Hints of blue sky

The overcast is more broken the further West I look.  The clouds were edged with peach earlier.  Sparrows were breakfasting and an egret landed on our side of the creek.

Mid morning brought titmice, all the regulars, juncos, and a warbler. A heron landed on the boat lift and a pelican flew upstream. The money plant is beginning to get taller for its second year when it flowers.    Crows harassed a large bird, possibly an eagle.

And by 11am the ski was blue. At lunch, it seemed like a host of pelicans were in the air.  Two nearly collided. It is quite windy - March is not ending like a lamb.

By late afternoon, the feeder was back to sparrows and chickadees.  I think I saw the warbler again.  Some men in a boat looked official, as thought they might be planning the summer's dredging. 

Buds are opening

It's still wet and not all that warm.  The oak has yellow flowers emerging and the buds on one dogwood are swollen and about to pop.  Finches were first to the feeder, followed by sparrows. A hopeful squirrel again tried to pry the feeder open. 

As I was cooking lunch, first a Carolina wren, then a titmouse, and finally a cardinal and a chickadee joined the sparrows.   An egret banked and turned way downstream.  While we were eating, a hawk swooped over the feeder and everyone scattered.  I think it may have been a sharp shin because I saw bands on a long tail.  Later a squirrel got up on the table outside and showed off her nipples - clearly she's nursing. 

In the afternoon, Canada geese were out on the creek and pelicans were flying low over it.  The feeder was back to finches and sparrows,  Clouds were still sweeping West to East while the trees tossed in the wind.  It grew drier and colder than in the morning. 

Rainy day

I don't know when the rain started but the birdbath was full this morning.  It's a quiet rain, sometimes no more than drizzle.  A Carolina wren poked into the bushes and hopped around the patio.  It looked skinny, maybe because the temperature is warmer and it doesn't need to fluff up?  A titmouse or two came to the feeder along with the regulars and the sparrows.  There are bugs flitting around.

Forsythia is blooming along the fence.  A squirrel took advantage of a lull in the rain to they to open the feeder.  It slipped and caught itself on the perch and proceeded to acrobatics.  Another is denuding the top of the red cedar, presumably for nesting.

A glimmer of sunlight appeared at lunch but was soon chased off by dark clouds and returning rain.  An egret swooped down to the shore where it was out of my sight. 

Sunny morning

Osprey and pelicans were fishing at breakfast.  Cardinals, finches, and sparrows were foraging. The wren hopped around the grill.  Cloud cover thickened by late morning.  A cabbage butterfly flew past and I saw some other winged insects. 

At lunch, a blue jay flew across the yard. A couple of juncos poked around in the mulch.  Over head, an osprey carried a fish home.   The clouds congealed into individual cumulus with some blue between.  But as the afternoon progressed the sky became overcast.  The regulars and the sparrows continued to feed.  Toward evening, the cormorants commuted home along with egrets. Dark clouds rolled in from the West around 7pm.

Sunny again

Egrets and a heron are gathered along the bulkhead down by the dam to catch the early sun's warmth.  Some years more than thirty would assemble but I can only see about six today - there's brush in the way.  Chickadees and white throats are visiting the feeder.

A glaze of cloud is forming across the sky. It cleared and returned throughout the day.  In the late afternoon, ospreys fished and crows fussed at them. 

The day ended in a streaky tangerine sunset.  

Fish tale

The first thing I saw was an osprey laboriously flying upstream with a fish.  A pelican headed downstream did a midair U-turn to chase after it.  Was it hoping the fish would drop?  I don't think a pelican could attack an osprey, except maybe through sheer size.  Meanwhile, a great blue heron stood on the bulkhead and just watched.  A little later, cormorants popped up all over the creek.  Then another heron arrived and the two got into a dispute.  One landed on our dock.  The other plunged into the creek for a fish.  All this time gulls were circling and playing on the wind.  Several were great black backs and one landed on a piling.

The sun is bright but the wind is fierce, pushing the clouds East so fast they should have cartoon speed lines behind them. There's no sign of yesterday's weather except that the birdbath is full. Up by the feeder, it was just the regulars and the sparrows.  The cardinal pairs continue their turf war. This female lost and must forage in the mulch while the winner sits on the feeder. 

At lunch, we were visited by a male towhee, titmice, juncos, and a Carolina wren, in addition to the others.  The camera developed a problem just as the towhee showed up.  On and over the creek, the show continued.  Two crows harassed a buzzard up and down the creek's airspace.  I may have seen an eagle behind the trees.  There are more clouds and a little less wind, but they're still moving East quickly. 

It may be time for a new camera.  Toward evening, an osprey fished successfully.  Three herons raced downstream.  The cloudless sky glowed in the West. 

Juncos and a warbler

A little flock of juncos greeted me when I got home around 10am.  The regulars and the sparrows were also on the feeder and below.  The cardinals continue to contest possession of the feeder.  A butterbutt hung out around the edge of the yard.  Herons flew low over the creek and gulls flew high.

I had left before dawn and saw a misty third quarter moon overhead.  On my way back, a dark bar of cloud hung over the South and the rest of the sky was streaked with stratus.  After I got home, the sky cleared to the North.  But we are supposed to be having a Northeaster with precipitation. 

An hour later the rain arrived.  With it came a pine warbler and some titmice.  The regulars and the sparrows were hungry too.  More herons flew up and down the creek.  Cormorants popped up like periscopes.

The rain was steady all afternoon.  Several herons stood around in it.  A crow landed on the dock with a treat and two others arrived to get some.  The feeder has been intermittently busy.

After dark, the rain became mixed with fat flakes of snow and globs of slush.  It melted on contact. 

Chill sun

We're still following the winter pattern where warm is wet and cold brings back the sun.  There are a few cumulus clouds in the East which occasionally block the sunshine.  They look like buttered biscuits.  Cardinals, chickadees, and sparrows greeted the dawn.  A pelican cruised the glassy creek.

Egrets, herons, and an osprey were fishing for lunch, along with pelicans and gulls.  The osprey made the mistake of taking its catch up into the pines, and the crows went after it.  Titmice and finches joined the others at the feeder.  The Carolina wren came for an overdue grill inspection.

Cooling

It's colder and supposed to get even colder.  The puffy cumulus come together then stretch apart making sunlight intermittent.  The clouds are being pushed by wind from the WSW.  An egret is all I've seen of water birds.  The feeder entertained white throats and titmice in addition to the regulars.  Cardinal warz continue.  The wild cherries are greening.

By noon, the cloud cover was solid and the day was darker. Mid-afternoon, the rain began, intermixed with occasional flakes.  That didn't stop the regulars and the sparrows. 

Spring-y

There is a thin cloud cover but the sun is bright.  It's breezy and warm.  Lots of juvenile gulls, a cormorant, and an osprey flew over the creek.  An egret passed by going upstream.  Sparrows, chickadees, and a titmouse were hungry.  A squirrel sat up and bulged in front - pregnant?

The wind picked up - it's out of the WNW.  A cabbage butterfly and other insects are flitting around anyway.  A male bufflehead was out on the rough water of the creek. It's shirt-sleeve warm. 

The sky clouded over in the afternoon.  A warbler made forays from the treetops to catch bugs.  I glimpsed a wren.  Meanwhile, chickadees, sparrows, and a female cardinal ate sunflower seeds.  An egret worked along the bulkhead where it was joined by a crow.

I finally put the grape jelly packet out on a hook to see if it would attract a migrating oriole or something.  Well, a squirrel took it.  It licked and licked the packet and then buried it in the day lilies, patting it down like a nut.  

Many egrets commuted in the twilight.  The sunset painted the cloud cover a vivid rose.

Bright

Glassy creek interrupted by geese and herons.  Sparrows and chickadees on the feeder and a blue jay hanging around the edge of the yard.  A Carolina wren came by.  Chickadees got busy.

In the afternoon, a female bufflehead circled for our dock over to the one across the creek and back.  Pelicans cruised the creek.  A cabbage butterfly is flying around. 

Vernal equinox

Supposedly it arrives around noon for our time zone, but the sunrise & set times are not equal - there's ten extra minutes of day already.  Humpf.  Anyway, the sun is shining, though the sky is white.  Sparrows (and I did see a song sparrow among them) and titmice came for breakfast while the male cardinals pursued their standoff.

The sky cleared as the morning progressed. But I was away the rest of the day. 

Still gray

Everything's wet and there are drops on the windows, but it is not actually raining.  The first thing I saw was an osprey flying upstream with a fish.  A heron was perched on the dock.  Gulls and crows have been flying around, and another osprey flew downstream, empty-taloned.  Some sparrows have ventured out.

A titmouse sat in the dogwood grooming itself.  Then the day brightened with almost sunshine. On my way back from an errand, I saw a mockingbird in a weeping cherry.  The tree trunks are mottled with green - the lichens are liking this weather.  There are definite signs of buds bursting and some ornamentals are flowering.  Pelicans cruised the creek and one again sat on the dock across from us.  And then, around 11:30 rain started up again.

The afternoon brought bands of misty rain and sun, but no rainbows.  Well, a hint of one behind the trees.  A herring gull and a great blue heron stood back to back on the dock while a pelican flew by. 

Much the same

It is cold and dreary. Finches breakfasted with me.  A heron fished.  Veils of mist blew upstream

followed by a pelican.   Sparrows are out feeding.

We had lunch with chickadees.  A pelican hauled out onto the dock across the creek and huddled there for an hour.  Another got out on the bulkhead for a while.  Gulls played with the wind gusts.  The cardinals, both sexes, continue their turf war.  Finches and sparrows dart in for a seed while they're preoccupied. Oh, it is such a dreary day and the window glass is obscured by rain. 

A possum crossed the patio as we were eating supper.  That's the first one I've seen in the yard in years.  Actually, all I saw was the rear and tail.  Make that the first possum since February 19, 2011, same time of evening, same behavior. 
 

Windy, wet and gray

We have enough evergreens that it's never quite as gray as back in Ohio, but it's not very festive for St. Patrick's Day.  Finches and sparrows have been to the feeder.  Herons and possibly ospreys cruised the creek.  Between the rain streaks on the glass and the low light, that's all I saw. 

By 9am the rain stopped and the wind dried the windows.  It also pushed the tide, raising the floating dock well before high tide.  A lull of sorts brought out cardinals, a titmouse, finches, sparrows, and a dove.  Two squirrels showed up and disputed the patch of mulch under the feeder. 

At lunch a misty drizzle returned and frosted the windows, but I don't think any birds ventured out anyway.

Later the rain picked up as the wind dropped somewhat.  Chickadees joined the cardinals, finches, and sparrows.  The male cardinals continue to dispute access to the feeder.  One maintains watch over it to keep the other away.  Lots of gulls are fishing and an osprey flapped upstream.

Cooler

The leucojum put out some blossoms today.  Buds are visible on the oak and cherry.  Birds are pairing up and getting more territorial, I think.  The regulars at the feeder were joined by titmice and white throats.  Two titmice chased each other all over the yard.  Down by the creek on a saltbush, I glimpsed a gray and yellow bird I assume was a warbler.  I think one of the birds soaring with the gulls was an osprey.  Lots of mallards are flying around.

The squirrel with the white spot came by and ate some of the gluten-free porridge mix K poured onto the patio.  None of the birds would touch it.  The sky was freckled with clouds when we got up but they've spread into a thin white layer the sun can penetrate.  It's breezy.

By lunch, the clouds had thickened and the day turned gray and windy.  The cardinals, titmice, and  sparrows continued to feed.  White spot came back too.  I wonder if she's nursing? The warbler appeared up in the dogwood after lunch. 

A light rain started after 4pm.

Early

Sparrows and a female towhee were up before the sun which was delayed by clouds in the East.  The clouds colored up nicely but the sun is come-and-go.  The regulars and titmice arrived next.  I saw a blue jay in the trees and a bug catching bird (warbler?) making forays into the air from the redwood.  Geese paddled and flew and honked.  The creek is ruffled and flowing strongly.

More titmice showed up at lunch, along with a humungous bumblebee.  The poor rosemary is so damaged from the freezes that it has no blossoms for the bees.  The sky cleared and a predicted "partly cloudy" has been very bright and warm. 

Toward evening a ruddy duck flew in.  Then a boat appeared with a dog in the prow like a figurehead.  Shortly after that a tuxedo cat prowled around the sakaki bush.  Clearly it could see birds it could not reach.  Some cormorants and gulls flew home, but not in the numbers of early winter. 

A fat moon rose just after the sun set.  It will be full tomorrow night.

Late

It's another cold, sunny day, but I didn't get up till the sun came through the window into my eye.  I have a head cold, for no good reason. Sparrows and titmice joined the regulars on the feeder.  Two great blue herons chased each other around the creek.

Lunch was quiet.  A heron fluttered out over the creek then thought the better of going for a swim.

In the afternoon, the tide got very low but the wind picked up.  Cormorants fished.  Clouds thickened towards evening.  

Cool sunshine

The regulars and the white throats came for breakfast.  Crows ran off an eagle that landed in the pines across the creek. It's 30 degrees colder than yesterday and windy as well. 

Later, a female towhee perched at the feeder.  When a sparrow joined her, neither seemed to understand that their weight was tripping the counterweight to close the feeder baffle.   Cardinals do get it and won't allow any bird larger than a chickadee to join them. 

Lunch was very entertaining.  First a pine warbler appeared.  Then pelicans paddled around on the creek.  The female towhee came back and got into a dispute with a female cardinal.  A ruddy duck paddled around the end of the dock.  Herons flew downstream. 

The towhee came back in the late afternoon.  The wind is still strong and it is going to freeze tonight.

March weather

The gray sky is crumpled at the edges, leaking a little sunlight.  Squirrels and sparrows are up.

A Carolina wren hopped all over and a squirrel climbed the bricks to peer into the bedroom. Pelicans cruised the creek.  The wind has picked up but it is still a bright overcast and very warm.  This year the daffodils are first to bloom because the weather froze the leucojum buds.  Of course, there are hyacinths in the front yard, but they have the advantage of facing South. 

The predicted thunderstorm never materialized and the clouds began to break up toward sunset which was very orange.  Sparrows came for a twilight snack. Tomorrow is supposed to be much colder.

The clearing didn't last - fresh clouds were streaming through by 8pm.  The moon winked through a brief gap and disappeared.  And somewhat after 9pm the promised rain roared in.

Warm again

The sky is full of clouds, but they are individual with blue between.  Dawn was sunny.  Titmice and white throats joined the regulars.  Pelicans cruised low to the water.  I think I saw a brown thrasher, but even with the photo I cannot be certain.

The sky cleared as morning progressed and it became very warm by lunch.  (Lunch was considerably delayed today.)

In the afternoon the waxing moon rose and the maria making up the rabbit were very visible.  Daytime photos of the moon are the only ones where any surface detail survives. 

A mixed flock of robins, black birds and at least one cedar waxwing took over the front yard trees.   They were twanging more than singing.

Bright dawn

Another beautiful, quiet dawn.  There are some thin cloud squiggles but the sun is strong.  A we breakfasted, it illuminated the tops of the pines, then their trunks, and finally all the way to the creek bulkhead.  All this was reflected in the unruffled creek.  It undulates but the surface is unbroken.  The effect of the bright reflections on the dark surface is very rich. Meanwhile, few birds appeared.  Some sparrows, finches, and a titmouse came to the feeder.  Nothing troubled the creek. 

I heard, then saw, a squirrel trying to break into the feeder.  A Carolina wren hopped around on the brickwork. All the regulars are out now.  The sun has reached the creek water, making the reflections less vivid.

At lunch, two buzzards circled.  Pelicans flew all over the creek and the dam.  A great blue heron headed downstream.  The afternoon clouded up and I think I saw a laughing gull.  Some mallards appeared and I saw a grebe on the creek, but there wasn't enough light to say which kind.  Chickadees were busy on the feeder.  A bird slammed into the bedroom window and left feathers that are gray and orange, maybe a cardinal? 

The sun set in a smear of orange altocumulus. 

Saving daylight

The birds weren't expecting the feeder to be opened so early, but they noticed it fairly quickly.  In addition to the regulars and the sparrows, there were brief visits by a tufted titmouse, a white breasted nuthatch, and a Carolina wren.  I saw something across the yard I thought might be a hawk but it was only a dove.  A great blue heron flew downstream and flocks of Canada geese went upstream.  The sky was overcast at dawn but began to clear around 9am and now is blue and sunny.

The sparrows and the regulars have been feeding all day.  Pelicans have been flying by. The first daffodil has opened. 

Glorious morning

Bright sun in a blue sky reflected in still water while birds sing.  A great blue heron, cormorants, gulls, and pelicans are fishing.

I think I glimpsed a goldfinch on the feeder.  For certain, I saw a yellow rumped warbler, along with the regulars and the sparrows.  A junco poked through the mulch.  A squirrel finished my cereal.  Robins and blue jays are hanging around.  I think the blue jays are courting - it looked like one fed another.  Crows are carrying twigs to the pines.

When we got back in the evening, hooded mergansers were out on the creek.  A first quarter moon was bright in the West around 10pm. 

Rain

This has finished the snow.  It is still very windy.  A finch and a squirrel are all that braved the weather at breakfast. 

Sparrows and a female towhee showed up in the middle of the morning.  At lunch we were inundated in robins.  The male downy woodpecker was back at the dogwood.  Gulls and pelicans flew over the swollen creek. 

The rain is very fine, almost mist, but the wind gusts make it look like sheer fabric blowing.  The wind is driving the tide up too.  Mergansers and buffleheads are out on the creek. 

The rain has gotten heavier and the wind won't let up. And yet, the cardinals continue their turf war.  The tide pulled the floating dock  off the lower pilings.

Cloudy

The snow is reduced to patches but the birdbath is frozen.  The creek is not and cormorant periscopes are everywhere.  An egret flew upstream.  The regulars join the sparrows at the feeder.  Squirrels are foraging beneath.

We had come-and-go sunshine at mid morning but it didn't last. The wind is fierce.  K refilled the feeder and that brought the birds out: titmice, the female towhee, and a Carolina wren.  Robins are prospecting in the grass.  A downy woodpecker hiked up the dogwood beyond the pool.

Mergansers, both hooded and red breasted, are in a line, driving fish up and down the creek. Unfortunately, I couldn't get any photos of them fishing.  The wind stayed strong all day.  But earlier, I did get hooded mergansers hanging about the floating dock, with the Northeast wind kicking up waves. 

Wet

It is gray and drippy though a little sun is getting through.  There is still snow to melt.  Sparrows and the female towhee got breakfast. Mallards paddled by and a dove stopped in.   

I was gone much of the day.  Pelicans were out when I returned.  There is still snow on the ground. 

Bright snow

At bedtime last night I could see stars so I think the snow was finished.  This morning is sunny but the sky is hazy.  The creek is half iced but the ice is so thin it ripples.  Pelicans and gulls have cruised over the open water by the bulkhead.  Hooded mergansers and a canvasback paddled up and down.

The song birds were famished so I'm glad we left the feeder open.  I glimpsed a titmouse in addition to the sparrows and the regulars.  Juncos scurried in the snow.  A dove landed on the feeder roof.  Both male and female towhee fed from the feeder.  The cardinals continue their turf contest, both the males and the females.

The sky clouded over by noon and the day got progressively duller.  Mid-afternoon, a fine rain began.  The birds all continued feeding anyway.  The eaves dripped, the snow slumped, and the creek ice slowly retreated. 

Cold gray wind

But apparently the fishing is good.  Gulls and pelicans are patrolling the creek while cormorants are in it.  The feeder regulars and the sparrows are also hungry. 

Light rain began in the middle of the morning and turned to ice pellets around noon.  It's more like hail than sleet.  The pellets are piling up on insulated surfaces. 

The towhee pair has been around hunting seeds.  Both male cardinals have been jockeying for position while the sparrows struggle in the wind.  A blue jay passed through quickly.  The creek is mostly deserted now but I can hear gulls.

The ice pellets have changed over to snow.  There is no way I'm setting foot out in that mess, just to block the feeder.  Let the raccoons have a freebee tonight if they dare venture out.  Sparrows are grabbing an evening snack as darkness falls.