The morning was wet and gray but wind in the afternoon wind dried things out and eventually blew enough clouds away for sunshine. I refused to put fresh food out till I was sure the rain was over. A butterbutt was again first to appear - the silly warbler kept trying to hover in front of the suet. For lack of anything better, orioles ate suet. So did bluebirds, the Carolina wren, and pine warblers, but they weren't all happy to share. A mockingbird looked at the suet but refused to try balancing on it. The downy woodpeckers were rather late to the party.
White throated sparrows and juncos foraged on the ground and the chipping sparrow came back! A blue jay took a look around for fallen food. Brown headed and white breasted nuthatches returned for seeds, as did a goldfinch.
I put out barkbutter balls in the upper dish and moved the jelly up into the blue dish to keep it from being blown away. The orioles quickly found it. Other birds were disappointed. Then at a moment when I wasn't watching I heard a big thump. I looked up and a Coopers hawk was sitting on the railing. It didn't have any prey so I assume it missed and hit the window instead. It appeared undamaged, balancing on the slippery railing and swiveling its head all around. And soon it flew off. Over ten minutes elapsed before the other birds ventured out.
I went outside with the dog after dark and took a few moon pictures. Wispy clouds were interesting but they kept the craters from being visible. It was really cold but, thankfully, the wind had dropped.
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