Gusty

At breakfast, the creek was shiny with reflections.   Juncos foraged under the seed feeder. 

I took the suet cage down to clean it before putting a fresh block of suet out.  Naturally, an orange crowned warbler picked that time to come looking for a treat.  It did not return when I put the fresh suet out, but a downy woodpecker soon found the feeder. Carolina wrens turned to the bark butter balls while the suet was gone. 

A large flock of blackbirds, many with red epaulettes flashing, shot across the creek and over the yard, headed into the wind.  That was all I saw of them.  The song sparrow took over foraging for seeds under that feeder. Chickadees and titmice took seeds to the camellia to hammer open.  A pine warbler found the bark butter dish feeder. 

The day was gorgeously warm and sunny, but every few minutes a gust of wind peeled the warmth away even though the wind was from the South.  That wind might have been why so many pelicans forsook the bay for our creek which had also become choppy.  But apparently pelicans could see through the rough water to the fish below.  Cormorants were fishing too and so was a pied bill grebe.