Putting the war in warbler

The morning flurry of birds didn't last long.  I concentrated on the brown thrasher and the others disappeared.  The birdbath was frozen again, but in the winter it's always in the shade.  I didn't see any ice or frost anywhere else.  Eventually the white throated sparrows drifted back, then the warblers.  Carolina wrens and the mockingbird came for lunch.  

In the late afternoon, I discovered the cat had settled in its preferred spot even though it was now in the shade.  I told it to begone.  After that, a couple of butterbutts (yellow rumped warblers) competed for the suet.  One mounted guard on the suet but the other kept trying to sneak past and then the chase took them around and around the backyard.  They had to have used more energy than the suet could replace.  One worked up a thirst.  The black masked warbler was not the winner.  A white throat stayed under the furniture out of the way.  A downy woodpecker was too big for the warbler to displace but I think the downy got tired of the commotion because it didn't stay long.