Warblers showed up while the light was still fairly low. Bluebirds came too, wanting barkbutter balls. Then the blue jays emptied the dish. Maybe that's why the other birds were so early? The creek was so smooth reflections were sharper than the original scene. Long crystals of ice floated on the birdbath.
After the sun rose high enough to brighten the yard, a female oriole arrived for jelly. The song sparrow began hunting for fallen seeds. White throats were right behind. One picked up a germinated seed and appeared to be smoking something.
At lunch, a mockingbird wanted me to refill the barkbutter dish. Suet was just too much work. The song sparrow had its head down, tending to business. But it didn't hang around when the feral cat showed up. A female (I assume) squirrel had been playing follow-my-lead for several days and today she led a suitor on the great Tarzan leap. Her follower wasn't quite ready for that, but eventually leapt too.
Once the cat was gone, bluebirds, warblers, sparrows, and the oriole came back. At least two brown headed nuthatches took over the seed feeder and intimidated bigger birds. The song sparrow got a germinated seed.
Two turtles basked in the afternoon sun. A small flock of hooded mergansers passed a handful of mallards and the hoodies split up. Only the females came on toward me. A couple of gulls circled over the lake.
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