Another pretty morning didn't last

Juncos, white throated sparrows and chickadees were joined early by squirrels.  Cotton puff clouds dispersed early, but after a blue sky, more clouds rolled in.  Pelicans and a bald eagle fished.

The feeder was empty again - maybe the robber got more than I thought. K refilled it at sunset.  I saw two mockingbirds having a dispute in a parking lot but they broke off when I stopped and raised the camera.  (after regretting it yesterday, I took the camera along today.)  Maple trees are showing red flowers.  I spotted crows flying toward the 64 intersection.

The whole afternoon was overcast until late when the sun lit up the West and eventually broke through to highlight the trees opposite.  Cormorants commuted home.  Note the dangling broken limb I'll have to find someone to deal with. 

Soft spring sky

Edgeless, fuzzy clouds are blowing East, bright on their Eastern side and dark on the West.  This is a sky I associate with Easter.  When the sun finds an opening, it highlights the trees against a darker sky.  Buzzards, pelicans and gulls are aloft.  Titmice, wrens, and a nuthatch have visited the feeder while doves, juncos, both kinds of sparrow, and the female towhee have rummaged through the mulch. A male bufflehead and some female mergansers are out on the creek.

By 9:45am, the sky had gone to plain overcast.  An hour later it was back to blue with sunlit cotton puffs.  A pair of nuthatches came for a snack. The male towhee put in a brief appearance.  The miniature daffodils have started to bloom.  Honeybees are visiting the rosemary.  I think the groundhog was accurate. 

I debated carrying the camera this evening but made the mistake of leaving it home.  The sun set in a gorgeous peach glow while streaky clouds to the South picked up the color.  Crows paralleled me down Witchduck, headed I believe for the great flock that meets at the junction of 64 and 264.  That flock was already swirling when I passed.  I would not be surprised if there were a thousand birds.  They were spectacular against the sunset, but a bit spooky.  Why are they there?  Then coming home, a huge yellow moon rose past bars of cloud. 

Midnight robbery

Early light revealed a break-in at the Sunflower Cafe.  A thief had wrenched the feeder lose from its hanger, but didn't make off with much.  Repairs were swift and the establishment was open for business by 7:30am when a line of customers appeared: nuthatches, Carolina wrens, juncos, cardinals, finches, and sparrows.  However, there were no witnesses.  A member of the raccoon gang is suspected though one bystander speculated on a Dismal Swamp bear being the culprit.

Rain started before noon.  Birds continued to visit, including titmice.  I believe the warbler was at work on the rosemary again. A male bufflehead was diving in the rain. I heard bird twitter outside the window as I blogged, but now all I hear is wind-driven rain. It is coming from the East. 

Muted sunlight

A thin layer of cloud is making the sky mostly white but the sun is getting through dimly.  Doves and both species of sparrows are in the mulch.  The white throats are also feeding on the rosemary.  Nuthatches, chickadees and finches are visiting the feeder.  A great black back gull landed on the dock next door and drove off crows.  I wonder if fish have been cleaned recently.

A pelican flew over the creek which is rough this morning - no reflections today.  It is windy. I saw a robin on the way home.  Here are two views of white throated sparrows. 

At lunch, the female towhee showed up.  Two Carolina wrens joined in and a yellow-rumped warbler appeared in the rosemary.  The neighboring dock continues to fascinate gulls and crows. 

The male cardinals are beginning to get territorial.  Finch males are feeding females.  Buds are swelling and deciduous trees have a color haze. The groundhog may have been right. 

Damp and gray gave way to sun

Cardinals, chickadees, house finches, titmice, juncos, sparrows, and Carolina wrens came for breakfast.  Canada geese glided by.  Crows are carrying sticks in their beaks. A pelican passed on patrol.

Around 11am breaks appeared in the cloud cover accompanied by flickers of sunlight.  A female junco worked in the mulch.  A pelican bathed in the lake. The water has been quite glassy all day. 

Bu noon the only clouds were little fuzz patches.  The feeder is empty again.  A flock of black-and-white wings shot downstream too fast for me to react.  I believe they were red-breasted mergansers.  I had been focused on the rosemary where pollinating insects have reappeared - it is warm!

In her column today, Mary Reid Barrow said we should expect hummingbirds on April 1st and gave the link to this map.

K refilled the feeder late in the day.  At dusk, two white throated sparrows worked in the mulch.  The rising moon looks quite round.  

Rain mist

I thought it was fog at first, but now the rain is falling strongly.  Little birds were breakfasting early - chickadee, titmouse, sparrow and junco - but now all are under cover.  Crows hung around for a while then flew across the creek.  An egret flew by.

Maybe a half hour later, a wren hit the feeder.  Doves and the female towhee joined the sparrows and juncos in the wet mulch.   Geese are out on the creek and a pelican went by.  Eventually the nuthatches braved the rain.  Cardinals and finches added some bright spots. 

The rain slacked off before lunch and lots of pelicans are out cruising the creek.  The feeder and mulch stay busy.  

Somber gray sky

The birds were busy: a cardinal pair, two (maybe three) Carolina wrens, nuthatch, juncos and sparrows.  Then suddenly, they all scurried for cover.

Apparently light rain fell during the morning leaving dry shadows under the trees.  A blackbird flock was in the area and some just had to test the feeder's counterweight. This brown-headed cowbird managed to snatch a seed before the door dropped.  They annoyed the other birds who could get at the seeds:  several nuthatches, titmice, finches, chickadees, and cardinals.  Doves, sparrows, and juncos were busy below and the female towhee joined them.

 Lots of robins were hanging around. Did they come with the blackbirds?  This female is facing the camera which makes it look odd - we usually see a profile so that the bird can see us out of one eye.

Mid-afternoon, the male towhee showed up.  Two wrens joined the feeder queue.  The warbler made a brief stop in the rosemary.  At least seven doves were milling around.   Several herons and egrets worked the creek banks.  Crows chased each other for lack of a better target.

The hyacinths have broken ground. As predicted, the rain returned at dusk. 

Another clear day

Early shift at the feeder included chickadees and nuthatches with sparrows and juncos below.  The creek is smooth but reflections tremble, especially after geese have passed.  Small birds are flying upstream - buffleheads?  Robins flocked around and watched from the trees.  Pelicans keep cruising over the fishing grounds but the screen of brush makes it hard to catch a photo. 

A big raptor swooped through.  I think it was the juvenile eagle again.  Something else is around because every so often the little birds go completely still and squirrels watchful.  One Carolina wren worked the feeder while another foraged below.  Meanwhile, a male towhee showed up despite the bright sun.  It had competition from the sparrows and doves and juncos.  The song sparrow is pretty aggressive toward the other species. Nuthatches and chickadees visited the feeder and cardinals hung around. 

Blue sky all day

A chill wind is tossing dead leaves back up to the trees.  A wren perched on the feeder while juncos foraged below.  A pelican passed downstream while reddish ducks paddled up.  I think they were female red breasted mergansers.  A heron waded up to its tail feathers while a great black backed gull also fished on the low tide. Downstream an egret was also wading far from shore. 

The wren must have found the last seed. After K refilled the feeder, sparrows, juncos, finches, and cardinals appeared.  A song sparrow ran off a white throat.  Crows hassled something across the creek.  Later a juvenile eagle swooped through and landed over there.  The crows did not seem to notice.  There are ducks out, but difficult to identify.


The squirrel with the white spot on its hip is female.  It is nursing babies.  A turkey vulture sailed overhead.  A cardinal and later a dove appeared to be moulting.  The dove may be the victim of pecking - another chased it off.  A sharp-shinned hawk suddenly appeared and flew over the house to the front yard. 

A different squirrel raced all around carrying something white in its mouth.  Another squirrel followed it around.  It looks like a tissue or a piece of cloth.  Nesting?

A kingfisher flew upstream. Later, it hung out on a piling. Hooded mergansers paddled downstream in the late afternoon light.  More herons flew upstream, low to the water. 

Warming

Blue sky with eraser smudges of cloud.  There is still ice in the shade.

The sky has gotten much more cloudy though the sun still shines at 9am.  Ice has melted.  The birds are busy - nuthatch, titmouse, finch, cardinal, dove, white throated sparrow, junco.  Cormorants are fishing.

By mid-morning, the sun was veiled by cloud cover and shortly after noon a light rain fell.  Meanwhile, the tide was way out, driven by wind I think as it is a first quarter moon.  The water level was too low for most fishing birds though gulls were on patrol.

It is quite warm, well above 60, but the birds are no longer in evidence. 

Evening mist turned to deluge about 8pm which cleared the sky.  Bright stars surrounded the moon.  

Cold and bright

The creek is frozen.  A cormorant sailed over it looking for open water.   Three squirrels are up.  Two are rooting in the mulch while the third does back-flips off the dogwood trunk.  I've seen squirrels do this before but the only explanation I can think of is simple joy at being alive.   I need to try video recording for behaviors like this.

The feeder is unvisited - I'd better check whether it is empty. It has plenty of seeds, so I guess the birds are just waiting for the temperature to rise.  I haven't added hot water to the birdbath because I figure as long as the creek is iced, it will be useless.

OK, some finches had breakfast.  After 10am more arrived: doves, cardinals, juncos, sparrows, chickadees, towhee, nuthatch and titmouse. The female towhee lost a seed to and aggressive white throated sparrow. Cold seems to make birds cranky.  On the other hand, it seems to make squirrels amorous.

The water is now open on the far side of the creek where the current flows.  Egrets and herons are hunting for a fishing spot.  Geese and mallards are paddling and dabbling. I got distracted by the mundane and didn't start counting till 4pm.  A flock each of grackles and of robins flew over.

Snow in the sun

Before I started my bird count this morning, a warbler was feeding in the rosemary, but it didn't come back to be counted. I counted 8-9am.  Gulls, and osprey, an egret, pelicans, and cormorants fished.  The tide was flowing out.  At 8 the sky was still and blue but by 9 wind was pushing clouds Southeast.  Four squirrels frisked.  One bowled the others over then got chased.  Crows played with the wind.

On and under the feeder: chickadees, wrens, doves, both sparrow species, cardinals, house finches, and a titmouse. Dramatic clouds continue to sail past.  The nuthatch has arrived.   The other birds keep stuffing themselves.  The roof is dripping but snow in the shade persists.  I think the hot water I added to the birdbath has frozen.

An ominous cloud appeared and there were flakes at 11.  Now it is brighter and there is meltwater in the birdbath.  A flock of red breasted mergansers and cormorants drove fish downstream in that rolling, end-over-end method I never get tired or watching. An osprey watched from the pines and a pelican cruised alongside.  The flock made at least four passes.

Egrets and herons jostled for evening fishing spots while cormorants flew home.  There were just the right sort of clouds for a spectacular sunset.  And at the last minute an eagle soared among them. 

The setting crescent moon was very bright again.  

Grayer and colder, and snow

There was some sun among the clouds and wind gusts early but heavy overcast by mid morning with a cold wind.  Three squirrels were all over the yard.  One fell from a limb while being chased but appeared OK.  One has a missing patch of fur on the back.

I counted birds from 8-8:30 and 9:45-10:45am:  a pair of house finches, 2 female towhees, a titmouse, 2 Carolina wrens, 3 white-throated sparrows, a pair of nuthatches, a pair of cardinals, a pair of juncos, 6 cormorants periscoping, a pelican, a chickadee, a male mallard, 3 gulls, a dove, 2 great blue herons, a yellow-rumped warbler, a song sparrow, 4 crows, and a male hooded merganser with 2 females.  I liked the punk cardinal with the sunflower stogie.

Rain began after lunch alternating mist with heavier precipitation.  The birds continued to chow down. No new birds, but the towhee and warbler returned. Now at 4:30pm the rain has definitely become snow. It melts on contact.  Juncos, sparrows and chickadees are still feeding. The streaks are snowflakes.

Now it is dark and I hear dripping and wind.  I thought the snow/rain was slacking off.  The question is whether what has fallen will freeze. 

Perfect bird count morning

Blue sky, 50 degrees, light breeze.  Not much creek activity: 3 hooded mergansers, 1 great blue heron, 1 double crested cormorant, 1 ring-bill gull, 4 fish crows.

9-10am around the feeder: 1 female cardinal, 1 female Eastern towhee, a pair of dark eyed juncos, a couple chickadees, 4 red breasted nuthatches - one female, a couple tufted titmice, 4 white-throated sparrows, 2 pairs of house finches, 1 Carolina wren, 1 song sparrow.  All reported to the Great Backyard Bird Count. 

The temperature climbed all the way to 60 but the breeze picked up a bit.  I counted again from 4-5pm and added 2 male mallards, a turkey vulture, a dozen gulls circling to high to identify, a female bufflehead, and a male kingfisher. 

A very bright crescent moon is near setting at 10:30pm and a bright planet is high in the West.  

Sunshine

Sunrise was delayed by clouds in the East and there are vague cloud blurs over much of the sky.  But the sun is bright.  Little ducks, probably female mergansers, disturbed the smooth creek with their wakes.  The feeder and patio have been quiet.

No wonder -  the feeder was empty again.  It just lasted five days. Should I blame the weather or was I too stingy?  A pelican flew downstream and crows circled the pines.  Clouds are moving briskly East.  It's pretty warm.

The clouds have thickened and the sunshine is fitful.  Chickadees and juncos are the only birds on the refilled feeder.  Mysterious ripples continue to appear on the creek.  A cormorant explained some of them.  A yellow-rumped warbler had its head in a camellia flower.

Gray

Appropriate for Ash Wednesday.  A crow was declaiming in the pine tree.  I haven't seen much else though I can hear bird calls.

Pelicans and herons are flying through the gray mist.  Ripples on the creek surface don't seem to have a source.   I think a V-shaped wake might be trailing a female bufflehead.   A few doves, sparrows, and juncos are out on the ground.  Cardinals, finches, chickadees, nuthatches, and Carolina wrens are coming to the feeder, but not in great numbers. 

Beautiful day

But I'm mostly missing it.  Got up with the stars, now sleeping with the sun.  The occasional bird has flitted past the window when I had my eyes open, but I couldn't tell what they were.  Finches most likely from the color.  Meanwhile the sky has gone gray. It was pretty warm today, so the clouds are right on schedule.  Oh, it is Mardi Gras too. 

Dark and wet

Intermittent rain.  Geese and ducks are out on the creek.  The feeder was full of finches which frustrated a nuthatch.  Cornell has an article on the nuthatch eruption.  A goldfinch came to the feeder.  A lot of crows gathered in the front yard, I've no idea why.  There are bird flocks up in the trees, silhouetted against the sky.  They may be blackbirds or robins or I don't know what.

There's still a lot of fishing on the creek - pelicans, an egret, ducks.  The feeder got busy at lunch with titmice, nuthatches, finches and chickadees.  Both kinds of sparrows, juncos, doves, and Carolina wrens foraged below. The white throat is at the bottom and the song sparrow above.

The eagle has landed

All through breakfast, an eagle sat in the oak across the creek.  Finally it swooped up and down the creek and disappeared behind bushes.  I think it caught a fish because the next time I saw it, it was on the ground where it stayed for some time. 

Meanwhile hooded mergansers were out on the creek.  Suddenly, one male began chasing another and attempting to mate.  The females just watched. 

I kept dashing out in the cold to take photos which may explain why no birds came to the feeder.  The birdbath is ice.  The fishing must be good - pelicans, great blue herons, and cormorants have joined in.  Geese keep flying by though they don't fish.

Feeder birds have appeared: house finches, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, and impatient juncos.  On the ground, more juncos are joined by white-throated sparrows and squirrels.  The sky is gradually going white with what I think are cirrus ice clouds, but the sun continues to shine. 

At noon, a mixed flock of ducks and cormorants went diving and driving fish downstream like a wave rolling over on itself.  It is always amazing to watch the choreography as they fish.  The ducks included red-breasted mergansers.  A little later geese paddled upstream in pairs, proclaiming some message for all the world.  I found a female bufflehead lurking in the corner of a photo.

 During a late lunch, the song sparrows, cardinals and Carolina wrens put in an appearance.  The female towhee cane out despite the sun and blue jays hung around.  One of the squirrels has its tail coiled up like a corgi. The sky is back to blue with distinct clouds.  A hawk flew upstream.  Dare I hope to see this much during the bird count this weekend? 

This was Lunar New Year and thus a new moon. 

Good fishing

The day began with pink wispy clouds which thickened and then cleared.  The creek has been very active.  Pelicans are plunging after fish while cormorants and mergansers dive from the surface.  One pelican had a train of cormorants as it swallowed its catch.  A male kingfisher flew past.  Gulls are playing on the wind and crows are fussing.

The feeder was almost empty so I dumped and refilled it.  Plenty of seed is scattered in the mulch.  Doves, juncos, and sparrows are happy with that.  On the feeder, I saw cardinals, a Carolina wrens, and nuthatches.  The reason I don't always tag the "usual suspects" is that they are here year around.  I'm more interested in dates for the seasonal birds.

At lunch, the ducks and pelicans were joined by gulls and an osprey.  The osprey just circled, but a great black-backed gull plunged head-first pelican-style. And speaking of seasonal migrants, I haven't seen any buffleheads for a while. 

Late, the bright planet was sinking into the West. 

Rain, wind, and tide

We are on the edge of a blizzard but here it is rain.  It pounded all night so loudly I was expecting sleet.  The tide is very high at 8:30am and the dock's awash.

There are birds about, mostly sheltering from the rain.  I can hear them on the windowsill as I type.  Some are crowded into the camellia. Two found the bend in the downspout.  But Carolina wren doesn't care!

The tide has been dropping all morning and the rain has slacked off, but the wind gusts are scary.  They've overturned the canoe.   Meanwhile, the birds are out feeding: sparrows, juncos, and a towhee on the ground, finches, cardinals, nuthatches and wrens on the feeder.  A pelican went by.

At lunch, a titmouse finally appeared. A song sparrow with its head feathers erected poked through the mulch.  When the wind gusts hit the trees twist and writhe. Along the fence, daffodils are blooming.  Pelicans, cormorants, and gulls are fishing while a mallard pair paddled by.

As the afternoon wore on, the sky cleared and we had sunshine.  The birds were still hungry.  

Gathering clouds

The sun is shining but the sky is smudged.  The usual birds - cardinals, finches, chickadees - are on the feeder.  Squirrels are active.  Geese are noisy on the creek and a few ducks are with them. Something crashed into a window, but I could not find any bird or evidence by the time I got there,  Is nesting territoriality under way?

Mid-morning, the juncos, nuthatch, and Carolina wren arrived.  Three male house finches competed for the feeder.  The winner tolerated chickadees and nuthatches, but not other finches.  Both song and white throated sparrows scurried around the squirrel and juncos.  A pelican and a heron flew upstream.

A smallish hawk with a long striped tail swooped past the feeder while we were eating lunch.  It was eithee a sharp shin or a Coopers, but it moved too fast for certainty.  After a while the birds returned and this time titmice joined them.  There is a spot on the patio where the wind spins, making a dust devil, more of a leaf devil actually. I should take a video instead of a still.  It has gotten rather gray.

After dark, rain began.  

The usual suspects

The sky is clear this morning.  Cardinals, finches, and chickadees visited the feeder early while squirrels and sparrows fed below.  Now nothing.

After lunch, I added water to the birdbath.  That brought out a wren, juncos and doves.  

As the light faded into evening, sparrows and a cardinal came for a late snack. 

The bright planet is still hanging in the West when I go to bed.  

Oddities

When K opened the blinds, a raccoon was sitting on the feeder.  I missed this, but it left hull litter on the roof.  Squirrels are feeling frisky: hanky-panky up in the oak.  The great blue herons are up to something.  At least four are swooping around.  Gulls too, but I don't see any fish being caught.  The sky is overcast but there is little wind. Some finches have visited.

Mid-morning, everyone arrived!  A male red-bellied woodpecker inspected the dogwoods. Robins and blue jays also hung out around the edges of the yard. A small flock of four pairs of hooded mergansers paddled downstream, accompanied by cormorants. Herons and egrets kept watch on the water. 

The feeder was mobbed.  Unusually, a white-throated sparrow landed on the perch with a house finch.  Nuthatches, juncos, goldfinches, titmice, chickadees, a Carolina wren, and cardinals all competed for a perch while doves tried to figure out how to get at the feast. Finally, a yellow-rumped warbler landed to see what was going on. 

This evening the clouds made a red sunset.

Pale sky

The sunlight slid under the clouds at dawn but now the light is diffuse and shadows are blurry.  Finches were on the feeder and a squirrel was busy beneath.  A blue jay passed through.  What I believe is a juvenile eagle flew upstream, then came back a few minutes later.  It was bigger than an osprey, mottled brown and white, with a white tail. 

The Carolina jessamine has a blossom!  Around lunch time, a titmouse, a nuthatch, cardinals, chickadees, and a few juncos, came to the feeder.  On the ground, both species of sparrow, more juncos and a female towhee foraged.

At class this morning, I saw a woodpecker in the magnolia outside the window.  It was in silhouette so I cannot be sure which species it was - mid-size, no crest.  But that reminded me that I haven't seen many woodpeckers so far this winter.

A mackerel sky gave way to a muted gold sunset.

Cloudy with sunshine

When I got up, the sky looked like dirty cotton stuffing.  The clouds have thinned and the sun is shining.  A hawk flew out of the pines.  A male cardinal and some white throated sparrows poked at the mulch.

By afternoon the clouds were speeding East, looking very painterly.  A cormorant was paddling and diving on the creek.

There were birds in the camellia but I think they were just queuing up for the feeder.  The pink flowers have gotten darker, more of a rose color.  In front of the house is a red camellia that blooms in the fall and a spring white camellia that has started blooming.  But the pink camellia by the kitchen window is the star.  There are robins around. 

In the mulch and on the feeder I saw cardinals, house finches, chickadees, nuthatches, Carolina wrens, juncos, and sparrows.  The nuthatches and chickadees are fast, seizing a seed and off.  The Carolina wren prefers to root around and toss bits away.  That makes it easier to photograph. 

Groundhog day

Lots of sun casting shadows even if no groundhogs live in this area.  It is cold and the creek is half iced.  Egrets are patrolling the far side where the current flows.  Little ducks left a wake.  The feeder is empty and we are out of seed.

Clouds moved in during the morning.  K refilled the feeder.  Sparrows were busy beneath.

The birds got very busy at lunch.  Robins came for a drink.  Juncos, wrens, doves, white throat and song sparrows explored the leaves K swept over the mulch.  A cardinal, finches, chickadees, titmice and nuthatches fed on the refilled seeds.  A pelican soared overhead instead of over the creek.  A hooded merganser paddled upstream.

By late afternoon the clouds had shifted from the North to the West. The Pennsylvania  rodent is alleged to predict an early Spring.