Last day of 2011

I'll have to change the header tomorrow. More come-and-go sunshine, early pelican and egrets. It's warm and breezy. The feeder needed a refill.

The honeybees are still at work. According to Wikipedia, we are probably within two miles of the hive. It says bees have ranged as far as six miles, but I don't think that would happen on short December days when it is barely above their minimum flying temperature. Of course, there may not be all that much else flowering as they don't seem attracted to camellias. I also saw a hover fly on, actually over, the rosemary.

Busy birds

Including eagles! Two swooped through just after 8am. Then one dive-bombed some egrets downstream, hoping, I think, that they might drop a fish. Also circling the creek were a great many gulls. They all seem to think that something should be there to fish for, but I don't see them catch anything. And I can't find any indication of a fish species that would be spawning or schooling in the estuaries today. Of course, the purveyors of "solunar tables" weren't even agreed on whether today was good or merely fair for fishing. Flocks of mallards and geese headed upstream, but they wouldn't have cared about the fish.

In the pines across the creek crows were hassling a hawk of some sort - I couldn't get a good look at it, but it was tan under the wings. Meanwhile, on the feeder a sassy wren contended with chickadees and titmice. A female cardinal and juncos hunted on the ground and a brown thrasher tossed mulch under the red cedar. I tossed out a peanut I found on the floor and a white-throated sparrow took it under the rosemary to peck apart. Then the sparrow posed under the pink camellia where it looks quite pink by reflection.

Obviously yesterday's cloud cover was gone at dawn, but by 11am clouds had moved in from the West. The creek was flowing strongly to the East, but there was only a light breeze. And by 2pm the clouds were gone again. There are still bees on the rosemary! Lazy squirrels are finally out playing chase. A lone pelican checked out the creek. Just before sunset, a bufflehead paddled by.

Commuter birds

Most mornings, flocks of water birds move past from their roosts to wherever they feed. Today a squadron of Canada geese flew upstream. Gulls headed in every direction. The sky is blue and the cold air is slowly warming.

At lunchtime, three turkey vultures swooped through the yard and landed on the dock. When I photographed them they moved, one by one,. to the boathouse roof across the creek and then further upstream. I only could get two in a photo. Meanwhile the crows carried on as though the vultures were predators.

On my way back, I noticed that the beauty berries are all shriveled and black. Titmice and chickadees were flitting around the bushes.

Clouds moved in through the afternoon and made for a dark and streaky sunset. The white camellia is blooming.

Come and go sun

At dawn, the sun performed its usual magic on the tops of the pines across the creek. Then it disappeared, but now it's back.

Squirrels were out early. Last night's wind blew the patio furniture around. But the sky had cleared enough by bedtime to reveal Jupiter. Venus would have set already according to this guide.

Now it's all blue. Juncos are on the feeder as well as the patio. Pelicans were cruising the creek earlier.

Tonight I saw Venus chasing the sunset, with the crescent moon behind and Jupiter not quite yet overhead.

Heavy gray clouds hanging

It must be getting warmer. And mid-morning, the rain begins. There is some kind of brown scum on the creek. It isn't gas or oil because I do see drops of that too. It's sudsy - when a bird takes off from the water it makes bubbles. Disgusting.

And there haven't been many birds either. Some cormorants, a female merganser, and a kingfisher that flew upstream. Gulls and crows overhead. Chickadees and titmice at the feeder. Funny how a titmouse is twice the size of the chickadee but much more timid. I heard jays. A pair of doves were cuddling up in the gum tree. Some kind of woodpecker was silhouetted against the sky.

Miserable rain all afternoon with gusty wind. Gulls are undeterred.

Cold wind, bright sun

I love watching the sunlight slowly move its highlighter from the tops of the pines down to the surface of the water.

At mid-morning, the creek surface has gone smooth. House finches, chickadees and titmice are busy on the feeder and a nuthatch is checking out the neighbor's pine trunk. It was mostly detectable as it moved from the shady side to the sunny.

At noon I saw a hawk fly upstream. Shortly afterward, a cardinal pair showed up. She poked a male house finch of the feeder while he (the cardinal) watched from the dogwood. After a while he flew over and announced it was his turn. Meanwhile, pelicans cruised up the creek and a buzzard circled high up.

Sunset was brilliant with intense red cloud puffs and the thinnest sliver of new moon, all reflected in the glassy creek. Hundreds of cormorants were flying to roost in every direction along with a few gulls and egrets.

Blue sky and quiet water

At dawn the cormorants flew out. Then mergansers flew upstream. Their white markings and wing beats interact and make them appear to vibrate.

The sky has clouded over. Chickadees and finches are visiting the feeder again after disappearing yesterday. Gulls, egrets, and pelicans are watching the water. And there is a big hawk hanging around. It looks osprey-size so I'm guessing red-tail, but there is not enough light to be sure.

A flock of about five male and three female mallards is circling off the end of the dock. We used to have a lot more mallards. I think a neighbor was feeding them. Now we are down to a reasonable number and it has been some years since I found a nest in the yard. Anyway, there are enough mallards around to name this blog.

Cooler

Like yesterday, the clouds dispersed and now it is sunny. The creek is mirror bright though there is wind. I think the wind has less to do with the water surface than the tide. I think "slack water" is what I'm seeing - at high and low, when the flow slows before reversing. I will watch the tide calendar to confirm.

Two squirrels have been cleaning up feeder spills. No birds yet.

OK, now it's nearly noon and the creek has little waves. It's about half way between high and low tides, which would fit the slack water theory. This is also a new moon, so the tide range should be large.

Two black-back gulls are chasing each other around the sky. I don't know if it's a territorial dispute, play, or courtship. Finally one bird landed on the creek. Meanwhile a buzzard sailed overhead. I wonder if there's a hawk somewhere that I cannot see that keeps the songbirds from the feeder?

A menacing sky at dawn

Heavy clouds moved swiftly East on a strong wind. Gulls and cormorants slid sideways as they flew South. Something very large circled once behind the trees, maybe the eagle?

A couple of itchy squirrels visited the patio. Now there are glimmers of sunlight and juncos pop-hopping around the patio. One just did a little dance in the dry leaves to kick up seeds.

The sky is clearing now. A female cardinal posed on the feeder and a female house finch sat on its roof. A pelican sat on a piling across the creek and a kingfisher flew past. Bees are still coming to the rosemary, despite the wind.

And now the sun is bright in a blue sky. Four pelicans were sunning on the boathouse across the creek and one gaped for me. A bald eagle circled overhead. One junco got tired of waiting for seeds to fall and jumped up on the feeder.

It is getting colder.

Warm and gray and wet

A mist was rising off the water. An early heron flew off. Latter a bufflehead swam past. Juncos were out on the patio. A kingfisher flew upstream squawking all the way. Later some human making a racket up that way startled three mergansers who flew downstream.

The grass was blessed with a heap of pellets, presumably from a rabbit. They seem appropriate to my feelings just now as my camera is not working right. The zoom quit functioning on our trip and has worked only sporadically since. I thought it was a low battery, and switching seemed to help, but only briefly. Fewmets!

The sky lightened and there was a little sun after lunch, but it did not last. The creek was an absolute mirror, the reflection as sharp as the original. And the water is very clear - I can see minnows and bottom at low tide. A blue jay and a flicker came by. Another kingfisher flew downstream, this time silently. An egret landed by the dam outfall and snapped up something. The camera decided to cooperate, for once, but all the birds were too far or back-lighted, or something.

Overnight rain

The rising sun highlighted the edges of the clouds that were moving fast to the East, but now all is gray. Tonight will be the longest night as the solstice is at 12:30 am tomorrow, just after midnight our time.

Now it is raining softly. Pelicans are cruising the creek and a bufflehead swam past. Otherwise it is quiet and nothing is coming to the feeder.

I'm looking at Virginia Beach Naturally: A Guide to Enjoying the Wildlife of Virginia Beach, Virginia by Scott F. Bastian and already I've found names for some of the unidentifiables of this past year. I will go back and correct past entries

Warming up, clouding up

Typical. This time of year is either cold and bright or warm and wet. A lone squirrel moseyed by. I have refilled the feeder.

Bees are still feeding on the rosemary! Almost all tree leaves are shed, except where the wild cherry grew back after the May storm. The dawn redwood made cones this year, I think for the first time. A mockingbird perched on the beauty berry and feasted on the now dull berries. Seems like they need to age or something.

A male merganser went upstream in a series of dashes and dives. As you can see, the creek is beautifully reflective today. A heron waited at the dam outflow and a kingfisher flew downstream.

Pink wisps of cloud at dawn

A cloudless sky (contrails excepted) and a mirror-like creek. Not much moving since the flocks of cormorants flew South at dawn. There must be a few seeds left in the feeder - this morning finches, titmice and chickadees visited. A male cardinal came later.

I was just reading the latest newsletter from the Ferry Plantation House, and I learned that Lynnhaven River Now has an initiative called Pearl Homes for people who manage their runoff. I'm going to apply.

The rosemary is still blooming, likewise the pink camellia. The red camellia has one last blossom and the white one has fat buds. It is cold and windy and the creek is choppy.

Blue sky and glassy creek

I bet the feeder got emptied while we were gone. Juncos are searching the ground but nothing is visiting the feeder. A merganser pair is out on the creek.

The blue sky didn't last, now it looks like rain. There's a breeze but the creek is unruffled. And now, mid-afternoon, it's cleared again. At sunset, we're back to heavy clouds.

Pelicans

All the time we were in Cancun, we kept seeing brown pelicans and now that we are home, they're out cruising the creek. Now that's a successful species. But I can't help wonder why the local pelicans stay here through the winter when they could be there.

I can now add frigate birds to my life list - very angular and menacing. I also saw a pair of wild green parrots and some kind of plover, and the ubiquitous herons and egrets, gulls and grackles. The gulls looked like the ones I saw at Cape May. The grackles woke us up every morning with piercing calls. There were boat-tail grackles as well as the regular kind in both purple and bronze.

One small lizard scampered out of sight one evening but otherwise I don't think I saw any wild animals. Oh, lots of dogs, all short-hair terrier-ish mutts. No cats that I recall.

Bright and breezy

Despite the breeze, the creek is very smooth. Two geese paddled lazily upstream. Earlier a cormorant had done the same. No action on the feeder so far. Just squirrels.

Later on, a male cardinal visited while juncos feasted on the sweet gum seeds on the ground. I saw an odd dove with a white feather in the middle of its back. I don't know if the feather was just out of place or mutant.

Squirrels' day out

A half dozen are playing all over the yard, flirting, chasing, monkeying with the feeder, and nibbling on the sweet gum seeds. The seeds are very small and blow everywhere as the gumballs ripen. No birds have visited the feeder. Possibly they are wary of the squirrels. This squirrel decided to sneak up on the seeds from underneath, but was foiled by the counter-weighted baffle.

It is gray in the East so no sunshine though I can see blue sky to the North. It's supposed to rain and it is certainly damp. It's still warm though it's supposed to cool off after today. Geese and cormorants have flown by and some cormorants were fishing. Later four mergansers, two each, paddled by. The sun came out briefly but now the sky has curdled again. Cumulus clouds are streaming Northeast under a stationary layer of cirrus and contrails. But on the ground, the gusts feel like they're coming from the Southeast. Honeybees are still busy. I wonder where the hive is?

Warm and damp and still

I can see dew on the chairs outside. The paper says it's overcast, but the sun is shining. A squirrel tested the feeder and some chickadees visited it. Last night the waxing gibbous moon was spectacular glowing through holes in the clouds surrounded by a multicolor halo.

Why is there a dove on our feeder? The chickadee and the finch seem as puzzled as I am. A squirrel climbed the post and shooed the dove off. Then a brilliant male cardinal arrived and the finch left. Now all are gone. The bees however are still busy.

It got fairly gray with overcast and a breeze and the current in the creek ran strongly. The chickadees fussed at me for a while and a blue jay hung out in the dogwood. Then, toward evening, the sun burned through and the sunset looked like fire with a golden haze in front of the sun and clouds streaming away like smoke. After dark, it is strange to see the Christmas lights and hear crickets.

Clouded up

The cloud cover is patchy and starting to break up in the North. The photo looks colder than it is - it's damp and mild with a light breeze. The creek would be beautiful if there was anything to reflect. The clouds are slowly moving North-northeast.

Some chickadees and a cardinal came to the feeder. There are crows around and I heard something else calling, but I'm not seeing any other birds. The bees are back on the rosemary after taking the weekend off.

Bufflehead

First one this season. In the only photo I got, it is behind this screen of branches. What alerted me was the appearance of ripples on the otherwise mirror-smooth creek. The bufflehead spent more time underwater than on the surface.

The chickadees and titmice have discovered that I refilled the feeder. Do you think this one knows who to thank? Cormorants headed out at dawn to wherever they like to fish. The crows passed through one by one instead of in a clump. All day, all over town, I have seen huge numbers of crows. Do they migrate through here?

Sunset was beautiful with gold streaks under pink puffs. Unfortunately I was driving East at the time.

Bright and windy

An early pelican passed by. A squirrel washed itself on the patio but saw me reaching for the camera. Then I had to leave for much of the day.

Across the street, birds nests are appearing now that the leaves are gone. I do not see any nests in our trees though.

The wind is coming out of the East-northeast and it is cold, especially when a cloud blocks the sun. Cumulus puffs are streaming along, but the higher contrails are stationary. Mergansers and mallards are out on the creek and a flotilla of cormorants went past. A flock of crows flew across the creek with one diving on another. I refilled the feeder but no one has noticed yet.

Frost and herons

The dock, the roof, and some patches of mulch and grass have frost. Quite a few great blue herons have passed through and one stopped to sun across the creek. Then a skein of geese passed by headed up the creek.

Then some starlings landed in the top of the redwood - we have never had starlings back here away from the main road. A yellow-rumped warbler visited the rosebush. Doves scouted the patio, juncos argued on the roof, and a wren looked everywhere for breakfast. It took possession of the feeder, which I need to refill soon. Squirrels were busy too.The ubiquitous crows are rushing around.

Mid afternoon, a squadron of geese paddled upstream. A few minutes another of cormorants went by, paddling and diving.

Windy

There is a strong breeze up in the trees but down on the creek, the water is glassy under a pure blue sky. Two egrets were on the dock and four more flew downstream. The usual crows were around, likewise cormorants. A mallard pair sailed upstream. Gulls have been circling around the dam. The wind is very cold. A pelican flew downstream.

A red and a yellow rose are blooming but I don't see any more buds. The morning glory is hanging on. Rosemary and camellia continue to bloom. The trees are getting bare and mistletoe and last year's nests are revealed.

The whole day has been much the same.

Sun has returned

It is brisk outside. Chickadees and titmice on the feeder and juncos on the ground. One titmouse had a drink at the birdbath.

By noon the sun had warmed things up but then the clouds rolled in. The wind was quite harsh.

Mid afternoon looked like rain, but then it cleared somewhat. Cormorants headed home to roost.

Rain

At dawn there were just some pink puffs in the West but clouds moved in and rain started before 9am. Squirrels were out early as were cormorants. A heron took off downstream.

The temperature is dropping swiftly. And then it rained and rained. This was a true November day.

Gray cloud cover

A squirrel and a chickadee sought breakfast. The clouds came in bands. This one retreated to the North around noon, chased by some late leaves. The bees are still making the most of the rosemary. They ignore the camellias and roses and morning glories.

Busy birds

Mallards on the creek and flights of geese, cormorants, a heron and a pelican. On the feeder, a female cardinal, a male red bellied woodpecker, titmice, chickadees, and finches. All before 8am. The sun is bright, the creek shiny, and the sky has cirrus wisps and contrails.

Clouds and wind have built up all morning. Then the sky cleared again. There are thin protoclouds in stationary waves and passing cream puffs. The male cardinal visited during dinner. Doves came over the roof as if chased. Crows harassed something in the pines across the creek. And the bees are still feeding on the rosemary. When full, they fly over the house toward the street.

Sun and clouds

Windy too. A pelican cruised the creek. Finches came to the feeder. I overslept.

Something is schooling in the water. Gulls, cormorants, pelicans, egrets and herons are all fishing right in front of us. There's still too much vegetation for it to be easy to photograph them and the camera lag still messes me up so the bird is on the edge of the photo or behind something.

As evening comes on, the sky has grown grayer with thin clouds.

Bright and still

The creek is a mirror and the trees that still have leaves are glowing above and below.

By lunch, both the temperature and the breeze have come up. A male kingfisher visited the dock. A pelican splashed down beside it, startling the kingfisher off. Clouds of black birds maneuvered overhead. A merganser pair paddled upstream. Bees are still harvesting rosemary nectar. And I think I hear a grasshopper.

Chickadees can't count. As I was sitting on the patio, with no birds stirring, Kathleen came up to me and then walked away. Immediately the chickadees started flying to the feeder as though I had disappeared.

Toward dusk the water was again still. A grebe went diving and popping up all the way up the creek. Great numbers of cormorants were flying to wherever they roost, some over the dam, some upstream, and some down. Crickets got loud as the sun set.

Perfect day for Thanksgiving

Sunny and crisp with bright fall colors. Despite a brisk wind, the creek was smooth and reflective. Mallards and Canada geese sailed past. Once they would have been on the menu. A squirrel strove mightily to unlock the secrets of the bird feeder.

Mistletoe is becoming visible on the trees again.

Waking to the sound of rain

Heavy clouds are blowing out to sea. It's supposed to get very warm and windy. Cormorants were battling their way South. One squirrel was very actively hunting something in the mulch near the feeder post - smell or memory?

And at 10am the sun broke through. It continues to alternate with clouds. The rain swelled a new crop of the bird's nest fungi and this time I was able to get photos that show the "eggs."

The hooded mergansers have arrived! Two pair were diving in the creek. Later two groups of three mergansers came back upstream. Also a great black back gull was paddling on the creek in the same area. A pelican did the plunge for something, but trees were in the way of seeing whether it succeeded.

The juncos are scurrying around along with the squirrels. Bees are still busy with the rosemary. And the waves of clouds continue to bring rain alternating with sun.

Gentle rain

As usual, the rain seems to make birds hungry. Finches were busy on the feeder. Crows were harassing something in the pines across the creek. Whatever it was never appeared but the crows were quite spectacular doing rolls and dives.

I've been using Google images and various websites to identification, but there have been several birds this fall that defeated this strategy. So I went back to Peterson. The ducks were definitely wood ducks. The gulls are still a mystery but I'm leaning toward Bonaparte's gull.

The rain and wind are so soft that big drops accumulate on the twigs. We're getting into the season where the choices are warm, but wet, or bright, but cold. Now the rain is tapering off.

And now the sun is playing pee-a-boo, but everything is wet. I hear a kingfisher. Pelicans and cormorants have come out to cruise the creek. The sun has descended into a bank of clouds in the West.

Warm with clouds

Dawn was pretty but now it's gray. The sun tries to burn through, but this is as bright as it gets. Wind out of the Northwest keeps pulling in more clouds and the temperature is supposed to drop throughout the day. But despite the wind, the creek is only a little ruffled.

A boater flushed a pelican on the way out and a kingfisher coming back. I believe I saw an osprey though it is very late in the year. Crows and gulls were plentiful of course. The crows appear to have colonized the top of the water tower. Chickadees were busy on the feeder and doves underneath. Curiously, given yesterday's photo of the crow and the shell heap, today a single oyster shell appeared on our dock. I assume something carried it over to feast on in private.

Crows calling at dawn

I thought maybe they'd cornered an owl, but I didn't see anything, so maybe it was just their celebration of the new day. I could also hear a cardinal fussing. The sky was clear and pink in the East with a crescent moon overhead and a bright planet, apparently Saturn, leading the sun.

Canada geese passed on review, first downstream, then back. Crows are everywhere, playing on the wind, chasing each other and imaginary enemies. It is hard to believe that only a few years ago their demise was predicted from West Nile virus. I wonder if the ones I see have some immunity? This crow is trying to decide whether to hop down into the neighbors' shell midden revealed by low tide. It flew away instead.

The morning glories were burned by the frost but are still blooming. Honeybees are still feasting on the rosemary and I saw a white cabbage butterfly that survived the frost. Lots of squirrels are scurrying around. A flock of robins passed overhead and a flock of ducks hurried downstream.

First frost!

Not only on the roof and dock, but on the mulch and grass. It is still and cold and bright. Cardinals and finches are cleaning out the last of the feeder seed.

The temperature rose though the day and became quite comfortable by late afternoon. Thin cirrus clouds and contrails obscured the blue, making a colorful sunset. I was in a meeting all day so this is all I have.