Thursday, February 1, 2018

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. 


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