The birdbath was frozen again. When I poured hot water in, I was able to pull out the ice with rotting leaves and other debris frozen in. I also put out some mealworms and half a tangerine that had begun to go bad.
The hoodies were up early and busy fishing. The creek surface was rumpled, unlike most mornings this time of year. One female bufflehead zipped past. A few pelicans flew over the creek along with gulls, including a great black back. The common mergansers returned in the mid afternoon. They were all four females. The water grew calmer as the tide went out, and out, until mud flats were exposed. I saw a great blue heron on the dock next to the dam.
A Carolina wren flung seeds out of the feeder in search of shelled bits, or maybe bugs. Its beak isn't suitable for hulling seeds. A yellow rumped warbler made a brief stop on the step but didn't hang around. Later a male pine warbler dug into the suet. A downy dropped in but didn't stay. Juncos were very late but when they arrived, they seemed to be everywhere.
Two squirrels managed to forage under the feeder (mostly) peacefully. One squirrel chinned itself on the mealworm dish. And then it carried off the half tangerine I'd stuck on the wire hanger. The other squirrel found something good and hid up in the dogwood to eat it.
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