Osprey

Bright sunshine didn't warm the cold air.  The dwarf daffodils started blooming anyway.  A red bellied woodpecker looked very zebra-like up in the redwood.  I only glimpsed the pileated today.  But the downy woodpeckers made many visits to the suet.  The Carolina wren pair were perky as usual as they looked into every nook for food.  The bullying warbler continued to drive off more interesting birds.  

Cold made the birds thirsty.  A wren drank at the birdbath, but a bluebird preferred the more distant pool puddle.  So did a junco.  A myrtle warbler went to the clean water in the ant moat,  A mockingbird got the last of the barkbutter balls, I think, but I did see a brown thrasher there too. 

An egret stalked slowly back and forth along the water's edge below the dam.  Mallard drakes got up to something that involved a lot of splashing.  A parade of white objects was revealed to be goose rumps.  But there were some hoodies as well.  I saw an osprey land in a pine across the creek. It stayed put so I was able to get some pictures even though I was focusing through intervening twigs.   

There were white throated sparrows on the ground around the birdbath.   Chickadees stayed busy with the sunflower seeds and cardinals visited occasionally.  I thought I saw a brown headed nuthatch but that darned warbler was too fast to chase whatever it was.  It also chased the pine warblers.  

Cold gray wind

The female pileated woodpecker started my day.  The yellow rumped warbler with the dark mask watched from the bark butter dish.  Bluebirds argued about precedence.  A Carolina wren nearly became the cat's breakfast.  The male red bellied woodpecker enjoyed the suet as I fought with the focus.  A pine warbler got a drink from the pool cover after the cat gave up.

I missed another fish drive. Gulls joined the cormorants.  A young ringed bill gull paused on a dock post.  Two hoodie drakes went upstream fast.  A kingfisher landed on the dock downstream.  A pine warbler watched the other suet from a high perch in a tree, then swooped down and got some before the butterbutt chased it away.  

Jelly mystery

The sky was gray, the air chilly, and the water rough.   When the male downy woodpecker discovered the suet cage was empty, her reluctantly settled for barkbutter.  Maybe the problem was the feeder, not the barkbutter, because he had some difficulty perching.  Bluebirds had no problem.  A dove watched the goings on from the top of the post.  Then the cat came back.  

When it left, disappointed, a mockingbird took a turn at the barkbutter.  Next on the barkbutter, the myrtle warbler with the dark mask looked a bit like a smaller version of a mockingbird.  Other myrtle warblers do not give that impression at all.  

Juncos foraged with the sparrows.  K changed the nasty water in the ant moat and I hung a new block of suet.  A very hairy starling waited on the seed feeder for a turn at it.  A pair of Carolina wrens followed.  

But you want to know about the jelly mystery.  Orioles like it so I repurposed a hummer feeder to hold jelly.  A couple of weeks ago something took it down and the brass screw-threaded hook disappeared.  I jury-rigged a replacement by threading a weight below and a key ring above for a hook.  Today I discovered that the plastic dish was on the ground again and this time the key ring was gone.   This was frustrating both the orioles and me.  So today I just dumped some jelly in a plastic lid and left it on the ground.  A mockingbird found it but didn't like it.  

In the afternoon, I decided to take a chance on no rain and put out some barkbutter balls.  Instant blue jay magnet.  Then a flock of cormorants came swimming upstream, I assume, following a school of fish.  An egret relocated to our dock but by then the fish were gone.  

Many birds

Morning overcast helped my photography.  The pileated woodpeckers have become regulars. And they emptied the suet feeder.  The bluebirds squabbled a bit over the barkbutter.   But the bad little butterbutt kept driving away the birds I wanted to photograph.  A brown headed nuthatch dropped down to the birdbath to get away.  A red bellied woodpecker spooked but later the male returned. 

Juncos joined the sparrows again.  A brown thrasher craved barkbutter.  I'm going to have to go buy some more.  A starling went after the suet, but I have plenty of that.  A mockingbird poked around but didn't find whatever it was looking for. 

The creek was rough.  I saw a few pelicans and diving ducks, an egret or two, and a great blue heron. The camera caught a wood duck drake and I didn't even realize it.  Turtles came out of the water to bask.  A couple of red-winged blackbirds explored the exposed creek bottom at low tide. 

Wet

Rain fell during most of the daylight hours, beginning after breakfast.  But before that, I got a lot of pictures, starting with the female pileated woodpecker.  A white breasted nuthatch was driven off by that pest of a myrtle warbler.  Starlings and blackbirds came and went quickly.  Bluebirds, thankfully, weren't so flighty. 

White throated sparrows and juncos stayed on the ground.  Carolina wrens seemed to be everywhere.  A brown headed nuthatch slipped in for a seed.  When I put out the very last tub of barkbutter, a brown thrasher was first in line.  A pine warbler got a bit of suet.  House finches had a tender moment.  A mockingbird struggled to reach the suet.  Goldfinches watched from the dogwood.  

The camellia was still blooming, proof it has been a mild winter.  I got a glimpse of a female towhee.  A downy and a red belled woodpecker, both female, each had a turn at the suet.  

Hot winter day

Another shirtsleeve day with the temperature peaking at 71.  Daffodils started to bloom.  I took a lot of moss pictures.  A myrtle warbler posed amid dogwood buds.  Turtles basked.  There were lovely tinted sunset clouds.  

Woodpecker trio

Even though the GBBC was over, I found myself counting birds.  The male red bellied woodpecker was ready for a suet breakfast.  So was a yellow rumped warbler.  Bluebirds were also early birds.  

The day got up over 70° under an overcast sky.  Turtles climbed out of the water despite the lack of sun.  I counted three juncos.  The brown thrasher returned after taking most of the weekend off.  And then the female pileated woodpecker arrived for a suet lunch.  Meanwhile a male and a female oriole discovered the grape jelly.  The feeder did not turn out to let them perch easily or to support their weight.  

After lunch, back in my office, I spotted a pair of flickers down by the creek.  A tufted titmouse also poked through the leaf litter. The day got more and more gray,  

Last day of #GBBC

The creek was full of reflected light while still in shade.  The Carolina jessamine began blooming and the hanging pot of yellow flowers was still going strong.  K's rescue amaryllis put out four huge red flowers, indoors.  I had to take my car for inspection, so my bird count was in the late morning.  

I went outside because the temperature got up into the 60s and also for a better view of the creek.  My reward was a good view of an immature eagle.  It landed in the fork of a pine across the creek and was still sitting there when I went inside.  I got some pictures of the cocoon up in the hickory and was inspected by a queen yellow jacket looking for a nest site. 

Mallards, cormorants, and an egret were all the water birds I saw, unless I count the three crows on the neighbors' dock.  They had something I couldn't quite make out, maybe a clam or a fish.  What was fascinating was that one crow was clearly holding the object with a foot and inviting the others to inspect. 

I also recorded white throated sparrows, myrtle warblers, and a downy and a red bellied woodpecker.  During lunch, a female oriole arrived for grape jelly, which was very gratifying.  

Then the pileated woodpeckers came, first him, then her.  He wouldn't let her have a turn and took a big bite to make his point.  But he choked on it, and when he finally dislodged the chunk of suet, he dropped it.  She retrieved it from the crevice where it landed and had an appetizer while he continued to stuff himself.  It wasn't long before he flew off and she took over the suet.  And after her, a downy moved in.

A brown headed nuthatch tried to dislodge house finches and eventually got some seeds. Foraging white throated sparrows were joined by a song sparrow and a junco.  A pine warbler and a goldfinch drank from the pool cover even though I had cleaned and filed the birdbath.   

I went outside again because I thought I saw a hoodie but it was the rear end of a goose.  Then I did see a hoodie pair and what looked like a dead flounder.  Later on, a pine warbler and a myrtle warbler disputed possession of the barkbutter.  The butterbutt won but then the feral cat wandered through and we all gave up.

Cold

This was a good day for #GBBC bird counting -- cold, sunny, and not much wind.  I started right in at breakfast with a butterbutt.  A junco, a couple of blue jays, a pair of cardinals, and another of house finches showed up the first hour.  Then white throated sparrows, doves, bluebirds, a Carolina wren and a brown headed nuthatch all wanted food.  

A red bellied woodpecker tried to out-glare starlings over the suet, but gave up.  A song sparrow foraged around the birdbath but a brown thrasher only wanted a drink from the puddle on the pool cover.  On the creek I saw a mallard and a cormorant, and flying over a gull. 

We had lunch late but the birds kept coming.  The temperature had gone up ten degrees but it was still nippy.  The bluebirds, house finches, sparrows, juncos, blue jays, doves, woodpeckers, wrens, and warblers were still around  A mockingbird and a titmouse joined in.  The brown headed nuthatch tried again for seeds but had to forage in the mulch.  What a come-down.   A female oriole stayed up in a tree. 

I spotted a hoodie pair on the creek.  Pelicans and cormorants fished.  I glimpsed an egret below the dam.  A robin hopped around briefly.  A crow harassed some bird I couldn't see.  House finches found something in an azalea.They make a commotion of thrashing branches. A sleepy squirrel soaked up sun nearby. 

#GBBC again

The sun was bright and the creek polished at breakfast.  While I counted morning birds, I didn't get any pictures of them.  I saw a pileated and a downy woodpecker, a blue jay, a junco, a mockingbird, a myrtle warbler, a bluebird, and a great blue heron.  Then I missed the best morning hours for birds.

At lunch, the female pileated woodpecker visited. Two doves meandered around, along with a white throated sparrow.  Chickadees came one at a time to the seed feeder so I could only count one.  Bluebirds and pine and myrtle warblers competed for the barkbutter and a Carolina wren defied the boss warbler for some suet.  That warbler also went after the chickadee. 

The afternoon got windy again.  In fact, the National Weather Service posted a gale warning mid afternoon.  I had hopes that would encourage birds from the bay to seek the quieter creeks, but no.  All I saw was mallards, geese, cormorants and an egret, even though the tide was out which often attracts the fishing birds.  I did discover two turtles in the late afternoon sunshine on the lake. 

Great Backyard Bird Count

When I made my first count at breakfast, the temperature was 68  By lunch when I counted again, it was down to 55, and it kept dropping.  In the morning the patio was wet from overnight and there was another sprinkle of rain.  Warblers were already eating when there wasn't enough light for pictures.  Bluebirds came along right behind.  Then the male pileated woodpecker showed up.  The downy had to eat barkbutter instead of suet.  

When the woodpeckers left, a white breasted nuthatch moved in on the suet.  White throated sparrows were joined by juncos in the mulch.  A Carolina wren was next on the suet.  No turtles basked today, just a couple of cormorants.  The strong, gusty wind dried everything by lunch so I put out some barkbutter balls.  

I don't know if they'll see a hashtag on Blogger, but in case it works, here 'tis. #GBBC

Warm and full of woodpeckers

From breakfast through lunch, the pileated woodpeckers made several visits to the suet.  The male still hogged access, making the female wait till he was full.  She tried gleaning fallen crumbs but got bored and left.  That's why, when the male finally flew off, a downy tried to get a meal.  The female pileated noticed and hustled back for her turn.  At some point, a male red bellied woodpecker arrived but almost immediately panicked and flew away.  A starling slipped in briefly too. 

Other birds seemed intimidated too and only a brown thrasher ate barkbutter while the pileateds were eating suet.  Myrtle warblers watched from a distance.  A bluebird waited till the coast was clear.  Meanwhile there was some crow hanky-panky happening up in the trees. 

The temperature rose above 70° so in the afternoon I spent time outside without a jacket.  A strong south wind was pushing cloud shreds North while up where cirrus clouds form the wind came from the West.  It was gusty down where I was, so I was sometimes chilled.  That may be why the pelicans still came despite the temperature and sunshine.  

A squirrel found something to nibble that went from gray to orange as the squirrel worked.  I wonder what it was.  

Later in the afternoon, I saw the pied bill grebe.  Turtles covered the lake logs.  Two great blue herons kept their distance from each other.  But then one got into a staring match with a cormorant.  The cormorant expressed strong feelings at the heron and paddled away.  I think I saw a few dead fish washed up.  The barnacle incrustations on pilings appeared to have been scraped by the ice at the beginning of the week.  The full moon tide was so low that an egret stood well below the barnacle zone. 

Fishing birds

It wasn't quite as cold but the creek was iced over anyway.  Of course it soon melted.  I saw bluebirds in every direction.  Warblers weren't hard to find either.  And house finches were constantly at the seed feeder.  A brown thrasher visited but I didn't get a picture.  A house finch, a sparrow, and a dove drank from the pool cover. 

An osprey circled and landed in a pine across the creek, unfortunately at a bad angle with a window screen in the way.  Then another arrived and startled the first.  I don't know if they were rivals or courting and I got nothing with the camera.  But then a kingfisher landed on the dock bench with his lunch.  He whacked it repeatedly on the wood.  I assume that was to keep the fish from struggling while he positioned it for a head first dive down his throat.  Maybe it tenderized the fish to.  

Gulls patrolled the creek along with pelicans.  I saw one ring bill paddling on the water.  There were cormorants, naturally.  I caught one taking off like a cartoon bat.  Toward evening, at low tide a great blue heron stood in about a foot of water, just waiting.  It was right below my window and I hadn't turned a light on.  Below the dam an egret did the same.  Mallards circled around the heron.  

Freezing

The creek was mostly iced except for the channel.  A Carolina wren greeted the morning.  I was having a camera focus problem, however.  Bluebirds soon followed and I got the camera to work, mostly.  Myrtle warblers acted up as usual.  The female downy got a few moments with the suet.  Sparrows stayed earth-bound.  My photo of a brown headed nuthatch was out of focus but the brown thrasher was just over-exposed.  Blue jays were wary so I mostly got their backs.  I missed the mockingbird entirely. 

By afternoon, the ice was gone and the pelicans were back, flying over the creek.  The great blue heron that owns this stretch of creek was on guard.  The tide was quite low.  Cormorants were busy diving after fish.  I got a glimpse of the grebe.  Then another heron made the mistake of landing in our yard.  It was chased off immediately.  Curiously, an egret that landed later was tolerated.  

Streaming clouds

I woke up to sunshine but soon clouds blew in from the Northwest.  All day clouds alternated with sunshine, but the cold was consistent.  Some clouds looked dark and stormy but nothing precipitated.  Reflections went from brightly colored to dull and muted. 

The mockingbird preferred barkbutter for breakfast.  Warblers took what they could get.  The Carolina wren seemed happier with suet.  Bluebirds alternated between suet and barkbutter.  

The creek became wrinkled with ripples but that didn't trouble the pelicans.  Cormorants, a bufflehead, a grebe, and hooded mergansers fished from the water's surface.  A great blue heron fished below the dam.  Then a gorgeous wood duck drake came paddling by, not fishing at all. 

I spotted a white breasted nuthatch in the trees but it nipped out of sight.  Bluebirds perched and posed everywhere.  One junco joined the white throated sparrows foraging in the mulch under the feeder.  A squirrel has been stripping bark from the redwood to line its drey. 

Cold and gray

The birds were not in a sharing mood.  Bluebirds squabbled. Warblers chased each other all around the yard.  Starlings displaced all the others, even a red bellied woodpecker. A Carolina wren tried to stay out of trouble and get a meal.  So did a downy woodpecker.  A brown headed nuthatch managed to get a seed. 

Blue jays noticed I put out barkbutter balls today.They only want food they can carry away.  A mockingbird had some difficulty with the feeder.  A goldfinch showed up and got a drink.  Eventually the brown thrasher arrived.  It hammered the barkbutter as thought it was frozen. 

On intrepid turtle was out on the communal log.  Lots of pelicans came to fish.  Cormorants and hoodies joined in.  I even saw a pied bill grebe.  A squirrel ran through the yard with a mouthfull of leaves.  

Last of the warm spell

Shirtsleeves today, snow flurries tomorrow night.  The female pileated woodpecker came for breakfast.  Turtles were basking by mid morning when the sun touched their favorite log.  Myrtle warblers popped up all over.  So did the much larger pelicans.  

At lunch, a white breasted nuthatch came for suet.  Sparrows kicked mulch to see if lunch was underneath.  Afterward we all went outside.  The house finches began courting this week.  Bluebirds were still squabbling.  I spotted a flicker on a sweet gum with his head in the base of a sawed off limb.  Could he be excavating a nest?  I believe I've seen a flicker on that tree before.  And a little later I found a female about twenty feet away. 

A blue jay wanted to know if there was any fresh barkbutter.  Bluebirds were content to clean up the last of the old.  Pine warblers finally managed to dodge the bully myrtle warbler and get some barkbutter.  Then a brown thrasher went to work and soon dumped the whole thing on the ground.  It wasn't intentional because it took the bird a while to figure out where the food had gone.  

Pelicans fished all day.  A great blue heron landed on a dock piling.  A great egret explored a fallen pine branch.  Clouds began to arrive at sunset.  

Even warmer

I missed some good photos in the morning, including a bluebird and a pine warbler sharing a dish, also a brown thrasher.  In the afternoon, I did get bad poses of a Carolina wren and a myrtle warbler.  The bluebirds were easier.  A mockingbird miss-gauged landing on a swinging dish and had to make a second try.  Sparrows foraged.. 

A squirrel attempted daylight robbery of the seed feeder.  It failed.  Apparently squirrels are not as smart as blue jays because the jays long ago learned they couldn't get seeds out so they don't waste energy trying.  

Pelicans were fishing again.  I'm pleased with some of the photos.  Turtles clustered on their log on the lake.  Later, brown headed nuthatches kept getting away faster than shutter speed. But instead, I got a brown creeper! 

Spring-like

The mockingbird was early again.  I got one photo with its nictitating membrane closed.  I missed a shot of a pelican floating on bright reflections.  The eyebrow birds - white throated sparrows and Carolina wrens - came for breakfast.  Pine and myrtle warblers continued their argument over pecking order.  

Bluebirds arrived for lunch.  So did a couple of mourning doves.  The sky was a clear blue, bulbs were sending up shoots, and the temperature was in the 60s, but breezy.  Downstream, an egret fished by exposed tree roots.  

I cobbled together a replacement for the missing hook on the feeder I've been using for grape jelly.  It won't work with the hummer feeder top, and I learned that it won't discourage a squirrel with a sweet tooth.   The squirrel tried to shimmy up the shepherd's crook and slid back to the ground.  Then it got up on a chair and leaped for the top of the crook, dangled there and gobbled jelly.  Fortunately, it left some.

Then a chipping sparrow joined a pair of house finches on the seed feeder.  The finches soon left.  Warblers and bluebirds commuted between suet and barkbutter, but the mockingbird stuck to barkbutter.  

Song sparrow

At breakfast, there were patches of ice floating on the creek and frost on leaves, but the air warmed up fast.  The day was generally sunny, though there were plenty of clouds.  The bullying butterbutt continued his bad behavior, chasing pine and other myrtle warblers away.  White throated sparrows were back, unobtrusively foraging. 

Both a white breasted and a brown headed nuthatch visited, the white breasted for suet and the brown headed for seeds.  Bluebirds returned.  A song sparrow preened in a dogwood between the pool and the creek. 

Woodpeckers

Early morning was wet from yesterday's rain and it was still cloudy.   The pileated woodpecker pair returned.  The creek was placid and a plethora of pelicans fished - I saw six at one time.  Hooded mergansers and cormorants joined the fishing at low tide. 

A Carolina wren pecked suet when the pileated woodpecker left.  Brown headed nuthatches came frequently for more seeds.  I saw both male and female red bellied woodpeckers.  Bluebirds loitered around the feeders.  Starlings paid a brief visit.  In the afternoon, I saw a brown thrasher.  

The sun finally reached the edge of the overcast and made a spectacular sunset.  Orange bars of cloud spread color all across the sky.  The hoodies were back floating on the reflected sunset.  

Cold rain

The morning wasn't bad.  A patchy overcast made good lighting for photos.  And the creek was too rough for reflections.  The myrtle warbler bully was back.  A very orange bluebird took over the barkbutter.  The pair of Carolina wrens divided up the buffet, as usual.  House finches squabbled over the sunflower seeds.  The mockingbird took a turn at the barkbutter.  The scarred white throat scuttled around, foraging.   Then the feral cat settled in to watch from a distance.  I'm impressed that the sparrow has survived predators, being blind in one eye. 

A blue jay was unimpressed with the cat.  I saw a female bufflehead on the creek.  The male pileated woodpecker arrived for his breakfast.  He was digging into the suet when a squirrel decided to climb the post.  He flung his wings out and suddenly was three times as big.  Both bird and squirrel departed hastily.  

The rain began before lunch, but it was light and did not discourage a brown headed nuthatch.  I spotted a blue jay up in a tree.  An egret and a pelican fished.  When the rain streaked the windows I called it a day.  

Blackbirds

I slept in.  The birdbath was still frozen when I had breakfast so I poured hot water into it afterward.  Starlings showed up but only one hung around.  Then a couple of red-winged blackbirds followed.

The usual birds also joined me for breakfast: bluebirds, pine and myrtle warblers, white throated sparrows, Carolina wrens, and a brown thrasher.  The dish feeders were not only empty of food, they were full of ice.  I got the ice out and dumped some barkbutter balls in.  Then I discovered that the dish I was using for jelly had come unscrewed from its hook which was nowhere to be seen. 

Broken clouds let through some sunlight in the morning, but as the temperature rose, overcast settled in.  The female red bellied woodpecker put in an appearance but soon spooked, so my photo is full of feathers fanning the air.  Pelicans and cormorants fished busily.  

Chilly but bright

A little flock of cedar waxwings landed in the trees before the sun was up so unfortunately they were back-lighted by the sky.  They were very round, not sleek, so they must have been cold.  And then just before they would have been properly sunlit, they all flew away.

The pileated pair came back for more suet.  A blue jay was unimpressed with the bill of fare.  Two brown thrashers were in sight at the same time.  With species where the sexes look the same, it's much harder to figure out whether I'm always seeing the same bird.  Bluebirds, warblers, Carolina wrens, a mockingbird, white throated sparrows and titmice also visited.  

Pelicans were hard at work patrolling the creek.  A wood duck pair paddled downstream.  It must be time for them to look for a nest site.  

Hot and cold

A young pelican fished for breakfast alongside an adult.  Cormorants were busy too.  A gusty Southwest wind kept the tide low and made the creek choppy. 

Birds were packing on the calories, but the butterbutt bully with a bandit mask drove smaller birds away from the feeders.  It was thirsty work and when bigger birds showed up, the warbler retreated.   A mockingbird and several bluebirds just ignored the little tyrant. 

 A pileated woodpecker lurked in the trees.  Eventually the female came to the suet.  A brown thrasher seemed intimidated and turned to the barkbutter. That made the bluebirds queue up for a turn. 

A male Baltimore oriole watched from a dogwood, then swooped onto the jelly feeder. Dessert first, then he flew to the suet.  A pine warbler was willing to share. 

The Southwest wind brought the temperature up into the 70s. Bulbs pushed leaves up into the warm air.  At midday I was outside with no coat, but the air was very damp and, with no sunshine plus the wind, it wasn't really pleasant.  A couple of turtles basked on their log.  White throated sparrows did their can-can dance in the mulch to kick up any hidden seeds.  A song sparrow joined in. 

Then, when the wind swung around to the Northwest, light rain washed the temperature back down into the 30s.  

Warm

The temperature climbed past 60° today, but the warm air brought clouds.  The creek was an almost perfect mirror.  One of the myrtle warblers got belligerent and began driving off all the other warblers, both pine and myrtle.  The mockingbird ignored it.  White throats foraged in mulch instead of snow.  There was a brown thrasher too but I didn't get a picture. 

The blue jays that dote on barkbutter balls didn't even bother to come and taste the barkbutter in little tubs.  But the bluebirds love the stuff.  I think six bluebirds have been coming to the feeders.  They don't sit still to be counted.  Speaking of thrushes, the other kind showed up - a small flock of robins flew among the trees.  One pale female foraged under the maple.  

When I checked on the other suet cage a male pileated woodpecker was dangling from it.  Soon the female appeared on a tree trunk, acting as though feeding on the tree was the only thing in her head.  I believe I saw a brown headed cowbird in the trees.  A goldfinch came to see if there was anything for a vegetarian. 

The pelicans were thick despite the warm temperature and light wind.  I guess they followed fish up the creek.  One turtle climbed up into the warm air.  The male kingfisher was back, perched on what appeared to be a broken limb. 

When I went to turn out the kitchen light before bed, there was a moth on the window!   

Fog

If we had groundhogs, which we don't, whey would have seen nothing.  The fog started sometime after lunch.  Pelicans continued to fish until the light dimmed after 5pm.  I took lots pf pictures.  A gull and a heron watched from the dock. Something tore away a circle of ground cover at the shoreline where our lot meets the next.  at first I thought a tree had been uprooted, but the surface was too level. 

Meanwhile, a sapsucker hiked up the wild cherry tree.  A damp myrtle warbler glared from a branch.  And the two fox sparrows appeared to clean up under where the suet had hung.  That inspired me to replace the empty suet cage. That upset the birds  and then the light failed before they returned.  

 

Sunny

Though morning began with some ice, it soon became another sunny day in the 40s.  The mockingbird was up early.  A different cat, a tabby, came prowling.  Once it was gone, the bluebirds came out, then a brown thrasher and a Carolina wren.  Some camellia buds survived the two winter storms.  

Two mourning doves looked for lunch under the azalea.  Warblers, pine and myrtle, went back and forth between suet and barkbutter.  So did the bluebirds.  A mockingbird hunted where the doves had been, apparently after a hosta berry.  I spotted a female pileated woodpecker in the trees.  Of course, the white throats stayed on the ground.  And then at least three brown headed nuthatches monopolized the sunflower seeds, or tried to.  

The pelicans never stopped fishing all day but I missed a lot of shots.  Toward evening, two great blue herons kept watch on the creek, one from the dam the other on our dock.  I spotted a pied bill grebe in the last rays of the sun.  It dived and a cormorant came up.  Strange!