Foggy

The early warbler found a soggy breakfast.  A white breasted nuthatch was more cheerful over suet and seeds.  A hopeful goldfinch was back but the house finches were still mean to it.  However, they were beginning to court each other  The orioles fussed over turns at the jelly.  At some point the orange cup fell out and I think the jelly got dumped.  Bluebirds made sure to get their turns at the barkbutter balls. 

Downy stuck to the suet but the white breasted nuthatch also wanted some.  Then the pileated took over for a while. 

A little flock of juncos foraged under the seed feeder.  They were joined by the chipping sparrow.  Later a couple of white throats and a couple of doves hunted fallen seeds.  A Carolina wren found a spilled barkbutter ball and hammered it into submission.  Then an oriole chased it because it was close to the jelly dish.  I don't know what the blue jay found but it hammered something on a branch. 

Apparently the West side of the house has become the haunt of cats.  The yellow long hair was under the bench until it decided to chase the black and white cat.  

I didn't think it was warm but a couple of turtles crawled out on their log anyway.  A few pelicans patrolled the creek.  A morose-looking great blue heron huddled on the neighbors' floating dock.  Another stood on the turtle log after the turtles left.  And the fog faded to black. 

Wet

Pelicans flew by and at least one dived in front of us, but my only photos were of the one perched on the navigation sign.  I saw buffleheads and hoodies but got no clear pictures.  I did catch a cormorant about to sprint across the water.  The creek was flat but reflections were gray and there was trash floating with the tide.  Even when the rain was over, drying out took all day.  It did make the moss and lichens green.  The dog kept hoping that if we went outside, K would come home.  It was too wet to sit. 

Warblers, orioles, bluebirds, and a Carolina wren showed up as soon as I dumped water and put food out.  The female orioles disputed precedence with each other but always let the male go first.  But they also ate barkbutter balls and suet.  

 Hungry goldfinches were bullied by house finches.  The house finches even ejected a brown headed nuthatch.  When one finally got a chance at the feeder, it was rude to a chickadee. Between goldfinches, pine warblers, and female orioles, there were too many birds with olive-yellow backs, and black & white barred wings.  Eventually one goldfinch scrounged for seeds on the ground.  White throated sparrows were foraging there too.  

The downy woodpecker stayed focused on suet.  The mockingbird, on the other foot, refused to go near the suet cage and stuck to barkbutter balls.  The pileated woodpecker returned and no one argued with him.

Cloudy

The sun shone on low tide at breakfast.  A butterbutt bandito arrived early at the suet which was almost gone.  The masked yellow rumped warbler moved on to the mealworms.  A pine warbler went for the barkbutter balls and then the mealworms.  The downy worked on the suet nubbin.

Clouds thickened and held the temperature below 60.  The dog and I sat outside but I had to move around to stay warm.  After lunch, I put out a fresh block of suet during a shower that was not in the weather forecast.  Bluebirds and orioles joined the warblers.  I saw a chipping sparrow in the trees.  A mockingbird arrived during the rain but the orioles harassed it.  A Carolina wren foraged under the barkbutter dish while three female orioles fussed at it to stay away from their jelly.  Both brown headed and white breasted nuthatches came for seeds.  Juncos finally showed up.  So did a starling. 

Buffleheads and hoodies paddled around the creek.  I think a hawk flew away.  An egret flew over but vegetation confused the camera.  

Spring signs

A film of ice sealed the water in the birdbath when I got up, but soon melted.  While I didn't notice wind, the creek surface was not still.  A myrtle warbler was the early bird.  These warm days persuaded bulbs and similar vegetation to send up shoots.  The Carolina jessamine began blooming.  It all put me in the mood to shop for seeds.  

Bluebirds monitored the feeders from the top of the redwood.  The orioles definitely liked the mealworms along with the jelly.  It's a good thing they are satisfied with cheap grape jelly.  A block from home a flock of robins poked in the grass.  I don't understand why they so rarely visit us. 

During the day the temperature sneaked up to 58, but started to drop as the sun descended into a layer of thin cloud. I spotted a faint sundog.  Returning from the library, I went past Witchduck Lake which was full of ducks and cormorants.  I identified hoodies, shovelers, and wood ducks.  

One half of the moon hung overhead as the sun set.  

Chilly blue sky

Bluebirds were eating the dust from the barkbutter balls so I hustled some fresh food out.  I filled the blue dish with mealworms to see how the birds would react.  They weren't as popular as the barkbutter balls, but the orioles ate them in between snacking on jelly.  There were two orange females, one in the midst of molting, and a yellow female and a male today.  A blue jay inspected the jelly but decided against it. 

Warblers preferred the suet anyway.  They argued with each other and the downy.  They did also try to get both mealworms and barkbutter balls. One myrtle warbler continued to imitate a hummingbird hovering under the suet.  The pine warblers were almost the same color as the yellow female oriole.  I glimpsed a red bellied woodpecker in a distant pine but it came no closer. 

At least two brown headed nuthatches dodged the house finches to get sunflower seeds.  A white breasted nuthatch began each foray with suet, then got a sunflower seed "to go."  A mockingbird ate barkbutter balls exclusively.  After lunch, a song sparrow came to forage for fallen seeds.  Juncos soon followed.  Pelicans flew by and buffleheads paddled past.  

Fair and warm

Tuesday was beautiful and mild in Richmond.  I wandered around the monuments outside the capitol and discovered that a section of wall was made of blocks of fossiliferous limestone.  The sun was at a good angle to pick out the shell shapes.  

Wednesday was miserable and the closer I got to home the worse the weather got.  But today was sunny like Tuesday though a bit more windy.   The rain had filled everything - birdbath and bird feeders, so the birds were very hungry.  I saw a mockingbird, a blue jay, a starling, the bluebird family, innumerable warblers, and the male oriole and his harem.  Juncos foraged in the grass.  A downy woodpecker tested branches. 

There were buffleheads in the morning.  A few mallards napped on the dock.  Herons and pelicans flew along the creek.  Basking turtles crowded their log.

I moved the peppers back inside for the night and tried to photograph the crescent moon.  There was a bright planet nearby.  

Pintail drake

The sky was gray in the morning.  Buffleheads kept their distance.  A pintail drake consorted with a flock of mallards.  Vegetation got in the way of photos until the pintail began to preen. 

A brown headed nuthatch pretended to be invisible on the seed feeder.  A female oriole got some jelly but another went for the barkbutter balls.  Male and female bluebirds had the same idea.  A pine warbler wanted his share.  Of course a starling had to be greedy.  A myrtle warbler seemed more interested in suet.  Two female orioles argued over the jelly.  

Then I left for Richmond.  The navigation system directed me on a route through Black history memorials like Lumpkin's Jail. 

The pileated returned!

On a wet and dreary day, after lunch a pileated woodpecker visited the suet. In fact he returned a couple of times!  He seemed to know exactly hot to get at the suet so I think it may be the same bird as last year.  

Before the rain began, the cat lurked on the steps. A wet butterbutt fed on suet till another bumped it off.  A white breasted nuthatch attempted to share the suet with a downy.  It was not a success.  The nuthatch moved to the seed feeder. 

Two song sparrows foraged mostly on the ground but one found the barkbutter crumbs.  And one waded in the birdbath.  There were white throats and juncos as well.  A pine warbler and a Carolina wren also liked the barkbutter crumbs.  The song sparrow kicked a pine warbler off the barkbutter dish.  It was after that that the pileated arrived.  

A mockingbird would have preferred the bigger balls and flew off to the suet. A blue jay was also disappointed.  When the pileated left, a Carolina wren appropriated the suet.  A bluebird ate barkbutter crumbs. 

Meanwhile, pelicans patrolled the creek.  A few buffleheads were out in the rain.  Cormorants lined the lake along with a few egrets.  A tree held a dozen more egrets as twilight darkened the gray day.  . 

Brrrrrr

Though sunny, it felt a lot colder.  Herons and egrets fished all day.  A flotilla of pelicans passed during my meeting.  I saw them reflected on the computer screen and was very tempted to abandon my responsibility.  Cormorants and buffleheads joined the fishing.  

A downy worked on the suet.  A male and two or three female orioles ate up two helpings of grape jelly.  Myrtle warblers had a taste for jelly too.  I noticed that when one butterbutt wants to intimidate another, it elevates its tail like a wren, which displays that yellow rump.  Pine warblers and bluebirds were around too.  A brown headed nuthatch took advantage of an opening on the seed feeder perch.  A molting blue jay visited the barkbutter. 

A starling came for barkbutter balls and brought a red-winged blackbird who enjoyed the birdbath.  K kindly leveled the relocated birdbath and arranged a bag-full of pine-bark nuggets around it.  I am so glad to have the liriope gone!    Two doves inspected the new mulch.  A flicker rested on a dogwood branch.  A mockingbird was too wary to get much to eat.  A junco investigated the jelly but didn't find it appealing.  A Carolina wren hunted for bits I'd spilled.  

Chilling

Ducks were up early though I didn't get a good look at them.  At lunch time there were orioles.  Pine warblers ate suet and bluebirds ate barkbuter balls.   A song sparrow foraged on the ground.  Brown headed nuthatches went still on the post for a long time. I wondered if there was a hawk.

I got outside for a short while under an intensely blue sky.  Turtles basked on the lake.  A few buffleheads fished on the creek.  The temperature slipped down over the course of the afternoon.  

Spring-like

It was very balmy today.  Bluebirds cleaned up the barkbutter.  The warblers helped though they also ate suet.  Two male orioles showed up but one sent the other away.  Two females also came, one dark orange, the other paler yellow.  They waited for the male to finish.  Meanwhile the cat lurked on the chair on the lower patio.  

Brown headed nuthatches were abundant.  One intimidated a house finch.   A song sparrow erected its crest.  A female oriole joined the downy on the block of suet.  I got the birdbath re-positioned.  Turtles were out on their log enjoying the warm day.  After dark I saw a lacewing on the window. 

The tree is gone

Finally a male downy joined the female in consuming the suet.   However, a white breasted nuthatch harbored suet ambitions.  A tawny, long-haired cat watched the feeders till it saw me.  It was quite leonine.  A nervous bluebird snatched a barkbutter ball and fled.  A molting goldfinch appeared to have fleece pantaloons. 

The tree removal was remarkably quick considering how long we waited to have it done.  And no sooner was it finished than the rain began.  Juncos and sparrows hunted in the mulch.  A Carolina wren hung underneath the suet, making an umbrella of dinner.  Pine and myrtle warblers quarreled with each other but had no luck dislodging the wren. 

Warmer

The creek reflected a beautiful day.  Quite a few cormorants popped up, rippling the reflections.  Pelicans fished throughout the day, as did a flock of hooded mergansers and a bufflehead.  One of the cruising pelicans turned out to be an egret.  A pelican napped on the boathouse roof, across the creek.  Four buzzards circled over a spot downstream. 

A white breasted nuthatch alternated between suet and seeds.  A brown headed nuthatch came later in the day.  Bluebirds and mockingbirds preferred the barkbutter balls. Myrtle warblers ate whatever they could get but pine warblers were scarce.  Meanwhile the cat lurked behind the bench, but the birds knew it was there.  Our dog explained that it was unwelcome. 

Juncos white throated, and song sparrows scurried across the ground looking for food.  Sometimes the myrtle warblers joined them.  The paler female oriole showed up for jelly.  I went after the rose canes that kept photo-bombing pictures of the creek.  Scrambling down through the leaves and mulch was not the best idea I've had.  At twilight, the evening cormorant commute was backed by bars of cloud.  

Birdwatchers

In the morning, it was the feral cat.  This morning the feline menace was not content to watch, but made a couple of futile pounces.  I wonder if it ate the sick finch and was looking for another easy meal?  The dog finally showed up at the right moment to chase the cat.  As far as I know, the cat did not return after that.  

Once the coast was clear, the songbirds returned.  A mockingbird wanted barkbutter balls.  A female oriole went straight for the jelly.  A starling tried the suet, then the barkbutter.  Myrtle warblers scrounged everything they could see, including jelly.  Pine warblers picked over the dust after the last barkbutter ball was gone, then glared at me for more.  The oriole was disappointed that the jelly was gone.  The downy woodpecker wanted the starling to leave her suet alone.  More starlings arrived and foraged on the ground. 

In the afternoon, it was a Cooper's hawk perched up in the leafless cherry.  Possibly it was just soaking up sunshine, but the birds didn't trust it.  Meanwhile, pelicans and gulls flew patrols over the creek.  I saw cormorants and maybe ducks fishing. So I guess I was the third birdwatcher.

Catching up

 I skipped downloading photos for several days.  

Gray

The day began mild like yesterday, but a cold North wind put a stop to that.  The patio birds were hungry but I saw very few waterfowl.  A flicker probed the grass and a red bellied woodpecker tested a tree trunk.  

A sick house finch had me worried that it might be contaminating the feeder and birdbath.  It was a little too lively to catch.  A goldfinch, brown headed nuthatches, bluebirds, two orioles, and lots of warblers came to feast  Juncos, whitethroats and song sparrows foraged below.  

Still fishing

There was thick fog when I got up but it dissipated before I got any pictures.  Then the egrets arrived.  Cormorants created circular patches of gray on the creek surface that looked like ice floes.  Gulls swirled around the egrets.  Eventually the pelicans showed up. 

Bluebirds, blue jays, and pine warblers were pleased when I uncovered the barkbutter balls.  K hung a new block of suet which promptly attracted a butterbutt.  The downy woodpecker was not pleased. 

The song sparrow came to forage, as did juncos.  I refreshed the jelly and that drew a male oriole.  A pine warbler and the brown headed nuthatches made forays to get sunflower seeds when the cardinals, house finches, chickadees, and titmice weren't in the way.  

In the late afternoon, long after the fishing frenzy was over, a pied pill grebe floated on the creek.  The setting sun highlighted the bird and colored the water with reflections.  Geese and an egret watched.  

Fishing frenzy!

Egrets, pelicans, and gulls chased the fish up the creek and back down twice in the morning.  The first run was at high tide.  Cormorants and hooded mergansers followed the crowd of white birds.  A great blue heron perched high in the pines. 

The female cowbird returned.  A mockingbird got into the barkbutter balls before the blue jays noticed. Bluebirds and warblers got their share.  A goldfinch was shy about intruding on the house finches on the feeder.  I got some pruning done before the rain began.  

Blackbirds and woodpeckers

The sun shone all day while small clouds flowed rapidly East. It didn't seem windy at ground level though it was colder.  Pelicans continued to fish but the other birds were fewer and less frequent so I think that the fish they were after must have dispersed. (I was wrong!) A few buffleheads paddled after the bigger birds. 

I paid more attention to the song and feeder birds.  Woodpeckers stayed fairly distant.  I saw a red bellied woodpecker hiking up a pine trunk.  A flicker preened on the hackberry trunk.  I think the downy finished off the suet.  Three red winged blackbirds and a female cowbird foraged under the seed feeder.  And a male oriole enjoyed some jelly.  

Bluebirds, warblers, a Carolina wren, brown headed nuthatches, and a mockingbird visited feeders while juncos, white throated sparrows, and a song sparrow hunted on the ground.  Of course the cardinals, house finches, chickadees, and titmice come every day.  

More fishing

It was mostly egrets from sun up to sun down, but pelicans came through repeatedly.  The egrets practiced social distancing and punished any who encroached.  I also saw egrets leap into the water after fish.  That probably explains yesterday's dirty bird.  

A few buffleheads pursued fish under the water.  I only saw one heron.  While I didn't see them fishing, flocks of comorants commuted to their roosts at twilight as clouds moved in.  

Up on the patio, bluebirds enjoyed the barkbutter balls. 

Fishing spree

Ducks and egrets and cormorants and pelicans and gulls patrolled the creek all day.   A grebe and a few buffleheads joined the hooded mergansers.  A snowy egret landed on the dock - the first time I've seen one come this far upstream.  

A great egret dried out on a post downstream.  It looked dingy and wet like it had fallen in.  I'd never seen a dirty egret before.  Rings of ripples kept popping to the surface of the creek but whether they were caused by fish or fishing ducks or methane wasn't clear.  The lake, however, was empty of action. 

The feeders also did lively business.  Pine and myrtle warblers, brown headed and white breasted nuthatches, bluebirds, and a Carolina wren joined the regulars.  Once again, goldfinches looked around for something to their liking. 

Juncos and white throats foraged on the ground beneath.  Doves seemed to be thinking romantically.  While outside, I spotted a male towhee.  It was harassed by a blue jay. 

Warm and wet

Despite the temperature and the lack of wind, a pelican fished on the creek.   A little flock of buffleheads roamed the creek, paddling and diving.   A lone hoodie drake joined them.  Several egrets hung around and disputed territorial claims.  The kingfisher waited atop a post for a fins to swim into range.  A mid day rain fell earlier than expected and caught the yard crew. 

Pine warblers were disappointed that I only opened one dish of bark butterballs. A downy booted one warbler off the suet.  White throats, a song sparrow, and juncos found plenty to eat on the ground.  Nuthatches, both brown headed and white breasted, cane for sunflower seeds.  A blue jay shot out of a tree and disappeared.  Bluebirds were more cooperative.  And I saw the first brown thrasher in months.  A mockingbird also showed up. 

Balmy

The sky was gray but the air was warm.  In the morning a boat disturbed a kingfisher but I wasn't ready with the camera.  A pelican soared overhead.  A strange long-haired cat hustled across the yard like a miniature lion.  A bufflehead drake surfaced followed by a female.  Another drake joined them.  A great blue heron watched everything from a perch high up in a pine.  

Sunset was a spectacle.  

Lovely warm day

The early morning reflections in the creek were brilliantly colored though the sky was hazy.   There were pelicans in the morning but as the day grew warmer they left for more adventurous places.  Then the cat came and lurked behind the bench back.  The birds have grown more daring despite the cat.  Bluebirds, blue jays, warblers, and juncos were lured by the barkbutter balls.  Even the white throated sparrows sampled the fallen fragments.   

The suet block was almost finished.  The oriole was disappointed to find the grape jelly empty.  I put more out but he didn't return. 

A brown headed nuthatch stole a seed from under a house finch's beak.  Two chickadees got into a pecking order fight.

A couple of squirrels were courting and the dog had a fine time chasing them.  They resumed as soon as he came indoors.  Later, the dog and I sat outdoors, he in the shade and me in the sun.  I startled a heron.  Bluebirds sat with finches on cherry branches, waiting for me to leave.  One turtle enjoyed the warmth on the lake log. 

The haze thickened as the afternoon went on.  By sunset, there were bars of pink cloud against the blue.   Cormorants commuted to roost against that backdrop.  

A New Year

And a new camera that does what I want!  I finally got rid of the spot that was showing up on the sky or other featureless areas.  It turned out to be on the camera body, not the lens - a speck of dust that got in when I was switching lenses.  

Morning was still wet from overnight rain and not quite as warm as yesterday.  There were brown headed nuthatches but I didn't get a picture.  Pine warblers wanted to know if I planned to uncap the barkbutter balls.  The goldfinch wondered too.  

Blue jays stole the show, and the barkbutter balls.  But bluebirds got some too.  The white throated sparrows only cared about what fell on the ground.