Rain

After some sun at dawn, morning was overcast and rain began around mid day.  It was light and gentle for a couple of hours, but in the mid afternoon it fell more heavily.  And it seemed to be finished before dark.  The temperature dropped back into the normal February range after fooling some trees into flower.  The big question is whether there will be a hard freeze now that the trees are committed to Spring. "Some plants tie their yearly cycles to the availability of light and water — but others like magnolias and cherry blossoms respond to warming temperatures, said Les Parks, director of horticulture at Norfolk Botanical Garden."  The creek was smooth and reflective in the early morning.  Pelicans flew past and one plunged in front of us, but the camera was fussy about focus. 

A crow saw me put out food but it had a hard time reaching it.  A mockingbird sampled the orioles' jelly.  Meanwhile, the orioles ate barkbutter balls.  Blue jays dropped in for more than their fair share of barkbutter balls. Bluebirds arrived before breakfast was all eaten but then wasted energy defending it. 

A junco found a barkbutter ball on the ground.    A white throated sparrow hunted breakfast under the mountain mint stalks. A Carolina wren also found a fallen barkbutter ball.  The song sparrow was back for another round of kicking mulch. 

A brown headed nuthatch got a drink before a seed.  The boss butterbutt glared at the downy on the suet but didn't quite have the nerve to attack.  The pileated woodpecker returned and I caught sight of another one watching from the pine tree.  I couldn't be sure if it was a female or a rival, but the photo leads me to think mate. 

Then the rain streaked the windows .  I could see ducks on the creek but the camera could not.