Sunshine

It was cold overnight but the day warmed up and the sun shone despite clouds on the horizon.  The tide was very low at breakfast and there was a skin of ice away from the current.  Later, I think I saw a bufflehead drake on the creek.  Blue jays took the first turns at the barkbutter balls.  Then a pine warbler, two Carolina wrens, and a white throated sparrow visited the barkbutter dish.  One wren poked at seeds while the other foraged on the ground.  An orange crowned warblers ate jelly.  The pine warbler also checked out the seeds.  

Overcast

The overcast sky did not precipitate either rain or snow but occasionally let the sun come through.  Yellow rosebuds continued to open but the camellia had used up most of its buds.  The orange crowned warbler nibbled on barkbutter balls until interrupted by a chickadee.  Then the warbler went for jelly.  I spotted a mockingbird running along a cherry limb.  The Carolina wren was back with a good appetite.  I spent too much of the day looking at screens instead of windows.  

Busy

A couple of pelicans and at least eight egrets flew over the creek in the early morning before the dock workers arrived.  My photos were all blurred by foreground vegetation.  The tide was very low.  A Carolina wren and an orange crowned warbler came to the feeders.  But mostly workmen were coming and going all day, inside and out.  

Not so cold

All I saw was a Carolina wren.  Too much disturbance was going on.  Sunset was colorful, but so early.  Ten more days before the nights start getting shorter.  

Cold sunshine

Some snow survived on vegetation and furniture.  As they say, "Bridge Freezes Before Road" and a leaf is a small bridge.  A junco foraged in the birdbath.  Carolina wrens were quite hungry so I poured a fresh dish full of mealworms.  Then a white throated sparrow poked through the snowy leaves.  Later there were two wrens and one tried the underside of the suet.  The other sat on a chair arm.  One of them poked at the seeds as well.  Very thorough.  We had people working on the dock in addition to the dredge so I didn't expect waterfowl. An interesting article described using Bluetooth transmitters to track monarch butterflies. 

Snow, sort of

The NWS said, "WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO MIDNIGHT: Snow expected."  Rain was falling in the morning so K left the caps on the dish feeders. The birds were not happy.  One tried to peck through the glass to the food it could see inside.  Then lumber arrived for the dock.  Meanwhile the tide was running high for a waning gibbous moon.  A cold NNE wind was probably the cause.  Around 3pm, clumps of flakes began blowing around, melting on contact with any surface.  Eventually some flakes on vegetation didn't melt.  The snowfall continued into darkness.  Altogether a miserable day.  

More birds

The prediction was for low clouds, fog, and general gloom but that was gone by 9am.  It was cold but not windy, good bird watching weather.  The new cat ambled across the patio early, but I didn't see any other predators.  Pine warblers were particularly interested in the dish of mealworms.  Bluebirds made the rounds of feeders.  Blue jays would really rather have had barkbutter balls.  The orange crowned warbler went straight to the jelly.  

Fuzzy clouds blew past and out to sea.  A Carolina wren picked through the dish but didn't seem pleased.  Pine warblers tried to get past bluebirds to the mealworms.  A titmouse clung to the brick wall, seeming interested in a cavity in the grout.  I thought I saw a butterbutt but couldn't be sure.  A white throat foraged under the seed feeder.  Juncos were also hard to catch on camera.  The two female orioles showed up for mealworms.  A pair of house finches kissed beaks.  

A flicker landed up in the wild cherry.  Then a male red bellied woodpecker chased a downy away from the suet.  He had a noticeably red belly.  

 

Many feeder birds

The dredge came around the bend below the dam, so naturally waterfowl disappeared.  The water looked very silty though the dark gray sky may have been part of the reason.  Since the rain had stopped, I uncovered the dishes and that drew birds.  A Carolina wren picked over the mealworms.  Then a pine warbler selected long ones, like french fries.  A pair of bluebirds were next.  Meanwhile a goldfinch got a drink.  A brown thrasher landed briefly on the dish.  Blue jays acted skittish and didn't want to leave the trees.  

Several pairs of house finches argued precedence at the seed feeder.  A white throated sparrow was tempted off the ground, but by then the mealworms were gone.  A titmouse was also disappointed.  I spotted a yellow rumped warbler up in the trees.  A brown headed nuthatch ignored the house finches.  Finally a blue jay flew down but it too was disappointed.  A junco foraged around the birdbath.  A titmouse in the dogwood ate something that looked like a  dead leaf rolled around a cocoon.  Too many twigs were in the way to be sure.  

I caught a squirrel leaping.  After the dredge stopped, I saw Canada Geese and a great blue heron.  

 

Cold rain

A few birds ventured out.  Chickadees, titmice, house finches, and cardinals came for seeds.  A white throated sparrow puttered in the mulch.  An orange crowned warbler considered seeds but settled for suet.  

 

Overnight freeze

We brought in the pepper plants yesterday.  Other plants looked frost-damaged and I saw some white frost on leaves.  The cold brought out hungry birds.  I couldn't identify the ones flitting through the trees but I think they were warblers.  House finches settled on the seed feeder.  Juncos landed on the patio and poked through the frosted vegetation.  Bluebirds were wary but eventually came to the feeder.  A red bellied woodpecker considered the suet.  It's been months since I've seen one.  A goldfinch debated abandoning veganism for barkbutter.  Then a white throated sparrow foraged where the juncos had been.  Titmice took whatever they could get.  A crow watched from the redwood.  A blue jay passed through the yard but didn't come for food.  A Carolina wren made the feeder rounds, all before 8AM.  

At lunch, two white breasted nuthatches came for seeds and barkbutter balls.  Then I had to hurry to a string of meetings that took the rest of the day.  

Chilly

The prediction was for a sunny day but the sky took its sweet time clearing.  The gray sky at breakfast lacked wildlife even though I restocked the dishes.  At lunch a brown headed nuthatch bullied chickadees.  Then a cardinal took over the seed feeder.  The temperature was in the low 40s but there wasn't much wind and the creek was flat.  A squirrel leaped the tree gap.  

Later the black cat walked across the lower patio.  I went outside to see if I could see the round moon, but vegetation was in the way.  Three egrets flew over, one at a time, headed North.  Many cormorants flew every which way as the shadows got long.  

 

One wet wren

December got off to a dull start - I saw nothing on the 1st.  Today we had heavy rain in the morning and gloom in the afternoon.  A couple of house finches, a chickadee, and a Carolina wren got hungry.  Alas, K had uncovered the dish feeders and the contents turned to soup.  

Gray

A warm South wind pushed the temperature up into the 60s.  There was intermittent sun in the morning but complete overcast by afternoon.  No birds fished or visited feeders.  The warmth lured out some insects which probably kept the birds fed.  I saw a Carolina wren on a dogwood branch.  Some Canada geese paddled down the creek.  After dark, a little crambid snout moth landed on the window.  And that wrapped up November.

 

More fish

After lunch, I noticed that egrets were congregating below the dam.  Soon they were flying upstream, joined by diving ducks and cormorants.  I went outside for a better view but the wind was too much for me.  There were fewer egrets than yesterday, I think, but just as many cormorants.   Unlike yesterday it was low tide and the fishing seemed to last longer.  I believe the ducks were all hoodies.  

Up on the patio, a Carolina wren made the feeder rounds and tossed a barkbutter ball down to the patio.  An oriole got a drink.  A couple of juncos hunted food scraps on the concrete.  The sky was blue with passing clouds.  

 

Fishing

The sun shone, but a cold wind kept me inside.  Small clouds drifted across the blue sky.  I glimpsed the first bufflehead of the Fall migration.  Unfortunately it was just passing behind a tree and it didn't reappear.  The feeders were busy.  Cardinals, chickadees, and titmice wanted seeds.  A pine warbler ate barkbutter balls and an orange crowned warbler ate jelly.  Then a female oriole had some jelly and a drink.  

A female kingfisher rested on the back of the dock bench.   A different yellow cat showed up on the patio.  It wasn't as long-haired as the other.  In the late afternoon, a fishing frenzy began with cormorants, gulls, and great egrets.  One great blue heron and a couple of crows followed the action.  I counted a couple dozen egrets resting in the pines after fishing.  Oddly, I didn't see any fishing ducks  

Thanksgiving

The temperature dropped a lot over night and the day only got into the mid 50s.  Morning light bounced off the creek to play across the bulkhead.  A crow investigated the stale barkbutter I had dumped.  The yellow cat investigated something under the wind cherry.  A pair of hoodies paddled downstream.  

At lunch, a Carolina wren dropped bits of suet then hustled down to pick them up.  A white throated sparrow came no nearer than the dogwood on the far side of the lower patio.  The wind brought down leaves and pine needles.  A great blue heron flew up into the pines but I lost sight of it.  The sky which had been a clear, dark blue began to be freckled with cumulus.  

I went outside to make some vitamin D and caught sight of the orange crowned warbler.   The dredge was taking the day off.  I heard a kingfisher but didn't see it.  The wind was too cold for me so I retreated indoors.  Then all the birds that had hidden reappeared.  The wren came back for more suet.  Chickadees were thirsty and hungry.  A male downy landed on the post but flew away to the dogwood.  I don't know if it felt too exposed or didn't like the looks of the suet.  

Bluebirds flitted around in the dogwood.  A football-shaped object floated downstream.  I could see labels on it but not well enough to read.  Several egrets flew around, maybe settling territorial rights.  There was always vegetation in the way.  The same was true for the gulls I saw.  Then a flock of cormorants flew downstream.  Enough leaves were gone that I could see the lake again but nothing appeared on it.  I am thankful to live here where I can see all this.  

Midday shower

The morning shifted between sun and clouds, then there was a shower right after lunch.  Soon the sun was back and the temperature  went up to 70.  I saw a great blue heron, some Canada geese, and of course cormorants.  A big flock of small birds flew over the lake.  In the late afternoon, the sky was clear and I got some pictures of pink clouds and the crescent moon.  

Warm

Despite the clouds there was more sunshine than predicted and the day got quite warm -- 69°.  I believe an orange crowned warbler nibbled barkbutter balls at lunch, but my hands were dirty.  A leaf-footeed bug hiked across a window.  I didn't see much else.  iNaturalist sent me my "Year in Review."  I need more mammals and reptiles.  

 

More birds

While the sun was still bright, today was cooler than yesterday.  That might be why more birds visited in the morning.  Titmice competed with the house finches.  The long-haired yellow cat watched the feeder which agitated the birds but they refused to leave.  Earlier, the black cat walked past without stopping.  A blue jay flew across my field of view but didn't come close.  Brown headed nuthatches bullied the chickadees.  A downy woodpecker stayed in the trees.  Then a Carolina wren poked through the seeds and the barkbutter balls.  The last bird I saw was a female oriole with a barkbutter ball.  

Sunny

The sun was back.  I glimpsed what I thought were two winter ducks but too much vegetation was in the way.  Mallards were easier to see.  At lunch, a bird, probably a warbler, visited the barkbutter balls but my hands weren't clean and anyway it was in shadow.  As the sun got low, the cormorants flew to roost.  

Weather, assorted

Mist or light fog greeted me when I got up.  A pair of house finches were on the seed feeder.  Then there was sunshine at breakfast.  It didn't last, but the temperature climbed into the mid 60s.  Before noon a light rain started and the temperature dropped slowly.  When the rain stopped, wind picked up.  The sky stayed overcast and darkness came early.  Birds didn't appear for any of the weather variations, but neither did I. I didn't see anything yesterday either.  

Nuthatches

Yesterday, I didn't see anything.  The yellow rosebuds beginning to unfold were the brightest sight on a gray day.   A dredge was visible around the bend below the dam.  The male pine warbler returned for barkbutter balls.  First a white breasted nuthatch, then a brown headed nuthatch showed up at the seed feeder. Squirrels made the leap between pine and redwood.  One got an aerial drink from the ant moat.  

Possum

At breakfast, a squirrel performed acrobatics to reach food in a dogwood, but I couldn't tell if it was eating berries or something else.  I was going to report a nothing day and then, after dark on the way to a gathering, we saw a possum cross the road.  It was hustling but even so it was not very fast.  I didn't have my camera along so you'll have to take my word for this.  

Juncos!

Despite sunshine, the day was much cooler.  Two juncos popped up at breakfast.  At lunch, the brown headed nuthatches were back.  So was the pine warbler.  

Unpredictible weather

I saw a wasp flying mid morning.  A titmouse got a drink.  The day was supposed to be warm and sunny, and so it was till lunch.  The temperature had risen to 73° when we began eating but then a dark cloud appeared in the North.  As it swept over us, the temperature dropped ten degrees but not a drop of rain fell.  

Afterward, wind gusts peeled leaves off the trees.  The sun returned and then birds began to arrive at the feeders.  Brown headed nuthatches occupied the seed feeder.  I had put out some barkbutter balls which got attention from pine warblers.  The first Baltimore oriole arrived and quickly found the barkbutter balls.  The orange crowned warbler was back at the jelly.  A Carolina wren considered suet. 

Betwixt seasons

Winter migrants mixed with summer insects.  More white throated sparrows arrived.  A white throat ate beautyberries which looked past their prime.  An orange crowned warbler showed up and made straight for the jelly.  A goldfinch that was dressed for winter looked at the menu and left.  A Carolina wren popped up under the beautyberry bush.  Except for its eye, it completely blended in with the leaves.

But I also saw a leaf-footed bug that was missing a leg and a cucumber beetle on a rose.   The temperature rose into the upper 60s, but the sky clouded and partly obscured the sun.  At least three hoodies paddled together.  Egrets jockeyed for good fishing spots.  A kingfisher streaked past in a gray and white blur.  A half dozen mallard drakes paddled along the bulkhead, feeding.  Both domestic and wild cherry leaves turned fall colors.  

Migrants arriving

Yesterday I saw nothing but one chickadee.  Today, the weather was just about the same as yesterday - upper 50s and sunny with a strong, chilly breeze, but something changed. A blue jay came by and apparently didn't want the mealworms that were in the barkbutter dish.  It tried the birdbath but that had more leaves than water.  

A flurry of birds arrived after lunch.  I saw at least two of chickadees, titmice, brown headed nuthatches, pine warblers, and one bluebird.  Nuthatches took precedence over the larger chickadees but deferred to the titmice.  A pelican flew upstream.  I caught a fuzzy picture of a white throated sparrow and another bird that appeared to have a rusty cap.  There were many birds flitting through the trees that I couldn't pin down.  

Four buds on the yellow rose looked about to open.  There were buds on the moonflower vine but I question whether we will have a warm enough day for them to open.  The redwood turned bronze.  

Wind shift

The West wind emptied the creek in the late morning.  In the afternoon, I spotted a couple of hooded mergansers newly arrived from the North.  Later, four egrets took over the big dock downstream to sunbathe, I think.  Commuting cormorants flew past rose-tinted contrails at sunset.  

Frigid wind

The overnight temperature almost dropped to freezing and, despite the sunshine, the day never got very warm.  The pine warbler returned along with chickadees and titmice.  The birds were puffed up very round against the cold.  Dry leaves snowed out of the trees.  A squirrel spoke a lot of tail language.  The beautyberries lost some color and all their leaves.  As I was driving, I saw starlings attempt a small murmuration. Shadows were long by 3pm.  

Cold

The temperature took a dive which squeezed out some early morning precipitation.  But the day was mostly sunny with lots of fat cumulus clouds.  Chickadees and titmice came early.  A pine warbler visited and discovered the mealworms.  The creek, however, was boring.  Some egrets flew by.  Mallards preened on the dock.  

Cormorant flock

The day began overcast and wet but the sun was out by noon.  The wind wasn't as strong.  The temperature rose into the lower 70s and wasps feasted on the camellia flowers.   I counted six buds and three open flowers on the yellow rose.  An insect was investigating the buds but wouldn't stay put to be identified.  Chickadees and a couple of titmice ate seeds.  A squirrel cleaned up below.  

I must have missed them pursuing fish upstream but around 2:30pm a big flock of cormorants came paddling and flying downstream, some bathing or churning up the water.  They streamed past for several minutes.  One pelican photo-bombed a picture and several gulls circled over the creek.  Mallards watched from the bank.  

Creek action

This was a lovely day, warm and sunny, and not too windy.  The creek was busy but the feeders were not.  I saw some bees, or perhaps yellow jackets, buzzing around the roses.  Trees were coloring up and beginning to lose leaves.  The solomon's seal turned hay-color.  Pelicans fished but I got no pictures.  A kingfisher landed on a dock post but saw me first and flew away.  Cormorants didn't care.  K cleaned the guano off the window.  

In the late afternoon, something plunged after a fish and, while the photos were overexposed, it looked to me like a black crowned night heron.  Then an egret flew across the creek.  Cormorants commuted to their roosts and sunset arrived at 5pm.