In the morning, there was still ice on about half the creek. Pelicans found enough open water to keep coming back all day. A great blue heron owned the dam. When an egret tried to move in there was quite a dispute. They both flew in circles and the egret finally landed just below me.
Back at the feeders, a mockingbird enjoyed barkbutter. So did a blue jay. White throated sparrows picked seeds out of the snow. The female red bellied woodpecker ate suet. I didn't see if the male ever returned. Bluebirds argued over precedence at the barkbutter. Some had better luck at the suet. Warblers ate everything. I remember seeing a brown thrasher.
I got several photos of where a duck had been seconds before.The hooded mergansers left momentary craters in the water when they dived. One pelican has a couple of dark feathers atop its head as it began to grow mating plumage. The male kingfisher perched on a branch to survey the creek, especially where the ducks and cormorants were diving.
I managed to catch a bluebird, a titmouse, and a song sparrow in natural settings. A Carolina wren stayed behind an inconvenient branch. Then a junco banged into the window, It seemed OK, just a bit shaken. Other juncos showed up. Warblers worked on the suet cage just outside. Unfortunately, it has a poorer background for photos.
The sun shone most of the day but it was cold, plus there was the wind chill. Still, all the ice and most of the snow disappeared. When the sun went down behind bare trees, it left a lovely afterglow.
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