Thursday, January 10, 2019

A new duck

Morning was so cold, six egrets and a heron lined up under the dam to catch solar rays and shelter form the gusty wind.  I was beginning to wonder if I would see any winter migrants this year beside buffleheads and hooded mergansers.  Today, hanging out with the mallards and geese was a ring-neck duck.  The wind also drove pelicans and gulls upstream from the bay. 

The birdbath was frozen and a squirrel kept its tail tight against its back for warmth.  A blue jay landed in the dogwood but all I caught was tail feathers. White throats bustled about the mulch.  Orioles and warblers competed for the suet and flustered the downy woodpeckers.  Titmice and nuthatches got fresh sunflower seeds, courtesy of K. I think crows dumped both of the hanging cups that I'd filled with bark butter balls.  

The sky was clear except for a few thin streaks in the West at sunset.  They flared orange while the rest of the sky glowed gold.  A sharp pointed crescent moon hung above, following the sun. 


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