. Song and white throated sparrows kicked mulch.
The fishing went on in waves, heralded by a circus of gulls, till I could not see any more. The camera had already given up. But all day I only saw one cormorant.
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