Bright morning

Little puffy shreds of cumulus are trotting West.  It's a tad warmer - the birdbath isn't frozen.  There's no ice on the creek but that may be the wind's work.  A Carolina wren came before breakfast to hunt peanut crumbs that I tossed out for it yesterday.  Then white throats arrived and the rosemary was awiggle with birds.  They don't much care for peanut.  Chickadees showed up at the feeder for breakfast.

The wren returned to inspect the grill and peer in at me while I read the paper.

At lunch time, apparently fish were schooling right in front of our shore.  Two great blue herons, more than six great egrets, and innumerable gulls swarmed, moved up the creek a bit, then back downstream.  Now the egrets are lined up below the dam while the gulls circle over the lake.  That makes no sense as there is no way for the fish to cross the dam. 

Ice

Patches of ice are floating on the creek.  It is still and sunny.  A couple of squirrels came to look for seeds in the frosted mulch.  They couldn't get a drink because the birdbath is frozen again.

I poured hot water in, but still no feeder birds.  Meanwhile, the ice on the creek disappeared and a breeze kicked up leaves.  A procession went upstream on the creek:  mallards, the domestic duck, a pelican, then cormorants.  A while later a flock of hooded mergansers followed.  Pelicans cruised up and downstream above the water during lunch.  A crow landed on the dock with a snack. 


Toward evening, white throated sparrows, cardinals, and chickadees showed up.  There was some disagreement over the feeder perch.  The sky was still cloudless and the wind was still blowing.  The evening commuter crowd was sizable. 

Chilly and sunny

The birdbath froze.  No birds on the feeder but a couple of mallards and that domestic duck left wakes disturbing the mirror surface of the creek.  A little breeze skitters leaves around making me think I see life. 

I poured hot water in the birdbath and now I see a white throat hopping about. A cardinal pair appeared and disputed the feeder with the sparrows.  Meanwhile the first pelican of the season cruised upstream, then came back down. (Last year, I sighted the first on November 4, and October 30 in 2011.)

The birdbath grew more ice.  It is cold! The sky stayed cloudless all day and ended in a multi-hued twilight. 

Rain and a surprise

Only a squirrel thus far.  It is dark and wet and windy.  There was a lot of debris under the sunflowers I had picked and brought inside.  I thought it was the flower disintegrating till I noticed a tiny inchworm.  It was dark with lighter chevrons.  The whole mess is now outside in the rain on a chair seat. 

Mid morning brought a feeding frenzy.  Joining the three usual species were a flock of white throats, Carolina wrens, and tufted titmice.  The feeder perch was heavy with rain and any other bird plus a cardinal tipped it shut.  I don't know how I got any decent photos through the wet window.  And the camera kept complaining about the low light. Then the rain got heavier. 


It tapered off around lunch and there appeared, for the first time to my knowledge, a pine warbler!  It was very pleased with the feeder, less so with the competition.

Just before bed, some frozen white pellets fell and melted on the patio.

Gray but warming

The birds really miss the cover of the peavine, but the chickadees are hungry enough to visit anyway.  My view of the creek is much expanded. 

After lunch, it got busy.  First a male towhee, then a flock of white throats, and finally a Carolina wren foraged.  Chickadees, cardinals, and a male finch headed for the feeder.  Out on the water, a couple of buffleheads were diving.  An egret perched in a pine.  Crows decided that they had business across the creek.  Three squirrels were chasing around.  A blue jay landed over in the berry bushes. And then, around 2pm, the rain began. And I now discover that the camera was being obstinate about focus, alas. 

The wind icked up toward evening and it stormed all night.

Hard freeze

The sun is out but it isn't expected to get very warm.  No birds yet.  No ice on the creek.

Bands of overcast are passing through.  Ducks are paddling around - mallards and a lone bufflehead. The frostbitten peavine is now gone. 

Icy North wind

It may have touched freezing overnight though with this wind there's no frost.  Leaves are battering the windows and the trees are half bare since yesterday.

The first bird I saw today was a female towhee.  She was joined by four or five white throats and then a dove.  Several chickadees fought the wind for breakfast as did a cardinal.  Canada geese are patrolling the creek which is shining in the sun in between gusts.

A large white duck is palling around with the mallards. A pair of Carolina wrens showed up at lunch time.  One bufflehead came paddling along with more mallards about the same time. More chickadees and white throats kept coming.  One white throat just sat sunning on the feeder perch which may have sheltered it from the wind.  A great blue heron landed on the dock and hunched against the wind. 

After dark, it was really icy cold.  Venus was bright in the Southwest again, but something bright was in the East later.

Come-and-go cloud cover

 The sky looks like a gray mattress.  A female cardinal has possession of the feeder despite the efforts of one white throated sparrow.  White throats are busy below and the birdbath holds some overnight rainwater. The creek is ruffled this morning. 

A Carolina wren hunkered down against the wind on the gas grill hose. Then wind out of the West cleared the sky.  Leaves are tossing high and skittering along the ground, pretending to be birds. 

During lunch, a bald eagle soared downstream.

Clouds returned in the afternoon and cleared otf again at sunset.  Cardinals and white throats kept feeding till dark. No other feeder birds today, I don't know why. 

Quiet start

The moon is sliding down the West in a blue sky.  The creek is glassy and the trees are still.  Where are the birds?

The wind picked up but it is warm in the sun.  Chickadees and a female finch came to feed.  I saw yet another battered squirrel - what is going on?  A great blue heron cruised downstream.  Honey bees are working on rosemary and camellia.  A cloudless sulphur butterfly checked out the beauty berries.  A crow and another bird had an aerial fight - I think it was a sharp shinned hawk. 


Egrets and cormorants flew in the late afternoon.  A white throat and a female cardinal disputed possession of the feeder.  A glaze of stratus clouds muted the afternoon sunlight but made a lovely pink sunset. 

Dull morning

It is overcast and there's no wind, but it is warmer.  K said there were chickadees waiting at the feeder when she un-bricked it, but I haven't seen any birds yet.

I did see some as I was rushing out.  Then the next outdoor glimpse I got was sunset, by which time the clouds had broken up.  I saw Venus again in the Southwest - I noticed it Tuesday. 

Chilly and bright

The peavine is pretty much withered and a squirrel climbed up to the feeder.  I had not seen any squirrels on the feeder since the peavine grew up the post.  Sparrows and cardinals were hungry today. 

Cold returns

Wind makes it even chillier.  White throats are hunting breakfast.  The just-past-full moon was bright in the West at dawn.

It's been a beautiful day but I've been running around. I did see a mockingbird on the beauty berries, an egret flying by, and a flotilla of Canada geese.

I saw the moon again on my way home this evening.  It was passing through very dramatic clouds, but by the time I reached home, it was out into clear sky.  All my camera will make of that is a featureless ball of light. 

Warm

The morning shower, as predicted, swept through shortly after 7am and the sky began clearing right away.  A chickadee showed up immediately. And now the sun is bright.  The creek is glassy again as it is most mornings.  Why is it that the water surface is so placid early in the day?

It was placid again in the late afternoon and the sky was a gorgeous blue.  The trees are really turning now.  The lantana is half frostbitten.  I found one morning glory sheltered by a downspout.   K planted the gardenia clone and the bulbs out front.  Bees enjoyed the warmth and crickets are still in tune.  A wasp was still active. 

From the dock, I could hear the rattle of a kingfisher, but I never saw it.  Buffleheads have arrived.  A white duck is hanging out with the mallards. There is a patch of puffballs under the redwood, but not as many as last year. 

Overnight fog

I could see it around 11pm last night diffusing street lights.  It's beginning to lift now, after 8am.  But the only animal life abroad yet is crows. 

Cardinals and chickadees arrived at the feeder while white throats and Carolina wrens scoured the ground.  One wren hammered at the mortar between bricks on the house.  It extracted something it liked.  Then it bathed with the whatever it was.  Glimmers of sun occurred after 10:30am.  An egret headed downstream.

And, by noon, the sky is a streaky blue.  Chickadees are still hungry.  A little later, a song sparrow showed up for its bath.  It was very thorough and soaked the patio!  Then a flock of hooded mergansers paddled upstream.  I counted three females and seven males, but there may have been more as they were diving. The redwood has turned very copper.


After 4pm the sky clouded up.  Chickadees, a female cardinal, and a song sparrow hung around the feeder till closing time. One chickadee came down to the birdbath to drink.  Cormorants crisscrossed the evening sky. 

Clouding up

It rained overnight and everything is wet.  The creek was very still till landing mallards made a wake. Intermittent sun competed with streaky clouds that kept moving East.  Now the sky is gray.  Cardinals, chickadees, and white throats visited the feeder while crows called.  There are always crows.

It was quite gloomy for a while, then bright and mostly blue, aaaaand back to gloom.  Same birds all day, mostly chickadees and white throats.  A squirrel with battle scars and only one ear came by.  I've never noticed injured squirrels before this year.  There are birds high over the creek circling and hovering osprey-style, but I think they are gulls. Bees are working on the rosemary and trying to feed on the frosted pea. 

Crickets are still playing after dark. 

Warmer

It's sunny but the blue sky is muted and hazy.  Cardinals, chickadees, and white throats came to breakfast.  I think the peavine looks more frostbitten today. Bees are back, but frustrated by the withered pea blossoms.  The morning glories are withered too. All the leaves are gone from the beautyberry.  Seeds from last night's squash were not acceptable. 

A cormorant paddled around the dock for a while.  A mockingbird visited the beauty berry briefly. 

The haze became overcast during lunch.  White throated sparrows hung around all day, until it was too dark to see them. 

Frost!

The sun is bright with no clouds and the creek is a mirror with just a breath of air movement.  No birds are up yet.  Leaves are drooping on the annuals.  This frost is two weeks earlier than last year but only four days earlier than 2011. It is a light frost that won't finish off much. 

I guess that was just Dawn holding her breath, because there's a definite breeze now. The temperature is rising.  A white throat ran a house finch off the feeder but later shared with her.  I was surprised to realize that the sparrows are bigger than the finches.  Chickadees have also shown up to feed.  Squirrels are dashing around.  A buzzard sailed over and a great blue heron flapped downstream. 

Project Feederwatch has an interactive webpage of what birds like to eat.  I may try some of the others beside black oil sunflower seeds. 

Hooded mergansers!

 A cold wind out of the North was pushing cream puff cumulus clouds overhead.  K says a chickadee was waiting on the perch when she went to unblock the feeder, but I haven't seen any more birds there.  Sunshine had the creek glowing and revealed the ducks.  Of course they flew when I tried to take a photo. They are framed by the leaves but the camera chose the wrong focus.

It is cold and windy and the creek is now glittering as the wind roughens the surface.  There was clear sky briefly but now the clouds are moving through again, but from more West of North.  The photo was from earlier when dawn tinted the clouds. 

By lunch, sunshine dominated, though clouds still marched South.  A great blue heron flew upstream and let fly a load of guano all over the creek.

Only the white throat braved the cold to visit the feeder.  This photo is from the morning when a beach ball bobbed around in the creek.  The wind broke off a couple of sunflowers. 

In the late afternoon, many egrets flew North overhead, tinted by the sun.  This flock was followed by ones and twos. 

Winter roars in

No wind this morning.  Chickadees and white throats were competing for the feeder when a female cardinal dismissed them all.  A song sparrow foraged on the ground.  I love the way the peavine shakes and then a bird pops out.

Wow, that didn't last!  Before noon, heavy dark clouds blew out of the North, threatening snow and freeze. Brrrrr!  

Carolina wrens appeared mid-afternoon. The wren and the white throated sparrow are having an eyeliner competition here.  Sparrows, chickadees, finches and cardinals fed despite the wind.  Gulls played in the sky, but crows and cormorants had to work to fly.  Geese stuck to the creek.

At sunset, sleet started.  It coated the road briefly but was gone by 8pm.  The argiope has gone missing and her web is shredded with leaves dangling from it.  I hope she's tucked into a warm crevice, maybe behind the porch light. 

Another sunny day

There were soft clouds in streaks earlier but now they are just wisps.  The sun is warm but the breeze chills.  Finches and chickadees came to the feeder, then Carolina wrens and white throats.  Yellow jackets and honeybees are pollinating the peas.  A buzzard circled overhead. I thought the morning glories were done, but there are blossoms today.  The sunflower is making many buds.

A song sparrow showed up at lunch.  There was a fight in the peavine between two white throats.

In the late afternoon cormorants are flying every which way.  Cardinals, finches and chickadees tussle for a place on the feeder.  White throats make the peavine jiggle.  Sunset put a brief pink blush on the cloud wisps. 

Wind and sun

The creek is sparkling but the chickadees on the feeder are still in shadow.

A flock of crows boiled up out of the pines but I couldn't make out the cause of their upset.  A cloudless sulphur butterfly competed with the blown leaves.  I also saw a cabbage butterfly.  A white throated sparrow took over the feeder and scared off the chickadees.  The wind is whipping the sunflowers and thrashing the trees.  Two doves visited the birdbath.  Bees worked on the pea flowers and the camellias. 

The sky stayed cloudless all day.  Towards sunset, cormorants and egrets road the wind home.  A white throat came to the feeder, then another chased it off.  The sun set and the male cardinal came, followed by the female, followed by me with the brick to shut the trough. The wind finally dropped after sundown.  As I bricked the feeder I saw the first quarter moon high in the SE.

Mme Argiope continues to guard the porch light, and her four egg sacks.  She's gotten rather lazy with her zigzag stitch. 

Breezy blue

A beautiful day, so where are the birds?  One white throated sparrow is poking around the birdbath.  Cormorants and geese have flown past on whatever business they think is so important.  A white domestic duck escorted two mallard couples upstream.  Some squirrels have bounced around the yard.  I saw a tiny grasshopper nymph on the azalea when I went to look for the trashline orb weaver spider that was there earlier in the year.  No sign of it now. 

Late afternoon: some white streaky clouds and, of course, cormorants.  Cardinals came for supper along with white throats.  The clouds moved off East at sunset, so no color, then when the sky had gone silver, smoky stripes of thin cloud rolled in from the West. 

Colder

Blue sky and bright sun reflect in the creek despite a light breeze.  Cardinals, chickadees were joined by a female finch, and a titmouse on the feeder.  The finches have not been around much lately.  On the ground, a sparrow darted under the peavine and a blue jay hammered something in the grass.  Some bird tore at the beauty berry bush. 

The breeze has freshened into gusts.  A white throated sparrow visited the feeder.  A very small squirrel roamed the patio.  It looks like it belongs to a Summer litter.

Rain

It is still and the rain is falling straight.  Titmice joined chickadees and cardinals on the feeder.  Sparrows are keeping under cover in the peavine.  A mockingbird is defending the beautyberry. 

By noon the rain stopped, the sky cleared somewhat and there were flickers of sun and a breeze.  A male towhee strutted out then ducked into the peavine.  Two Carolina wrens inspected the patio.

But the sun didn't last - clouds are scudding East in advance of the cold front.

Later, mid-afternoon, it's back to featureless overcast.  But the pavement is drying.  Bot male and female towhee are foraging in the peavine jungle. I don't know why all the photos  came out fuzzy - water on the window? 

Quiet

Sun and clouds, but little wind.  The warmth is germinating seeds - a thumbergia has popped up along with a zinnia in the lantana.  A white throated sparrow bathed while we ate lunch.

I saw a few cardinals and chickadees on the feeder and many cormorants lying to all points of the compass while the cloud cover crept NE.

Fair weather for voting

Clouds pass headed East and the sun comes and goes.  A flock of blue jays is foraging and annoying a mockingbird.  I glimpsed a brown thrasher, a flicker, and a Carolina wren.  Both sparrow species, titmice, and the usual three are busy around the feeder.

The saltbush is nearly bare but I see lots of birds hunting along the water's edge, including a woodpecker. The redwood needles are getting copper edges. The "chicken of the woods" mushroom under the oak is getting more golden and a clutch of small brown mushrooms with smoky gills (possibly Hypholoma) popped up in the grass.

Tonight, the moon was a bright arced line in the West.  It was warmer today. 

Brrrrr

The wind is cold despite the sun.  Puffy cumulus are floating on a bright sky.  The sparrows are up and foraging.  An egret is stalking below the dam.  Today's morning glories are dark pink, yesterday's were a purplish blue.  I wonder why the plants alternate?  Later some of the blue opened, spoiling my hypothesis. 

At lunch, in addition to the sparrows, chickadees, finches, and cardinals came to the feeder.  A yellow rumped warbler and a woodpecker hung out in the dogwood.  Meanwhile, clouds filled the sky and turned the day gloomy. 

Sparrows and cardinals infested the peavine as afternoon turned to evening. Sunset caught me by surprise.  I thought the gray overcast would be impenetrable, but suddenly the Western sky blazed with color. 

Clear sky morning

My body does not understand daylight savings so I was awake at the usual time.  The sky is clear but there are trees to the East, so no eclipse view.  A couple of female cardinals and many sparrows came with the dawn. Top is a song sparrow and bottom is a white throat.  Now the sun is lighting up the pines across the creek.  It's a lot colder than yesterday and last week.

Chickadees arrived later.  The wind is gusty, tossing leaves across the sky.  A few shreds of cumulus blew past.  A third sunflower bud opened.  Morning glories are still blooming.  When I went to get the paper, I noticed the crape myrtle has gone yellow and is shedding leaves.  It was still blooming when we left for our trip.  On the other hand, the Carolina jessamine has opened some buds now instead of waiting for Spring.

Well, this is a reversal!  Around noon, big cumulus clouds poured out of the Northwest looking rain-heavy.  The sparrows, cardinals, chickadees and squirrels came for lunch.  They really like the peavine jungle. Now the clouds are less menacing and there is plenty of blue.