Sparrows poked through the fallen sunflower seed hulls. Bluebirds wanted their food prepared and served nicely. Carolina wrens tried everything. I spotted a song sparrow in the mulch at the far end of the pool.
A white breasted nuthatch came for the suet. A blue jay lurked in the sweet gum. The two species of warbler continued to argue about pecking order.
Last night was down in the 20s and even a bright sun didn't push the air much above freezing. The usual birds came to the feeders. Something pulled down the grape jelly feeder. The mockingbird and the brown thrasher queued up for barkbutter. White throats foraged in the snow which highlighted their white throats. Carolina wrens were bound for suet and warblers for barkbutter. Bluebirds wanted barkbutter too. The song sparrow appeared briefly on the roof of the seed feeder where it upset a brown headed nuthatch.
Everything was shut down in anticipation of the storm which did not produce as much snow as the one a week ago. This snow was wetter and heavier so it may have compacted. There certainly was plenty of ice on the feeders, in fact, the perch on the seed feeder was frozen in place. A brown thrasher hammered through the ice on one barkbutter dish. The other had been emptied yesterday. So, to begin with, suet was the only available food. Warblers, wrens, a mockingbird, and downy woodpeckers queued up for it. A female cardinal joined the sparrows in the snow. Juncos were back.
Snow continued to fall in the morning though it had become light and drier. The creek was banded with frozen snow and regular ice which quickly melted leaving plates of gray snow-ice afloat. Hooded mergansers were soon fishing in the open water. Lots of small icicles probably started after dark yesterday as the rain froze. Snow was frozen on the underside of the railing and other objects. The gusty wind flipped up feathers on the birds but they didn't seem to care.
By lunch, the creek was free of ice but rough from the wind. The snow was finished falling if not with blowing around. A brown headed nuthatch wasn't in its usual hurry to leave the seed feeder. A half dozen bluebirds weren't picky as long as it was food. Juncos and white throated sparrows hunted through the fallen hulls for any bits of sunflower kernel. The male towhee reappeared, assuming it's the same bird I've seen before.
I tried to get a good photo of a pelican in flight and got a great out-of-focus plunge. Gulls also flew fish patrol as hoodies paddled and dived. One pelican rested on the dam and was joined by a crow. By then there was sunshine. More pelicans were attracted to the lake which was full of cormorants. A bufflehead drake came diving upstream on the creek. The buzzards didn't return but I saw one sail past on the wind. A couple of great blue herons settled who owned the territory.
The National Weather Service said, "WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM EST SATURDAY....Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches. Winds gusting as high as 40 mph." Songbirds were packing on the calories in anticipation of the coming storm. The brown thrasher stuffed itself full of barkbutter. Then warblers got what was left. I put out a fresh tub and the mockingbird dug in. Bluebirds queued up for suet and barkbutter.
Some snow still lingered from a week ago. Sparrows poked around in it for seeds. A friend out West jokingly asked about our snow pack and I said it was modest but persistent. The creek was a churning mess of ice and water. Gulls were more interested in fishing than they usually are. Pelicans passed repeatedly over the water. An egret again stalked along the dam.
Four vultures descended upon our trees and dock and hung around for at least an hour. There were both turkey and black vultures. I speculated that the cold reminded them of the winter when the fish froze and they feasted for weeks. But maybe they'd spied a carcass in the water and were waiting for it to wash ashore.
Warblers and a Carolina wren worked on the remains of the suet outside my window. Meanwhile, a white breasted nuthatch explored tree trunks. The female red bellied woodpecker paused there on her way to the feeder.
We froze overnight again so there was new ice on the creek and a sparkle to the remaining snow. Bluebirds were early birds. To be honest, I was late arising so I don't really know which birds were up with the dawn. Warblers tried to get a share of the barkbutter and suet. White throated sparrows stuck to their foraging. But on the seed feeder there was a surprise, a chipping sparrow. The brown thrasher, like the mockingbird, only wanted barkbutter.
Some odd-looking ducks hung out by the turtle log on the lake. They were featureless dark above and bright white below the waterline, with narrow, merganser-like bills. Pelicans fished when the ice melted. An egret haunted the lake while two great blue herons perched on neighboring docks on the creek.
In the morning, there was still ice on about half the creek. Pelicans found enough open water to keep coming back all day. A great blue heron owned the dam. When an egret tried to move in there was quite a dispute. They both flew in circles and the egret finally landed just below me.
Back at the feeders, a mockingbird enjoyed barkbutter. So did a blue jay. White throated sparrows picked seeds out of the snow. The female red bellied woodpecker ate suet. I didn't see if the male ever returned. Bluebirds argued over precedence at the barkbutter. Some had better luck at the suet. Warblers ate everything. I remember seeing a brown thrasher.
I got several photos of where a duck had been seconds before.The hooded mergansers left momentary craters in the water when they dived. One pelican has a couple of dark feathers atop its head as it began to grow mating plumage. The male kingfisher perched on a branch to survey the creek, especially where the ducks and cormorants were diving.
I managed to catch a bluebird, a titmouse, and a song sparrow in natural settings. A Carolina wren stayed behind an inconvenient branch. Then a junco banged into the window, It seemed OK, just a bit shaken. Other juncos showed up. Warblers worked on the suet cage just outside. Unfortunately, it has a poorer background for photos.
The sun shone most of the day but it was cold, plus there was the wind chill. Still, all the ice and most of the snow disappeared. When the sun went down behind bare trees, it left a lovely afterglow.
The sky was patchy blue and white when the male pileated woodpecker arrived. He felt the need to wipe off his beak on the post. Old ice and a refrozen skin of fresh ice covered all but the creek's channel. The day got sunnier and warmer so the snow and ice melted. On the creek, hoodies seemed spotlighted by the sun. A great blue heron took over the dam and that part of the lake.
A wet bluebird was first on the scene leaving me to wonder what had happened and if it would survive. Warblers and finches were in no hurry. Even a goldfinch paid a brief visit. Then a white breasted nuthatch attacked the suet. A brown headed nuthatch made off with sunflower seeds. Sparrows and juncos were below picking up the fallen seeds. A Carolina wren dug into the suet. A pair of fox sparrows rested in a dogwood that overlooked the shore. Unfortunately, part of the background was the glaring white of a boat. A mockingbird made sure to get a share of the barkbutter.
