Pelicans

A cold, gloomy day was just right for pelicans.  I counted four in sight at one time but I;m sure there were more.  Whatever they were fishing for also attracted cormorants but not ducks, that I could see.  Nor egrets, herons, or a kingfisher, come to think of it.  The creek's surface hinted at action below.  The songbirds mostly stayed away, despite the food. When I went out with more, I felt something between mist and drizzle. 

Damned cat

The creek looked like crackled paint in the sunlight.  Since the suet was gone so were the woodpeckers.  Brown headed nuthatches hit the seed feeder early.  Hopeful warblers flitted around searching for food.  A female oriole scraped up barkbutter dust.  A white throated sparrow watched from the camellia.  It was the only one I saw today.  A song sparrow searched the ground.  White breasted nuthatches queued up for seeds.  Bluebirds just looked forlorn.  A mockingbird made several brief visits to see if food had arrived.  The female red bellied woodpecker ate seeds till she was too heavy for the counterweighted perch.  

Then the wretched feral cat showed up.   I realized it was watching the song sparrow and I went to chase it away but I wasn't fast enough.  I don't know whether the cat caught the sparrow but I didn't see either one again.  Pelicans made frequent trips up and downstream and I wasted lots of pixels.  We got fresh suet hung before the end of the day. 

Food matters

The creek was quiet but the reflections were muted by the lack of sunshine.  The male pileated woodpecker started off the morning.  At lunch, two song sparrows foraged separately.  The female pileated got a turn at the suet nubbin.  Warblers took their disputes to the air.  Pelicans made passes all morning and early afternoon.

I finally replaced the barkbutter balls and jelly.  That brought bluebirds, a mockingbird, more warblers, orioles, and blue jays.  A white throated sparrow paid a brief visit to the mulch.  Finally the overcast departed.  But after that I saw no more pelicans.  Instead, turtles began to emerge.  But the clouds came back in the late afternoon.  

Damp

The day began gloomy and gray with a foggy mist.  Everything outside dripped.  Even a pine warbler looked gray.  The pileated woodpeckers came and went while my hands were occupied.  The female red bellied woodpecker tried to get her beak inside the seed feeder - it must have been close to empty.  The suet was nearly gone too, disappointing a bluebird.  The orioles weren't happy either.  The barkbutter dish was full of water and the jelly dish was covered, so their fans were looking elsewhere.  A mockingbird explored the mountain mint thicket.  

After it became clear that the rain was over, I took the lid of the jelly and put out some fresh barkbutter balls.  The orioles and blue jays were right there.  So was the orange crowned warbler.  The house finches started courting or, at least, he did.  She seemed a bit taken aback.  A white breasted nuthatch got seeds from the feeder.  A goldfinch prospected for mountain mint seeds. 

Some glimmers of sunlight emerged.  Pelicans made many passes over the creek.  Three turtles hauled out on their log.  

Cooler

Aaaaand back to normal winter temperatures.  The creek shone with sunlight.  The camera was in a mode this morning and I missed some interesting behavior.  I pushed a lot of buttons before it went back to taking photos.  The female red bellied woodpecker had moved on to the seed feeder by then.  Pretty soon, the pileated woodpeckers appeared.  A steady queue of blue jays came after I put out more barkbutter balls.  

The myrtle warbler that discovered jelly flaunted its yellow rump while on the dish.  The male oriole was intimidated by the blue jays.  And a blue jay was intimidated by the red bellied woodpecker.  Bluebirds rushed away before I got a picture. 

White breasted nuthatches wanted a turn at the seed feeder, but the usual feeder birds weren't obliging.  A nuthatch tried a barkbutter ball.  Eventually they got their seeds.  A pine warbler, a white throated sparrow, and a chipping sparrow foraged on the ground.  The long-haired yellow cat sauntered past and all the birds flew away.  Cloud cover rolled in then drifted away, repeatedly.  

Really warm!

Everything was wet this morning, but whether there was rain overnight or just heavy dew, I could not tell.  The temperature was in the 60s at breakfast and the 70s at lunch.  The overcast broke apart in the afternoon and we got some sun.  The female pileated woodpecker came for breakfast.  

A clementine had started to rot so I put some of the un-rotten part in the dish with the jelly. Three female orioles came for that.  There's a definite pecking order among them, the darkest orange goes first.  The orange crowned warbler only wanted jelly.  A very dark myrtle warbler poked in the mulch.  Maybe it was wet?  Today, I was ready and caught the red bellied woodpecker.  

I saw pelicans, including on that crashed into the water in front of us at lunch, but no photos.  A great blue heron perched where the pelican was yesterday.  I counted ten turtles enjoying the heat on their log.  Two white birds (gulls?) chased each other around the sky.  A buzzard soared and circled.  

A song sparrow and a white throated sparrow and a cardinal hunted in the grass on the hillside below my window.  The pileated climbed trees.  I saw lots of the birds in the trees but most of the time twigs in the way messed up the camera focus.  

Warm

72° today!  The day-long gray overcast finally began to rain in the late afternoon.  A pelican perched on one of the dock posts, looking like a figurehead or a gargoyle.  Other pelicans frequently passed over the creek.  A great blue heron stood on the dock for a long time. 

Crows perched in the redwood, then flew over the house.  I wonder if there was a hawk?  I know there was a cat, but the crows ignored it.  Warblers also ignored the cat while they ate.  A myrtle warbler followed the orange crowned warbler on the jelly dish.  Pine warblers stuck with barkbutter balls.  A red bellied woodpecker did too, but was too fast for the camera.  The bluebirds argued about who got to eat first.

On the ground, a song sparrow enjoyed the barkbutter balls I'd let fall.  A white throated sparrow was more interested in fallen seeds.  The camellia still had flowers.  Last week's cold snap did not freeze the buds.  

Warming

Yesterday was a nothing day - no sun, no birds - nature took a break.  Or maybe I was too busy to notice.  There was still ice.  Today was much nicer and a lot warmer, into the 60s.  I caught a myrtle warbler sampling the jelly.  A white throated and a song sparrow looked for fallen food.  The female red bellied woodpecker went to the seed feeder.  Orioles had jelly on their minds.   Pelicans fished the creek.   

Sunny

The day started in the 20s and rose into the 40s but the wind bit.  The birdbath never melted.  I had a lot going on which cut into my time for observing.  The female pileated woodpecker came for breakfast.  At lunch, warblers fought in the air.  A blue jay prospected for any barkbutter balls that might have been overlooked.  A white throated sparrow hunted in the mulch.  (I wonder where they were over the weekend?)  Orioles finished off the jelly but I had no time to replace it.  A song sparrow, a Carolina wren, and a mockingbird had the same thought as the blue jay.  Birds turned to the puddle on the pool cover for a drink.  

4 and 20 blackbirds

It was sunny and very cold.  Daffodil leaves emerged nevertheless.  I was not up early and the blue jays and the red bellied woodpecker were waiting.  Bluebirds were not far behind.  Warblers ate suet since the larger birds were eating barkbutter balls. 

A flock of red winged blackbirds visited the suet and foraged on the ground.  A blue jay was disappointed that the birdbath was frozen.  I took a distant photo of what I assumed was a downy but it was a yellow bellied sapsucker.  The mockingbird came looking for a handout.  A real downy raised his red topknot at a male bluebird on the suet.  A female bluebird ate seeds.  The song sparrow foraged below.  The orioles kept an eye on the jelly. 

It was Squirrel Appreciation Day and the dog appreciated them the only way he knew.  Apparently it was a good fishing day.  Egrets gathered along the sunny side of the creek.  A flock of red breasted mergansers worked their way up and down the creek repeatedly all afternoon.   A few hoodies joined in, then some buffleheads arrived.  A great blue heron stayed up on the lake.  There were pelicans but they didn't land where I could see. 

Cold

A pine warbler was the early bird.  He checked out the seed feeder while the clouds were still tinted with sunrise.   Myrtle and orange crowned warblers soon followed.  Patches of floating ice didn't cover the creek but the birdbath was solid ice.  Even so, I didn't see much activity.  A pelican flew past.  A cormorant splashed down. 

In the afternoon, clouds on the way home looked like a storm was about to dump on us.  When I got home, the pileated pair took turns at the suet, to the frustration of the downy.  The red bellied woodpecker was more flexible and visited the seed feeder and the barkbutter dish.  The clouds passed and returned through the afternoon.  Warblers, bluebirds, titmice, and the regular cardinals, house finches, and chickadees were all hungry but wary of the pileated woodpeckers.  

The warblers tussled over the suet.  Female orioles scraped the jelly dish clean.  A Carolina wren managed to dodge them all.  Brown headed nuthatches got some seeds to "hatch."  K poured water in the ant moat and birdbath.  That attracted warblers and I saw one myrtle warbler still wearing a summer mask.  A mockingbird was attracted by the suet crumbs the woodpeckers dropped.   

Changing skies

Big birds were fishing in the rain at 7:30am but it was hard to tell pelicans and herons apart.  There was no ice as it was considerably warmer.  A pine warbler was interested in a spot on a pine trunk that appeared to have been scraped.  Maybe a woodpecker or a nuthatch was working there? 

Speaking of nuthatches, both white breasted and brown headed were regulars at the seed feeder.  The brown headed nuthatches intimidated chickadees.  The red bellied woodpecker wanted seeds or suet since the barkbutter balls were covered to keep the rain out.  The sun appeared so I took the cover off and the orioles showed up.  Then a starling came but didn't linger.  Bluebirds joined the crowd.  Warblers got into aerial fights.  The downy gave up on chasing them. 

A mockingbird investigated the ground under the feeder.  A song sparrow also looked for fallen food.  The overcast returned and looked very stormy, but it passed.  A great blue heron chased another downstream.  The male pileated woodpecker took over the suet.  Then the cat disturbed everyone.  

Cormorants and a pelican paddled on the creek.  Another pelican flew downstream.  Heavy clouds continued to move across the sky and the wind strengthened.  The orange crowned warbler tried to move in on an oriole to get at the jelly.  That didn't work but soon the warbler got a turn.  There were at least two female orioles trading off.  A butterbutt hit the window but seemed unharmed.  The temperature plunged after dark. 

Ice on the creek

Another overnight freeze made birds hungry.  Orioles just about finished the jelly and the orange crowned warbler helped.  The female pileated woodpecker got up early to have a peaceful turn at the suet. 

I saw a goldfinch in the saltbush.  The waterfowl were absent till afternoon.  Northern shovelers fed on the lake.  As I was leaving for a meeting, I spotted some hoodies on the creek.  On my way home I was followed by a streaky yellow sunset - stratus clouds predicting rain.  

 

Hard freeze

Our thermometer read 26° at 7:15am so the birds had to wait a while till I was willing to set foot outside.  But the sun was shining, the air was calm, and the blue sky paid no attention to the forecast. The birdbath and the ant moat were solid ice, but the creek was open water.  

Warblers puffed up like butterballs.  The red bellied woodpecker scraped the bottom of the barkbutter dish.  A hawk perched high in one of the pines across the creek.  I think the birds were aware of it because they disappeared.  There was a branch or something in front of it that messed up the camera focus but its big yellow talons were unmistakable.  

At lunch there were songbirds.  They'd mad quite a dent in the food so I put out more.  Bluebirds soon arrived.  The downy woodpecker got aggravated at the warblers eating suet and started chasing them away.  Orioles wanted their jelly as did that orange crowned warbler.  A blue jay went after fallen food.  The birdbath was still frozen.  Squirrels were busy and I caught one flying. 

Dark and dank

Morning was a little foggy or misty.  An egret and a great blue heron fished on the creek.  Later, I saw a pelican and a great blue heron fly over the creek and an egret on the lake.  Warblers competed with the downy for suet.  I saw pine and myrtle warblers.  A brown headed nuthatch took on all comers. 

The temperature slowly dropped during a cold, gray day.  Light rain fell at lunchtime.  The male pileated joined us for suet.  A female red bellied woodpecker, bluebirds, and a blue jay grabbed lunch and got away without a photo.  A couple of crows hopped on the pool cover.  Female orioles ate fresh jelly.  A song sparrow gleaned barkbutter crumbs I'd dumped. 

Gray

The sky and the creek were a cold gray.  The wind flipped around to the Northeast and calmed down.  Cormorants fished while a great blue heron watched.  The red bellied woodpecker found the suet.  A white throated sparrow foraged under the seed feeder.  A Carolina wren foraged under the mountain mint and then had some suet.  A few warblers visited. 

Woodpeckers

Morning was sunny and cold but not so windy.  The creek was still rough.  Blue jays and warblers woke up hungry.  So did woodpeckers.  A downy was first at the suet but a pileated was watching from the pine.  Woody shoved Downy aside and took possession of the suet.  The female pileated waited impatiently for the male to leave.

Bluebirds demanded more barkbutter balls.  Before I got around to complying, a female red bellied woodpecker landed awkwardly on the dish feeder.  She gleaned a little from the bottom.  Meanwhile, the female pileated ate suet.  After the red bellied gave up, bluebirds returned.  Warblers watched in frustration except for the orange crowned warbler that ate jelly.  At last the bigger birds were finished and the warblers got their turn.  And I replenished the barbutter balls.  Orioles arrived around then.  

The afternoon got progressively more windy.  Hoodies fished while turtles basked.  Something hiked up the redwood trunk but I couldn't see it clearly.  A human family went downstream in an old rowboat with a tiny outboard motor.  They were so bundled against the cold that it was amazing they could get life-jackets on.  Pelicans flew past but I mostly missed them.  A great blue heron landed on a lake snag.  

Windy

The day began in the low 60s with blue sky and sunshine, but the wind chill was powerful.  Hooded mergansers were out fishing before the sun rose high enough to light up the water.  Later, pelicans joined the hoodies.  Wind roughened the creek and made tree limbs thrash.  In the afternoon the temperature slowly dropped. 

The pileated woodpeckers returned for breakfast.  Warblers were disappointed by rainwater instead of barkbutter.  A bluebird glared at me till I refilled the dish.  The wind was tough on suet eaters.  Orioles arrived after I put out more jelly.  Then the cat came back.  

Pair o' pileateds

It was one of those early mornings when the reflections seem sharper than reality.  The sun was strong despite some haze.  Downy woodpeckers were up early.  Soon I saw the first pileated woodpecker on the redwood.  Then he landed on the post to eat suet.  I saw another on a pine trunk and then she arrived on the post.  But he was not willing to leave so she waited and eventually got her turn. 

Meanwhile warblers flocked to the other feeders.   The orange crowned warbler and the orioles ate jelly and barkbutter balls.  Pine warblers had seeds and barkbutter balls.  A blue jay demanded some barkbutter balls.  So did a mockingbird.  The pileateds came back. 

Two cardinal pairs started a territorial dispute.  A couple of goldfinches tried the rue seeds.  A white throat poked through the mulch. Another kicked the leaves under shrubbery.  Two brown headed nuthatches headed for the seed feeder, defying bigger birds.  One got frustrated and moved over to the suet. 

The haze got whiter and the creek surface crumpled.  The feral tux cat settled on the bench in the sun.  A female red bellied woodpecker watched from the trees.  After I yelled at the cat, bluebirds arrived for their share of the barkbutter balls.  A Carolina wren found a dropped barkbutter ball.  Some warblers used the puddle on the pool cover instead of a perfectly nice birdbath.  

In the morning, I saw a couple of pelicans cruise by behind the trees.  That was it on the creek except for a great blue heron and cormorants.  On the lake, there was a three turtle pileup.  The evening commute was spooky because the sky had clouded and looked like a storm was developing.  

Street milling

The wind was gone leaving a sunny, peaceful day with little to report.  Warblers showed up at breakfast while the light was still weak.   Orioles followed.  I put out fresh barkbutter balls but there wasn't much interest.  Maybe the machinery grinding up the street scared off the birds.  The dog certainly didn't like it.  

Gale

The sun shone but the wind was fierce.  It had switched around to the WSW so the creek was not high, but it was rough.  I was busy all morning so I didn't get fresh jelly and barkbutter balls out till afternoon.  Rainwater had filled the dishes. 

At our late lunch, a mockingbird hunted for food on the ground.  A mixed flock of warblers defied the wind to get suet.  Orioles noticed the jelly right away and bluebirds came for the barkbutter balls.  A bluebird drank from the puddle on the pool cover, as though there wasn't fresh water in the birdbath and the ant moat.  Is that like dogs and drinking from the toilet?  

Bleak

The wet, gray, windy weather was supposedly warmer.  Crows struggled across the sky.  Everyone else sheltered in place.  In the afternoon, I glimpsed a pileated woodpecker on the suet but it saw me and took off.  That pleased a downy woodpecker.  

Chilly

A bluebird was first in line but warblers were right behind. Blue jays made sure that none of the barkbutter balls escaped.  I wasn't fast enough to get a picture of the white breasted nuthatch but the brown headed nuthatches were more persistent.  They dominated larger birds.  Orioles seemed pleased with the menu.  

A white throated sparrow kicked the mulch under the seed feeder.  A Carolina wren got a barkbutter ball.  The two starlings came back but didn't stay long.  Nevertheless, they took precedence over a blue jay.  

In the morning, the creek picked up colors but images were abstract.  I forgot to bring the camera to lunch but all the same birds returned.  Later, a lone hoodie drake paddled upstream.  At some point in the day I glimpsed a pelican.  Cormorants flew home at twilight.  

Clearing

The creek was rough and gray.  Yesterday's rain had nearly filled the ant moat so I think we got about an inch.  There were some dark clouds in the morning but they blew away.  Before that, a parade of squirrels took the great leap to the redwood in pursuit of true love, I presume.  I counted seven but the last two gave up.  

Sunshine and fresh food brought out the songbirds.  Bluebirds and warblers ate barkbutter balls.  A song sparrow and, later, a white throated sparrow found seeds under the feeder.  Orioles had their jelly.  Two starlings visited briefly.  Then a blue jay dropped by.  

After dark, a moth alighted on the window.  

Rain

As usually happens in the winter, the temperature was higher along with the precipitation. But the wind destroyed any comfort in that.  Gray water flowed under a gray sky while gray pelicans sailed above.  They are "brown pelicans" but they look gray to me.  There were odd patches on the creek that I thought might be floating ice - it did get cold enough over night.  A great blue heron stood atop one of the dock posts watching them float by. 

Songbirds were too hungry to stay sheltered.  A Carolina wren was the early bird at the suet.  A mockingbird was disappointed with the wet barkbutter balls.  The orioles, two females and a male, were a bit more content with what was in the dishes.  Warblers annoyed the downy woodpeckers on the suet.  After lunch, a brown headed nuthatch stuffed itself on seeds.  Titmice carried off everything they could. 

A junco hopped around the wet mulch.  A few white throated sparrows came along in the afternoon.  The weather seemed more stormy with distances grayed out by the rain and bushes whipping in the wind.  Darkness arrived early.  

Cold sun

Three pelicans were doing early morning fly-bys, but I the camera couldn't penetrate the vegetation.  An egret was also involved, but out of focus.  The tide was out so hoodies and cormorants came to fish.  The day grew sunny but there were passing clouds. 

A white breasted nuthatch got to the seed feeder before the competition.  A female oriole was next to arrive, so it was good that I had hustled fresh jelly outside.  Myrtle warblers blended in with the mulch.  Pine warblers went after suet and barkbutter balls.  A goldfinch came to see if there was a vegetarian entree.  The titmice liked the barkbutter balls.  So did the bluebirds but they also ate suet.  A male oriole eventually arrived.  A wary blue jay just watched from the camellia.  But eventually the blue jays started eating.  The song sparrow emerged to eat the barkbutter balls I had let fall.  

At lunch, the cat came back.  I worried because a myrtle warbler was admiring itself in the birdbath, but nothing happened.  A brown headed nuthatch gave a scolding from the safety of the feeder perch.  After lunch I had an online meeting.  I did manage to see a pelican floating downstream.  Then it took off.  After the meeting, I saw an egret on the lake and a hoodie paddling past it. 

Cold wind

The day was mostly gray with a few bright moments.  The wind-roughened creek was just as gray.   I was gone all morning and busy a lot of the afternoon.  At lunch, a Carolina wren enjoyed the suet.  Warblers ate everything.  A blue jay spied from the trees.  Two brown headed nuthatches ate seeds.  A female oriole ate jelly.  

Clouding over

The creek was a shiny morning mirror.   Warblers, pine and myrtle, were up early. A female oriole was not impress with yesterday's leftovers.  Nor were blue jays.  Nuthatches were happy with the seeds.  The cat came back.  A bit of haze in the morning became a stratus cloud blanket by late afternoon.  It will turn to rain before morning.  

Many birds

Several pelicans and cormorants fished in the early morning as clouds cleared.  I didn't see any fishing ducks though.  A white throated sparrow pecked at a fallen barkbutter ball.  A mockingbird checked the food dishes.  Blue jays grabbed barkbutter balls.  

Lunch brought bluebirds and warblers.  K installed a new block of suet and put the remnants of the old one in the barkbutter dish.  A cardinal made himself comfortable on the seed feeder perch which sheltered him from the cold breeze.  The female downy noticed the suet almost immediately but the warblers were there first.  A Carolina wren poked into the mulch for tidbits.  The white breasted nuthatch had a lot of competition at the seed feeder.  A brown thrasher foraged under the mountain mint.  Two female orioles showed up in the afternoon.  

Squirrels were feeling romantic.  There was a lot of activity on the lake but it was hard to tell why.  Egrets, gulls, cormorants, and a pelican were all flying around. 

Nuthatches

The day started with a pelican.  I think that bodes well.   A female oriole investigated the feeder menu.  Warblers were everywhere.  Bluebirds came for the barkbutter balls.  Then blue jays did too.  

A white breasted nuthatch ran up and down the tree trunks.  Eventually it came to the seed feeder.  So did a brown headed nuthatch.  They both had to contend with the pesky house finches. 

The orange crowned warbler was back at the jelly.  For the first time in a week, I saw a male oriole come for jelly.  He lurked in the sakaki for a while first.  The sky was mostly cloudy but a little sun leaked through now and then.