The birdbath was frozen solid and there was a definite skin of ice on parts of the creek this morning. The water was very still and mirror bright. A male cardinal was up early and soon pestered by house finches. A pine warbler and an orange crowned warbler got some bits of barkbutter. A cheeky Carolina wren peered into the kitchen in between foraging for barkbutter fragments.
Across the creek a neighbor wrapped bushes in holiday lights which reflected in the creek.
The birds got off to a slow start in the cold, but mid day was full of species once the dog scolded the feral cat and sent it away. A mockingbird paid multiple visits to the barkbutter balls. A pine warbler followed, then sampled the suet. I spotted a bufflehead drake on the creek.
A male Baltimore oriole popped up in the camellia, but before I could get a photo he flew to the barkbutter feeder. Then he moved over to the seed feeder hanger where his presence perturbed the female downy. He got a drink, then just posed for a while. To stay warm he was puffed up and much rounder than usual. The woodpecker needn't have worried as he showed no interest in the suet.
A white breasted nuthatch landed on the post but didn't stay. A myrtle warbler visited briefly. The orange crowned warbler came back. A Carolina wren had some barkbutter bits. A bluebird landed but didn't stay. A female junco scurried around the patio. And then a chipping sparrow landed on the seed feeder roof. It didn't stick around either. Chickadees and house finches kept the seed feeder busy. This was all within an hour and a half between 12:30 and 2pm!
I thought at first there was ice on the creek but it was just ruffled water. The birdbath had long, thin crystals. A Carolina wren came for barkbutter balls.
Toward evening, mallards became very busy on the creek. I could not see what inspired them to paddle from one spot to another so fast they left wakes. Cumulus clouds blushed orange as cormorants flew past.
I was running around most of the day. The tux cat made itself at home in the back so the birds stayed away. I went out front where I could hear a blue jay but I never saw it. There were birds in the cedar. I glimpsed one I thought was a bluebird but I "pish, pished" to no avail. The jessamine made a flower. A freeze was forecast so we brought in the peppers.
Cold drizzle didn't deter a hungry white throated sparrow from foraging under the feeder. House finches, cardinals, chickadees and titmice wanted their seeds. A mockingbird preferred suet, especially since the barkbutter balls were still covered to keep the rain out.
By afternoon, the drizzle turned into rain. Juncos joined the white throat and a Carolina wren foraging. I squeegeed the window several times but the camera still had trouble with focus. On the creek hoodies and mallards ignored the extra water.
We started the day with a blue jay. After that, they stayed up in the trees. The cat came back but the dog evicted it, at least for a couple of hours. A Northeast wind drove the tide up. Mid day the sky cleared and the temperature got all the way up to 46°.
A brown headed nuthatch joined the chickadees on the seed feeder. Some chickadees competed with the downy for suet. An orange crowned warbler also had a taste for suet, and for barkbutter balls. A very similar pine warbler did too. I saw a bluebird up in the hickory and then on the suet. Cormorants and Canada geese were all I saw on the creek.
Toward evening the sky grew threatening and the wind made waves on the creek.
The black & white cat basked for a while on the pool cover, but the birds were just too fascinating. Pretty soon, the cat was up on the steps There was a lot to see. A goldfinch in winter drab got a drink. A pine warbler streaked past on the way to the suet. A bluebird landed atop the post. Chickadees and house finches argued over seeds.
After K shooed the cat, twice, a Carolina wren helped itself to barkbutter balls. A mockingbird wanted some, but didn't hang around. Meanwhile, a brown headed nuthatch also came for seeds. A couple of doves paraded around the pool cover. The first junco of the Fall foraged under the sakaki.
The domestic cherry had lost almost all its leaves. The blueberry bushes were turning orange. One hickory was bare but the other, less exposed, retained its coppery foliage. The humongous fungus got mildewed from the rain. Mosses were still green from the rain. The odd thing I first saw weeks ago and thought was a puffball was unchanged. Clouds blocked the sun and the breeze felt chilly so I came inside. After 4pm the sun escaped the edge of the overcast and I hoped for migrant ducks floating through the reflections. No such luck, just a mallard.
Lovely sunshine didn't manage to contribute enough warmth though it made fine reflections. I caught a squirrel in mid leap. More ducks arrived from the North, including female hoodies and a bufflehead drake. Mallards and geese stayed around.
The sky was a brilliant blue. Two red winged blackbirds wanted a drink. I think they might have been youngsters. A dove poked around and a Carolina wren investigated under the mountain mint. Of course there were chickadees and the downy.
Yesterday was gray and damp, though warmer. A crow and a squirrel were interested in a clump of day lily stalks but I don't know why. I saw one hoodie drake on the creek. The domestic cherry turned orange. Mrs. Downy was back.
The rain began in earnest overnight and by breakfast the ant moat and the birdbath were overflowing. I thought I saw a duck but it was a wretched styrofoam cup. When the rain finally slacked off after lunch, the female downy came for suet. Chickadees followed, wanting seeds. Eventually, I did see ducks but the camera struggled with the raindrops on the glass. There were at least three hoodie drakes. A pine warbler had some suet.
I spotted a couple of hoodie drakes in the morning but didn't get a decent photo. On my way back from the library, I saw a bluebird down by the corner of the street. No camera, of course. The sky was hazed with thin brushstroke clouds. Some cumulus puffs.picked up color in the late afternoon. Cormorants flew past.
Crows loitered in the trees. After breakfast, I discovered a male Baltimore oriole sitting on the patio outside the door. It looked like it might have hit the glass but I didn't hear anything. It flew off, then I hustled some grape jelly out for it. But I did not see it again.
The Japanese maple next door glowed in the sun. My red maple lost most of its leaves. One oak was bronze but the other was still green. The sweet gum was crimson. There were still flowers on the lantana.
In the afternoon I noticed a chickadee and the female downy playing statues. I don't know what they were hiding from but eventually they relaxed and got on with their business. In the background, the creek reflected the sunlit bank.
At sunset, I finally saw the moon. It was slightly less than first quarter but washed out except for the terminator. This time of year it's too low in the sky to see from the back yard so I was out front.
There was some sun but a lot of clouds and the chill was back. Cormorants commuted homeward against a faintly tinted sky.
I saw a wasp and another leaf-footed bug. Puffy cumulus clouds blew out of the Southeast but above them, contrail hieroglyphics moved slowly Northeast. At tree level the wind was gusty, producing showers of leaves. A squirrel carried off a pecan. An egret flew upstream.
A leaf-footed bug and a moth landed on the window. I saw a Carolina wren but didn't get a photo.
The sky was white, not blue, but the sun lit up the creek at breakfast. I missed shots at a mockingbird and a blue jay. Three hoodie drakes paddled past. A curious mourning dove prospected under the seed feeder. And then I got caught up in a marathon meeting.
Blue sky, reflections in the creek, colorful leaves showering down added up to a lovely Fall day. The leap for Tarzan of the squirrels grew more daunting as the branches became without the weight of leaves.
A hooded merganser drake paddled upstream following mallards. Canada geese came along behind. I spotted a white throated sparrow and a Carolina wren. A cormorant dived as soon as I saw it.
The sun was back today. It was the new moon so the tides were stronger but the creek was placid in the morning light. Later the surface became crepey like old skin. In the afternoon, an egret chased off another. The winning bird took up a post on a post at the end of the dock. Later the egret fished while mallards paddled past. Squirrels played follow my leader (my pheromones, more likely) from the redwood to the hickory and on around the other trees. A flock of geese paddled upstream through golden reflections of the oaks above the dam.
The overcast brought no rain. In fact, no rain has fallen since Halloween and none is expected through the Ides. Oddly, the directionless light seemed to make the leaf colors stronger. After lunch Sunday, the cold North wind finally tore holes in the cloud cover. But the sun didn't budge the temperature, not to mention the wind chill. I saw the female downy early in the day. Cormorants splashed down on the creek in the afternoon. Saltbush fluff looked like fat snowflakes.
Yesterday was very warm - over 80°. But I saw nothing. Today, under a gray sky, the temperature dropped steadily and the wind gained strength. The directionless light made the dogwood leaves quite crimson and the sassafras golden. Fluff from the saltbushes blew everywhere. The maple tree lost more than half its leaves. A titmouse visited the barkbutter dish.
OK, I skipped yesterday. We had fair weather for Election Day and that worked the needed magic. But all I saw was a moth on the window after dark.
This morning, a Carolina wren hunted scraps in the barkbutter dish. I put more out and they disappeared when I wasn't looking. The creek was rumpled but glowing in reflected sunlight. A male house finch took possession of the seed feeder. I haven't seen any house finches for several weeks. This evening a different moth was on the door and got in when I let the dog out. I'm fairly sure it was a southern purple mint moth.
It was warmer and breezier and a few clouds passed by. Chickadees kept the seed feeder busy. Plenty of leaf color dressed up the trees. A female mallard slept on the dock. Flying bugs glinted in the sun. Falling leaves fluttered. A couple of round, little birds did too. Unfortunately, my only photo was blurred but I could make out a big black eye and a yellowish wing. I think it might have been a ruby crowned kinglet, but I can't be sure.
Daylight Saving Time ended so sunset will come at 5pm. Getting up at 7am, I didn't gain any morning light to compensate for the loss of evening. I had hoped to see the third quarter moon in the morning but the sky was too cloudy. At breakfast a pair of Carolina wrens were tempted by barkbutter balls. They came back at lunch for suet. By then the sky was cloudless but the moon had set. A titmouse was thirsty and a downy wanted suet too.
In the afternoon, a female kingfisher sat on the dock bench and monitored the creek. A squirrel bounded around the tree trunks. Insects glittered in the sun. A couple of them were yellow jackets.
It was still sunny. I saw more squirrels than birds. Insects were still flitting around.
Once again the creek was full of lovely reflections. A blue jay joined us for breakfast. A squirrel made the great leap to the redwood. Other than that, I saw chickadees, a cardinal, geese and mallards. The sun spotlighted flying insects. The few I could identify were brown moths, but others appeared bigger. I re-found the fungus I thought might be a puffball. Near it were dark gray russulas. The big polypore rosette seemed to have shrunk a little. More peppers were turning red. I thought I saw a black cat in the top of the maple tree. But it turned out to be the tree behind the maple looking dark and fuzzy in the camera.
