More fishing

The red breasted mergansers were back.  The coot was with them.  So were some female hooded mergansers.  One male red breasted merganser was surrounded by perhaps 20 females. Gulls and mallards were also out on the water. 

A downy woodpecker earnestly pecked at the suet.  A white throated sparrow moved up to the seed feeder.  I glimpsed a warbler that might have been a female pine warbler or some other kind.  Then the warblers moved up into the top of the redwood to catch flying insects. 

Beautiful day

Sweater temperature in bright sunshine.  I was gone all morning.  In the afternoon, the turtles were out and so were the mergansers. Juncos fed in the grass. 

Rain

A pileated woodpecker teased us at breakfast.  It made several fly-bys and landed on the post once, but bolted without eating any suet.  I never got even a bad photo. The downy woodpeckers were fine with the new suet arrangement, but the red bellies were more dubious.  Eventually they got it.

Juncos, sparrows, and a Carolina wren foraged for fallen bits.  A yellow rumped warbler wanted suet but hadn't figured out how to get it.  Blue jays, and starlings went for bark butter balls.I saw a thrush at the far end of the pool, but rain, low light, and distance limited the camera. It probably arrived on the South wind along with yesterday's oriole.

Red breasted mergansers and gulls fished. Light rain started and stopped repeatedly during the day.  The sky stayed overcast all day. 

Gray

The day was warm but mostly overcast.  Not much happened in the morning while I cooked.  The starlings were frustrated by the suet so went for the bark butter instead.  A pine warbler was also unhappy with the suet arrangement.  Hooded and red breasted mergansers paddled on the creek. Rain fell very briefly around 1pm.

A female oriole appeared in the dogwood right after the rain.  She landed on the suet while the female downy was eating.  The downy made a threat display and the oriole flew away and never returned, even though I rushed grape jelly to the scene.  A squirrel helped itself to the jelly.  Titmice joined the regulars at the Sunflower Cafe.  White throats popped up all over.  Blue jays wanted bark butter.  A yellow rumped warbler investigated the empty feeder outside my office. 

The red bellied woodpecker seemed unsure of the new suet arrangement even though she easily ate previous suet blocks from beneath.  I counted five female hoodies on the creek, and later saw a drake.  Three buffleheads, one male, were in the vicinity.  I'm not sure if there was more than one red breasted merganser.  And there was one coot.

Then a wood duck pair came up the creek, perhaps looking for a nest site. There were turtles out on the log by the lake, but not nearly so many.

Hot again

No birds at breakfast, no suet either.  I bought some cheaper suet which I hope will discourage starlings.  The trick is to leave it in the plastic tray with the open side facing down.  We will see.  The dwarf daffodils opened while the larger ones danced in the wind.  Wild cherry leaves began to sprout. 

After lunch the Canada geese were feeling horny and not because they honk.  One was angry with another goose and rushed through the water with head and neck level and just above the surface.  A female hoodie paddled alone but at least four female red breasted mergansers fished together. 

A butterbutt did not seem to understand the new suet arrangement.  It or another moved to the front yard feeder.  A female red bellied woodpecker was more put off by me.  A titmouse also kept a watchful eye on me but the chickadees and house finches didn't care.  I saw a few white throats. 

Wasps, bees, moths and butterflies, and unidentified insects were all flying. A dozen or more turtles basked on logs along the lake.  I am no longer surprised that one fell in the pool a year ago.  I saw quite a few periwinkles on the old marsh grass.  There were lots of fresh crab burrows in the mud.

The 80°F high this day was not a record because the temperature hit 82° in 2012.  And still the deniers deny. 

Fog

A cold front moved through overnight dropping the temperature into the 40s and making a thick mist.  The first bird I saw was a pileated woodpecker.  It saw me going for the camera and flew off.  But it came back repeatedly and brought its mate.  I finally got pictures through the window over the sink. 

In between, we had red bellied woodpeckers and downy woodpeckers, and of course starlings.  Blue jays emptied the dish of bark butter balls.  A flock of juncos joined the white throats on the ground.  The yellow rumped warblers yearned after the suet and chased each other away. A Carolina wren showed up very late in the day.  And a pine warbler also slipped in late. 

On the creek I saw gulls, red breasted mergansers, and pelicans.  Cormorants and shovelers were up on the lake. Later I saw a coot. The mist which had thinned out in the afternoon returned in the evening. 

Humid

The sky was overcast and the windows were fogged at breakfast because the outdoor air was so warm and damp.  Thus I could not get a picture of the white breasted nuthatch that made only one visit to the sunflower seeds.  Despite its repeated visits to the bark butter balls, a blue jay also escaped the camera.  Downy and red bellied woodpeckers competed with starlings for suet.  One of the yellow rumped warblers switched to the front yard suet. Titmice joined chickadees for seeds

A bug of some sort overnighted in a daffodil. Turtles were back on their log. Forsythia was in bloom. The sky cleared by mid afternoon and moon was well up by then.  It was balmy even in the shade when there was a breeze.  But winter isn't over and the suet disappeared too quickly, thanks to the starlings. 

Another 79°F record! 

Hot!

The South wind brought warm humid air and clouds.  But the sun got through frequently.  Maple trees showed color.  Apparently birds found new sources of food and didn't need the feeders.  I saw a wasp and other unidentified flying insects.

As I was taking a picture of the turtles on the lake, three ducks flew in.  I think they were shovelers.  The turtles were more cooperative subjects.  They looked like they had been posing for Dr. Seuss.  A pair of hoodies preferred the brackish creek.

After sunset, the moon was bigger and thus brighter, but less interesting than the crescent.

The newspaper Thursday said Wednesday set a new high temperature record - 79°F.

Very warm

Morning was still and gray.  Even the air seemed gray and almost foggy.  A downy woodpecker watched from the cherry.  Red bellied woodpeckers claimed the suet. White throats picked up what fell.  A pair of mallards boldly invaded the patio. 

Great black backed gulls quarreled on the creek.  I saw a male hoodie pass by headed upstream.   As I was leaving in the morning, a small flock of red breasted mergansers appeared.

In the afternoon the cloud cover broke up and a breeze picked up.  Pelicans were thick in the airspace over the creek.  Starlings visited the suet. Two of them fussed but eventually shared.  A big flock landed in the neighbor's trees.  Hyacinths and daffodils began to bloom.  I saw a butterfly that was too small for a cabbage white.  It may have been a spring azure.  Shovelers were barely visible on the lake, but I think there was a wood duck among them. 

I passed the 64-264 interchange at 6pm and the crows were swirling overhead.  A crescent moon was bright after sunset, but not quite bright enough for the camera.

GBBC 4th & final day

It rained all morning and looked like rain all afternoon.  When I came out to the kitchen, a mallard hen was standing in a puddle outside.  A great blue heron perched on the dock bench.  The angsty butterbutt flashed yellow from head and wing pits as a male red bellied woodpecker ate suet.

Yesterday's supply of mealworms topped with bark butter balls was still in the dish feeder and a white throat was having breakfast.  At least five crows descended on the feeders and fought over who could perch.  A squirrel followed them on the feeder after they'd carried off all the hot pepper bark butter.  Then a blue jay took a turn.

The rain at breakfast was light but by late morning it had grown heavy enough to look like fog.  On the lake, pairs of shovelers circled in what I suppose was a mating ritual.  Something left most of a fish carcass under the redwood and pair of mallards just had to investigate.  They would nibble at it then rush down to the water, apparently to drink.  Strange.  After lunch a flock of red-winged blackbirds alighted and then fled before I could get to the camera.  

I was away for the rest of the day while the temperature continued to rise and thick dark clouds to hang low.  After dark I saw a plume moth on the window, now doubt hatched by the warmth. And the Great Backyard Bird Count was over for another year. 

GBBC day 3

A beautiful day, but windy!  I spent about seven hours watching birds as I cooked and read the paper.  K installed a fresh block of suet at lunch.  The squirrels finished off the granola and I put mealworms and bark butter balls in the dish feeder.  A big black fly got into the house. 

I saw a male bluebird a couple of times, and a female junco.  The two yellow rumped warblers continued their power struggle over the suet, but the male pine warbler stuck to seeds today. And the kinglet was still missing.

Doves and white throated sparrows hunted seeds in the mulch.  (The mulch appeared to be erupting in spots where bulbs were pushing through.)  A titmouse, a Carolina wren, house finches, cardinals, chickadees, and a pair of downy woodpeckers and a pair of red bellied woodpeckers visited the feeders.

A starling took over the suet but scattered bits that the smaller birds pounced on.  A crow tried to eat from the dish but a blue jay just annoyed other birds.

On and over the creek, I saw pelicans and gulls, geese, cormorants, and a great blue heron that was belly deep in the water. Mallards, hoodies, a red breasted mergansers, and a pair of ruddy ducks paddled and dived or dabbled.  The creek was mostly rough but that didn't seem to stop the fishing.

The lack of clouds kept sunset from being anything special.  But the feral cat showed up at twilight and every other animal cleared out. 

GBBC day 2

I spent the nice morning in meetings and observed during the gray, wet afternoon. Sprinkles of rain began a little before 3pm and strengthened a bit around 4:30, but remained gentle.  The low light level ruined about half the photos. 

A pine warbler was waiting when I got home.  The male red bellied woodpecker worked on the nubbin of suet and then traded places with the female.  I didn't see a downy until late afternoon.  A blue jay watched from the cherry, but didn't come any closer.  The camera refused to focus on both pine and yellow rumped warblers in the cherry, but was fine with a drab female house finch.

A Carolina wren investigated K's granola, but decided against it, as did the white throated sparrows.  Even a squirrel seemed unenthusiastic.  Instead, I saw a squirrel apparently eating flower buds up in the dogwood. Titmice, as usual, stuck to the sunflower seeds. And the one junco I saw stayed down on the lower patio. 

A first winter black backed gull paddled in the creek. An adult ring billed gull stood on a piling.  A great blue heron fished up and down the creek.  Pelicans, a couple of cormorants and a hoodie drake also prospected for fish. 

Link to watch live as GBBC submissions are entered all around the Earth.

GBBC day 1

It was fairly disappointing.  For much of the day very few birds visited. I reported a measly nine species.  I did see more at other times but too scattered to report.  

One yellow rumped warblers continued to chase the other.  Carolina wrens ignored this and concentrated on food.  The male red bellied woodpecker posed nicely.  A white throated sparrow turned its head 180.  Downy woodpeckers came in the afternoon.  There were bugs flying and a bird I suspect was a warbler was catching them. 

By lunch time the sky was getting dramatic and there were showers in the afternoon.  I counted a dozen turtles out on logs on the lake.  Two cormorants were perched on the same dead wood. Later I saw five or six, but the turtles were gone.  Pelicans did more fly-bys than plunges.  Three buzzards circled over the creek and moved on.  A heron stood on the dock bench. 

Spring for a day

The temperature was in the 70s though the sky was more gray than blue, and there was enough wind to make waves on the creek. Both red bellied woodpeckers visited.  The yellow rumped warbler continued its vigil over the suet.  A starling ignored the butterbutt and ate what it wanted. 

Several pelicans fished but the gulls were mostly absent.  A few hoodies paddled around and a heron perched on the boatlift.  The The fallen trees lining the lake were completely covered in turtles. 

Overcast

The male downy woodpecker was earnestly stuffing himself with suet when I sat down with my cereal.  But soon, a male red bellied woodpecker displaced the downy.  I put out mealworms and a squirrel promptly sat in the dish to eat them.  White throated sparrows prospected under the feeders.  And the yellow rumped warbler kept watch on the suet while the bigger birds ate. 

When I came home with my hair cut, I walked around to see what the rain had done.  I found a few little feathers in the driveway which I hope were not a clue to murder.  A female sapsucker drilled the pecan.  A few juncos poked at the mulch, looking for lunch. 

After lunch, I saw a turtle on their favorite log in the lake.  There were at least three pelicans fishing the creek. 

In the late afternoon, I watched a male pine warbler on the suet, waiting for the butterbutt to chase it off.  But when a yellow rump appeared, it just poked the mulch.  (I believe there are two butterbutts and only one is a bully.)  The pine warbler flew off anyway.  But that may have been because a male red bellied woodpecker was headed over. 

The overcast broke apart and colored up for sunset, but half an hour later there was a light rain shower. 

More rain

At breakfast, a downy woodpecker ate suet while a blue jay had bark butter balls.  The bluebirds wanted some but were left with crumbs.  White throats just hunted fallen seeds.  Pelicans cruised over the water while gulls floated and squabbled.  As we were leaving I spotted a sapsucker on the pecan. 

After lunch, Carolina wrens inspected everything.  The bluebirds were back.  Titmice came for seeds.  One sang for its lunch.  The warblers continued their war.  And that made the kinglet raise his crown.  The starlings came back, frustrating the downy woodpecker.  Then the male red bellied woodpecker wanted the suet. The female came later. 

The gulls were still making a commotion over the rotting fish.  Several black back gulls were involved, as well as a horde of brown juvenile gulls.  I saw a pair of hooded mergansers briefly.

Rain

A very light rain was falling when I got up.  Birds were filling up to wait out the coming storm.   Herons and pelicans were out on the creek with the gulls.  The yellow rumped warbler guarded the suet.  However it was no match for starlings.  White throats poked around the mulch, but also ate seeds and bark butter from the feeders.  And a male red bellied woodpecker took over the suet. 

Around 9am it grew very dark and the rain came harder.   It streaked the North windows and ended photography.  As predicted, the temperature dropped about 20°F with the rain tapering off by lunch. A blue jay argued with a starling over the bark butter, but the camera decided to focus on the raindrops on the window.  Red winged blackbirds came with the starlings.  Then a family of bluebirds arrived.  

A downy woodpecker worked on the suet.  A Carolina wren ate sunflower seeds with a chickadee.  A goldfinch landed by the birdbath, then fled almost immediately.  A pine warbler attempted to get some suet but the butterbutt bully was still on duty.  Another yellow rumped warbler slipped in while the bully was distracted, chasing the pine warbler away.  That didn't work for long.  Then the orange crowned warbler got into the suet pecking order, but the butterbutt bully got the last bite (of suet). 

The wind picked up in the afternoon.  Gulls continued to flock to various spots on the creek.  I also saw female and male buffleheads. 

Very warm

 A heron landed on the dock bench at breakfast.  The yellow rumped warbler was busy eating suet.  Blue jays kept eluding the camera as they snatched bark butter balls.   A lone male red breasted merganser paddled around the creek. 

 Despite a threatening sky, only little rain fell around mid day.  But the temperature reached 77°F and the air was humid.  A bird I think was an orange crowned warbler devoured suet.  The yellow rumped warbler shared the suet with a downy woodpecker - it was that or go hungry.  The female red bellied woodpecker played peek-a-boo with the post before settling on the suet. 

Meanwhile, a flock of gulls had a feeding frenzy.  They were mostly immature ring bills, but there was one great black backed gull among them. 

Gray

I was away until late afternoon.  There was some rain mid day and flickers of sun around 3pm, but mostly it was just overcast.  Wind from the South brought the warm, moist air.  The forecast is for a week of on-and-off rain but no frost.

When I got home the kinglet was feasting on suet.  A downy woodpecker took over the feeder and the kinglet retreated to the camellia.  When the downy left, out popped the yellow rumped warbler to retake possession of the suet.  Eventually a titmouse seized its moment. 

A female cardinal appreciated a bark butter ball. I saw a flicker up in the trees but it was backlighted.  On the creek, a male red breasted (or possibly common) merganser was just a blur to the camera. 

Pleasant

There was frost on the mulch and ice on the creek, but it didn't last long. The cardinals were courting already!  A titmouse sang for the sunrise.  The male red bellied woodpecker came for suet.  Of course there were white throats and wrens.  And before I could refill the dish feeder, bluebirds had come and gone. 

Before lunch, gulls made a commotion in the creek, probably over rotting fish. I could identify ring bills and black backs and lots of juveniles.  The ice had retreated to the shade cast by the nearer bank and the tide was very low.  Downy woodpeckers were on the lunch shift.  The male pine warbler went for suet whenever the butterbutt wasn't watching.  He liked the bark butter balls too. 

Cooler

 A pine warbler, a downy woodpecker, a red bellied woodpecker, and white throated sparrows breakfasted with us.  Then the yellow rumped warbler chased the pine warbler away.  Bluebirds and Carolina wrens soon appeared.  I glimpsed buffleheads, ruddy ducks, hoodies and red breasted mergansers on the creek. 

At lunch, a brown headed nuthatch appeared.  The kinglet proved he was still here. Of course the butterbutt bullied both of them and a pine warbler off the suet. Three blue jays made a pass at the dish feeder but were disappointed. Titmice hung out with chickadees and cardinals came for seeds in the afternoon.  I was a little surprised to see juncos. 

A couple of pelicans perched on one of the dead trees in the lake, along with cormorants and a heron.  The cat was hunting in the late afternoon.  One of the herons picked up a decaying fish.  I hope it didn't eat any.  A little later a red tailed hawk occupied the same piling, but the light was failing. 

Catching up

Monday was a bus trip to lobby legislators from before dawn to bedtime.  Tuesday was getting ready and then driving to Richmond for more of the same on Wednesday.  And then driving back through rain Wednesday afternoon and arriving home just before sunset. Here's what little I observed of non-human nature.  (I saw plenty of human nature!)

On Monday, after the sun rose, we were enshrouded in fog.  Finally it occurred to me to get my camera out, and of course, that's when the fog dissipated.  Tuesday morning I was home and it was cold enough for ice in the birdbath and on the creek.  Bluebirds joined white throats, titmice, starlings, downy and red bellied woodpeckers at the feeders.  A heron fished where the current had worn away the ice.   Clouds got heavy around sunset as we arrived in Richmond.

 I got home on Wednesday as the sun burned through a veil of stratus clouds.  By then the temperature had risen to the upper 60s.  There was just enough light to see ducks on the creek.  At first I only saw a pair of mallards but then a diving duck popped up.  I couldn't get a decent picture but I think it was a merganser.

Rain

The blue sky we awoke to was erased by clouds from the West.  It was overcast by 9am and rain began around noon.  The female red bellied woodpecker breakfasted on suet.  Gulls lined the dock, staring at the iced over creek. I was rushing and took no photos. 

In the afternoon, I saw a few hoodies and a whole lot of gulls on the creek which was free of ice.  The light was bad and the camera kept focusing on foreground twigs.  White throats and a Carolina wren poked through the mulch.  The wren also visited every feeder.  K saw a bluebird but I missed it.  I did see pine and yellow rumped warblers. 

Cold day

The creek was frozen, with a gaggle of egrets sunning by the dam outlet.  But I had no time to photograph them.

When I got home a squirrel was begging at the door.  The creek was still frozen.  White throats scurried around the patio.  Titmice carried off seeds to hammer open. The female red bellied woodpecker dug into the suet.  The kinglet slipped onto the suet but the butterbutt chased it away.  Downy woodpeckers were determined to get some suet. 

Bu afternoon, the ice on the creek was about half gone.  Herons fished in the open current.  A pair of red breasted mergansers dived along the edge of the ice.  By this time the ice was thin enough that ripples rolled right across it.  A cloud of gulls whirled in the air by the dam and settled along the bank to eat decaying fish.  Some landed on the ice or dock posts. 

No morning shadow

The half way point from solstice to equinox dawned gray and wet.  A flurry of snow occurred around 11am, but ceased before I got to the camera.  Of all the groundhog / Candlemas / Imbolc folk wisdom, this version appeals to me most: "Legend has it that if [the Cailleach—the divine hag of Gaelic tradition—] wishes to make the winter last a good while longer, she will make sure the weather on Imbolc is bright and sunny, so she can gather plenty of firewood."  Does occasional sun in the afternoon count? 

Rain did not deter the female red bellied woodpecker.  This frustrated the downy woodpeckers. Gulls and pelicans fished frantically.  I saw a black back gull and a herring gull among the ring bills. Most of the flock were still brown with youth.  Several hawk chases occurred, all too fast for me.  Great blue herons watched the water but I never saw one catch anything.

A male towhee raided the sunflower seeds during lunch.  He didn't return when I had hands free for the camera.  A mob of starlings took over the suet next.  A Carolina wren poked through the bark butter mush.  The butterbutt guarded its suet while one starling discovered the bark butter dish.  A blue jay watch from the trees.  White throats were around all day. 

A owl began hooting around 1am.  

Fierce wind

In the morning, the birdbath was iced up even though it was above freezing.  The creek was too rough for ice.  A Carolina wren breakfasted on the disintegrated bark butter balls.  A blue jay went for the suet, as did the female red bellied woodpecker..  White throats ran around too fast for the camera.  A male pine warbler flashed yellow in the sunlight. 

The male ruby crowned kinglet came for lunch.  It shared the suet with a chickadee, but it didn't like the way the wind shook the feeder.  Then a titmouse took over the suet.  That was the cue for the pine warbler to come back. Robins came for water.  The yellow rumped warbler returned from wherever it was in the morning.  Downy woodpeckers also showed up in the afternoon. 

Geese landed with a huge splash.  The gulls' flying circus made several transits of the creek.  Cormorants fished from the water's surface.  Hoodies passed through going downstream.  A female red breasted merganser headed the other way.  I went outside in hopes of seeing more of the creek, but the wind defeated the warmth of the sun.  Crows did their own crazy flock maneuvers. 

A plastic bag writhed on the water as the wind teased it. A plastic bottle followed it downstream.  I suppose the wind overturned a garbage can. January's harsh weather tore moss off the retaining wall and killed some in a more exposed spot.  Several perennials didn't look like they survived.  Mama squirrel added to the insulation on her nest.