Cold gale

Clouds were flying South all day, some fluffy cotton, some dark and heavy.  The wind at ground level was very gusty, churning water, thrashing trees, and scooping up fallen leaves. A murmuration of blackbirds landed in the trees, then took off and swirled above the creek. 

After lunch, a Carolina wren checked out the bark butter dish.  I spotted the first yellow rumped warbler of the season.  Finches and chickadees took over the sunflower seeds.  Squirrels were busy hunting food on the ground.  

Geese were finding something in the water in front of our yard.  An egret labored to fly North into the wind.  On the  creek, cormorants herded another school of fish.  A young cormorant shared the deadfall on the lake with a mallard pair.