Ice

A skin of ice covered most of the creek when we got up, not just because of the cold - the wind had quit agitating the surface.  The current kept the water open along the bulkhead.  A mockingbird showed up almost immediately.  Then the song sparrow reappeared.  A female oriole soon arrived, followed by the white throated sparrow.  A red breasted nuthatch saw a chance at the feeder. 

Then a second female oriole demanded a turn at the suet.  Bluebirds were more interested in bark butter balls but suet would do.  The mockingbird returned and attacked one of the orioles, actually hitting it mid air.  It has become quite a bully.  A squirrel thought the suet worth checking out, but the pepper was too much for it.  Then the feral cat scared everyone away.  By then the temperature was rising though the day stayed quite cold.  

After the cat gave up, the birds returned and the downy woodpeckers joined them.  A yellow rumped warbler insisted on sharing the suet.  Then a pine warbler did too.  The Carolina wren pair split up as usual, one on the feeders and one on the ground.  Chickadees and titmice made frequent trips to the seeds when house finches weren't sitting there.  A blue jay tried the suet for a change.  I decided I needed to stop taking pictures and deal with the photo backlog from Christmas day.