Ice

The creek never thawed except for a thin strip under the bulkhead where the current was strongest.  And it was impossible to keep water in the birdbath.  It was unfortunate that there was no insulating snow before these days of hard freeze.

We hustled fresh bark butter balls and hot water outside, and warblers arrived.  A Carolina wren made the rounds of the yard.  A red bellied woodpecker scolded K.  White throated sparrows foraged in the mulch.  Blue jays gobbled bark butter balls like popcorn.  Downy woodpeckers hit the suet. 

When I got home in the late afternoon herons and egrets fished along the ribbon of open water.  Which bird got first choice of fishing spot was in doubt.  A big hawk or young eagle flew over the creek.  Cakes of ice, formed by the ups and downs of the tide, looked like dead fish.  The sun's light cutting sideways through the atmosphere painted warm  colors on birds and vegetation.