Gray and warming

 The winter formula - cold and bright, warm and wet - has begun.  Chickadees were up first, followed by cardinals and sparrows.  A wren just perched on the grill's gas tank and sang, so I guess it passed inspection.   It is pretty still but with no ice.  A couple of egrets are out fishing.

Buzzards circled and a pelican and a great blue heron fished.  Geese paddling sedately downstream were buzzed by a bufflehead.  A squirrel came to forage.  A kingfisher landed on the dock but moved on quickly.  Sprinkles of rain began around 2pm. 

Rain continued light but steady.  Around dusk, the wren, sparrows, cardinals, and a junco got hungry.  The cormorants did their usual evening commute while a great blue heron sailed past and a pelican tried for one last fish.