Overnight rain filled the accidental rain gauge and enlarged the pool cover puddle. The wind was still roaring. It didn't deter the birds - they must have been really hungry. I think I've seen more of the mockingbird this week that the rest of this year. The white throated sparrow was out hunting breakfast too.
The sky slowly cleared after noon though the gusty wind continued to push fat, white cumulus past us and out to sea. Carolina wrens joined us for Christmas dinner. Sunny male pine warblers flocked to the feeders along with the paler females and youngsters. Four bluebirds ornamented the trees. On the choppy creek, a female bufflehead dived. A male hooded merganser caught something. Crows tried to raid the barkbutter balls.
A very orange female oriole settled on the suet. According to
All About Birds, "Females become deeper orange with every molt." The pine warblers wanted to share, but not with each other. A downy woodpecker finally got a turn when the oriole was stuffed. It had to put up with the warblers' attempts to displace each other.
In the mulch, a goldfinch joined a house finch to hunt for fallen sunflower seeds. The goldfinch still had a bit of summer color, revealing that it was a male. It kind of looked like a black eye. Several more goldfinches plucked seeds from sweet gum pods.
Late in the afternoon, a male oriole showed up. A Carolina wren and the mockingbird came back. The mockingbird guarded the barkbutter balls but accidentally, or on purpose, knocked a clump to the ground where the oriole pounced on it. Meanwhile, the mockingbird moved on to the suet. The oriole flew off with his prize. Then the female oriole came back for more suet.
Clouds turned rose at sunset and the temperature continued to drop.
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