Clear and cold

The blue sky was intense and there were skins of ice on the creek.  White throats discovered the suet while juncos buzzed around the patio.  A female towhee played peek-a-boo in the azalea.

Later in the morning, a male towhee took over the feeder.  The butterbutt seemed concerned by this. The woodpeckers were more concerned with the competition from white throats. 

Out on the creek a great blue heron nabbed a huge fish.  Mallards paddled along the edge of the ice.  A big flock of hooded mergansers rushed upstream.

At lunch, the pelicans were cruising the creek and a male kingfisher landed on a dock piling.  Herons were still busy.  I glimpsed a black and white duck that didn't quite look like a bufflehead, but it disappeared under the boatlift before I could focus. 

In the afternoon, white throats and juncos scurried around and frequently dashed to safety.  Do they remember the hawk or is it back?  Two yellow rumped warblers disputed possession of the suet.  A large flock, probably mixed blackbirds, boiled up from beyond the pines, then suddenly shifted to go back. At least eight mallards paddled around. 

Snow

I got up in the dark to go to an early meeting.  There was snow on vegetation and mulch but not on pavement and water was not iced.  When I got home some birds had ventured out: cardinals, white throats, a woodpecker, a warbler, and one junco.  K scattered granola she didn't like, but the white throats did.

Around 9:30am fat flakes drifted down but melted on contact with the patio.  The flurry was over before 10am.    Pelicans flew up and down stream.

At lunch there were no birds at all.  And then we saw why: this juvenile Cooper's or sharp-shinned hawk was just sitting, waiting in the redwood.  The clouds began to break up and sometime before 2pm the sun came out. Then the snow began to disappear though some was still left at sunset.  Tomorrow morning may be icy. 

In the late afternoon, great blue herons and gulls flew over mallards paddling on the creek.  A white throat checked out the suet.  Up in the oak, a robin glowed with color. 

Gray again

The newspaper was babbling about an "historic" storm that might cause snow to fall tonight.  Several herons and a cormorant flew low over the creek while an egret fished below the dam. The feeder was vacant except for brief visits from a cardinal, a chickadee, and a butterbutt.

I saw robins on my way to the pool and buzzards on the way back - strange omens.  Blue sky peeked over the NW horizon and the sun glowed behind the overcast, but by lunch we were back to gray.  Some white throats dashed out for a bite.  A pair of cardinals argued about who got to perch at the feeder.  The butterbutt was back.  Out on the creek, mergansers, cormorants, and a pelican fished.  The great blue herons continued their territorial dispute.  But most of the time it was quiet. K refilled the seed feeder in the late afternoon. 

Beautiful day

Painted clouds at sunrise were followed by a glittering creek reflecting the gilded pines.  Most of the early action was on or over the creek.  Pelicans, herons, egrets, cormorants and ducks were all out fishing.  The hen party of four pintails was followed by a mixed flock hooded mergansers.

At the feeders, juncos, white throats, warblers, and woodpeckers joined the regulars.  A crow escorted a hawk off the premises, briefly scattering the songbirds.  There were long crystals of ice on the birdbath in the early morning but the air warmed and melted them. 

In the afternoon, an egret and a great blue heron each stood on one of the tall pilings while the wind tossed their chest plumes.  Hooded mergansers and cormorants dived as soon as I got them in focus.  At least four juncos perched in the dogwood and sakaki.  Toward evening, a heron got up on the bulkhead and started swaying back and forth, slow dancing.  Clouds coalesced in bars across the sky with little puffy shreds of cumulus in front.  Gulls played on the wind. 

The sky remained clear after sunset with a crescent moon and bright stars. 

Cold rain

At breakfast there were the usual cardinals, finches, and chickadees plus a Carolina wren on the feeder, yellow rumped warblers and downy woodpeckers on the suet, and on the ground, juncos and white throated sparrows.  The rain was fairly heavy.  I was gone till nearly noon.

At lunch, titmice  and a goldfinch showed up.  A female junco got up on the suet.  A blue jay just hung out.  Pelicans, great blue herons, and hooded mergansers fished.  The rain diminished but the days stayed raw.

Gray

The birds were late but then they all arrived.  First was a pine warbler checking out the new suet.  It did not seem impressed.  Then white throats and juncos  came scurrying across the patio while a pair of towhees rustled around under the azalea.  The yellow rumped warbler was more satisfied with the suet.  I think the reason the downy woodpeckers have been eating from the bottom of the suet is that's where the last of the previous block is.  Several doves showed up eventually.

Meanwhile, pelicans plunged and mallards paddled downstream.  Later an egret landed on the dock and migrant ducks flew past - I could not be sure if they were hooded mergansers or buffleheads. One in the water was a male merganser. 

At lunch a flock of cormorants went downstream, diving and running on water.  I assume they were driving a school of fish.  Pelicans, egrets, and great blue herons hung around the creek.  The feeders were busy too.  Titmice joined the returning butterbutts, woodpeckers, white throats, and regulars. 

Foggy morning

Apparently the fog pleased the songbirds.  Downy woodpeckers, titmice, butterbutts, juncos, and white throats joined the cardinals and finches.  Several blue jays tormented me by posing until I almost got them in focus, then flitting.  The fog gradually lifted as the morning wore on.

At noon there were hooded mergansers out on the creek and geese flying low over them.  I was in meetings all afternoon as the sky cleared.

Sunset was pink and gold shading into blue without ever passing through green.  How does the sky manage that?  A sickle moon chased the sun down into the Western horizon. 

Sleeping in?

All I saw was a lone egret flying over the dam.  While the sun shone, clouds were thinly scraped across the sky. 

Around lunch time the overcast thickened and the birds came out.  So did the yard crew to cut down the cedar.  The view was improved but the birds lost cover.  Hopefully so did the critters that want to live in the attic.  The downy woodpeckers argued about whose turn it was.  Titmice and butterbutts wanted some suet too.  A Carolina wren preferred sunflower seeds as did the usual suspects. A dove and some white throats and juncos stuck to the mulch.

Then the blackbirds arrived.  There were brown headed cowbirds and red wing blackbirds but mostly starlings.  They scared all the little birds off but were very skittish themselves.  Meanwhile, great blue herons and pelicans flew by and a kingfisher lit on the dock.  Some male hooded mergansers paddled around. 

The temperature dropped as the day wore on and the clouds looked like snow to me.  But nothing precipitated. 

Quiet

After a pink dawn, the sky was hazy with streaky clouds.  Sunshine was intermittent.  Two great blue herons flew upstream together.  Later geese and buffleheads floated downstream.  The feeders were unused till after breakfast when a yellow rump appeared.

I went outside at noon and the was cloudless blue.  More buffleheads fished on the creek.  A robin prospected in the yard and juncos soon joined it.  I had my shoulder to the feeder but I could see its shadow and hear the wing-beats as birds came and went.  Yellow rumps, woodpeckers, and titmice fed in addition to the usual chickadees, finches, and cardinals.

In the late afternoon the haze and clouds returned. 

Sunlight

Clouds were breaking up and blowing East as the sun rose.  Occasional rays of sunlight escaped to gild the tops of the pines and the undersides of more clouds.  As the sky cleared, warm light flowed over the trees to be reflected in the creek.  Buffleheads dived and popped up mostly behind a screen of brush, and mostly when the sunlight was blocked.  A butterbutt visited the suet early.  We put the cheap suet in the feeder and the butterbutt found it acceptable. 

At lunch we had the usual trio plus white throats, juncos, and warblers.  Three buzzards wove circles over the dam.  A blue jay called from the sweet gum.  Then we went off to enjoy the last free day at the Botanical Garden. The tropical greenhouse was a rainbow of orchids, heliconias, bromeliads, and the biggest bird-of-paradise I've ever seen.  But the only birds I saw were robins, crows, and a chickadee. 

When we got home, I noticed a male kingfisher perched on the purple martin house down by the dam.  Canada geese were feeding in the neighbor's yard.  A downy fed on the new suet block. 

Donner & blitzen

When I got up, a blanket of cloud had not quite reached the Eastern horizon.  Fleeting moments of sunshine lasted for maybe an hour before overcast was complete.  By 10am rain had begun and by 11 it was a downpour, followed at noon by lightning flashes and distant rumbles. The regulars were joined by juncos and white throats.  Something big landed in a pine, but I never got a good look at it. 

After the rain began a dove showed up.  A few buffleheads paddled and dived. A flock of geese crashed into the creek and headed downstream. 

The storm slacked off before dinner and the sky began to clear around 2pm.  Sun drew a greater variety of birds, plus squirrels.  Titmice, warblers and woodpeckers appeared belatedly. A small gray goldfinch posed atop the wrought-iron feeder hanger but was scared off when two male downy woodpeckers squabbled. 

Chilly and sunny

The male downy was the first to breakfast followed by at least three white throats.  On the way to my meeting I saw a flock of ducks in Lake Smith, hooded mergansers or buffleheads or both.  On a snag nearby was a red tailed hawk. 

In the afternoon, both pine and yellow rumped warblers showed up.  Lots of juncos joined the white throats.  They were both up on the feeder as well as on the ground.  Canada geese and buffleheads plied the creek and gulls flashed white against the blue sky.  But it stayed cold.  The suet block is almost gone.  Soon I'll have to see if the cheap brand I got at the greenhouse will satisfy the birds.  Otherwise I'll need to make a trip back to Hilltop. 

Sunshine!

There was a bit of mist over the placid water at sunrise.  The yellow rump was the first bird to breakfast.  White throats soon came to forage on the ground and a Carolina wren landed on the seed feeder.  Then the regulars arrived with titmice and a downy.  A couple of starlings made a short visit to the suet but seemed unsatisfied.  The creek had gone rough by 9:30 but it smoothed out later.  The female downy hammered some more on the neighbor's gazebo. 

It was a perfect day to sit on the dock now that it's safe.  The blue sky wouldn't even develop contrails.  A pelican landed on the boathouse roof just as I came down the hill.  Then I discovered an egret fishing along the bank.  A heron perched on a navigation sign.  Two drakes pursued a screaming female mallard.  I could hear towhees whistling and finally spotted one. 

At lunch a pine warbler appeared briefly.  Doves and juncos were all over.  Crows never stopped making noise and in the distance behind a screen of branches they harassed a hawk.  Buffleheads and geese paddled around once I'd left the dock.

I went back out in the late afternoon and caught a pelican fly-by before the bird landed on a navigation sign.  A kingfisher shot past me when my back was turned.  Something made a large V in the water pointed right at me, and then stopped.  Nothing surfaced anywhere so I figure it must have been a fish.  Herons, egrets, and cormorants commuted.  Some ducks flew past, probably mallards but I'm not sure.  A red tailed hawk landed atop a pine in front of the water tower and was dive-bombed by a crow.  Wisps of cumulus like torn fleece formed in the North and passed over to the SE.  I did not stay for sunset because my toes were froze.

Calm and gray

Great blue herons flew together up the creek then one returned.  Are they courting, disputing territory, or just flocking?  Geese and ducks paddled on the surface.  I identified one hooded merganser but the rest evaded me. 

The feeder area was positively congested.  White throats, juncos, and doves poked through the mulch, joined occasionally by birds crowded off the feeders.  The suet attracted the yellow rumps and downy woodpeckers.  The regulars were joined on the sunflower seed feeder by titmice, a Carolina wren, and briefly a goldfinch.

When I got back at noon, a Hitchcockian swarm of blackbirds blanketed the bare trees.  They were very noisy and I believe I heard redwings twanging as well as more melodic twitterings.  Buffleheads dived on the creek. During lunch the morning's birds were joined by two pine warblers.  Around 1pm sunshine brightened the yard. 

More wind-blown rain

The National Weather Service held out hope for snow, but no.  The usual feeder birds showed up after breakfast, along with a butterbutt, titmice, white throats, and eventually a Carolina wren.

In the late morning a pelican fished the creek.  A flock of buffleheads paddled and dived while we ate lunch. 

Windy and wet

Morning was overcast without actual rain, but every surface dripped.  The wind was the first thing I noticed, whipping the plants as it tore South.  The creek was quite rough and the ice all gone but the temperature was lower than yesterday. Dock workers appeared during breakfast and I think they scared off the birds.  A line of geese formed on the creek to keep an eye on them.  Mallards joined in.  The feeders were unused except for a chickadee and a butterbutt.  But I look forward to being able to take photos from the dock once more! 

By lunch time the birds were over whatever kept them away.  The cardinals, finches, and chickadees were joined by white throats, juncos, a fox sparrow, a downy woodpecker, and the battling butterbutts.  A brown headed cowbird landed briefly on the seed feeder.  A white breasted nuthatch discovered the suet.  The wind dried things out somewhat.  A convoy of geese paddled upstream past the dock workers. 

Rain restarted after dark. 

Rain & rising temperature

As usual in winter, we pay for warmth with overcast.  Not one living thing ventured out at breakfast.  The rain turned the creek ice milky and melted the birdbath and pool puddles.

As the morning progressed, the creek ice sublimed creating fog.  The birds eventually woke up.  The regulars were joined by hungry white throats, juncos, a downy, butterbutts, and titmice.

At noon the same birds were still busy feeding.  A raft of hooded mergansers paddled upstream along the edge of the ice.  Then the barge to fix the dock came upstream, breaking ice and putting birds to flight.  The ice fog was still thick.

During our late lunch there were several pelican fly-bys.  The pine warbler showed up to dispute with the yellow rumps. A pair of doves courted and foraged.  Blue jays scolded the progress of dock work. 

Not yet melted

The bright sun has not raised the temperature.  The cold made birds hungry and thirsty.  I poured hot water in the birdbath several times while the sun melted a puddle on the pool cover.  The current opened the ice under the bulkhead across the creek which faces the sun.  Pelicans and herons flew by and an egret and mallards took advantage of the ribbon of open water.

Titmice were the early birds today, soon followed by white throats.  Then juncos and the regulars appeared.  The woodpeckers and the warblers argued over the suet.  Bluebirds were back at the puddle on the pool cover.  Two Carolina wrens showed up late in the morning.  And of course there were squirrels and crows.

During dinner yet more birds visited.  A couple of doves, one larger than the other, invaded the mulch.  Two, maybe three, yellow rumped warblers and a pine warbler chased around the yard being territorial about the suet.  The bluebird pair hung out in the dogwood with a house finch.  They all landed on the pool cover for a drink despite my thawing the birdbath.  Then two fox sparrows started kicking mulch in their favorite spot by the corner of the patio. 

Still icy

 Clouds tinted pastel at sunrise.  First awake was a yellow rumped warbler.  Then a downy chased it off the suet.  White throats poked through the frosty mulch.  Then I had to leave for meetings.

At lunch time the regulars were on the seed feeder.  The yellow rump was back, joined by a pine warbler.  A bluebird again drank from the pool cover so I poured more hot water into the birdbath. 

The creek was still mostly frozen solid enough to support a flock of geese.  Mallards joined them in walking around and trying to slurp up whatever they could see through the ice. 

The waning moon was bright in the East at bedtime. 

Frozen

Ice covered the creek, so I wonder why a heron landed along the edge.  White throats, a Carolina wren, and chickadees were hungry.  I glimpsed a male towhee.  A downy and a brown thrasher visited the suet.  The sky was gray but the air was still.

Around 11, the sky started to clear but the creek stayed mostly frozen.  I saw a mallard edging along by the bulkhead.  The birds during lunch were varied and colorful.  In addition to the regulars, white throats, juncos, doves, Carolina wren, and titmice, there were several bluebirds, a couple of cowbirds, a goldfinch, a pine warbler, and a couple of squabbling yellow rumped warblers.  Because the birdbath was frozen, they were drinking from the pool cover.

The butterbutts tackled the suet though they wouldn't challenge the woodpeckers or titmice, unlike the pine warblers.  A squirrel tried to get to the suet but was defeated either by the cage or by the hot peppers.  After lunch the wind began to gust.

The grocery parking lot was full of ring billed gulls. 

C-c-c-c-old

The creek was half iced and the thermometer read 14°F when I got up to a mostly clear sky whit a few puffs of sunrise-tinted cumulus.  A white throat crouched on the step, keeping its toes covered with feathers.  I poured hot water in the birdbath and scattered some chopped peanuts.  Hungry birds included titmice, then sparrows, this Carolina wren, juncos, chickadees, a pine warbler, and both downy woodpeckers.  Out on the open water there were hooded mergansers, mallards and pintails.  Gulls and a heron flew over.

By lunch time the birdbath was refrozen.  The creek still had ice over half its surface.  White throats and juncos were still busy on the ground and titmice, finches, and chickadees were joined on the seed feeder by more white throats.  On the suet, the woodpeckers were interrupted by a brown thrasher.  A Cooper's hawk flew past, pursued by a crow.  Apparently the feeder birds knew it was no threat. Meanwhile several egrets and a great blue heron stood in a row along the bulkhead downstream in the sun.  They often do this when it is very cold.

Gray sky

We took the feeder down last night to disinfect it.  There was consternation amongst the early birds this morning when they found it gone.  When we got it back up they sulked and only a finch came to eat.  Before that, we had juncos, sparrows (both song and white throat), and cardinals on the ground, a downy and a pine warbler on the suet.  The creek was mostly empty except for a cormorant and a quartet of female pintails passing through.  Egrets flew past toward the lake.  The overcast had bands of darker gray, which I think reflect air pressure troughs.

Late in the morning the overcast broke apart and there was sun until a dark mass of cloud moved down from the NW.  K said the cloud looked like snow and I think I saw a few large flakes, but the wind was so fierce it could have been shreds of dead leaf.  The temperature was nearly to freezing by lunch and the wind added to the chill.  Meanwhile the poor Carolina jessamine popped out a blossom when it was so warm Sunday.  While the sun was out, white throats took over the seed feeder.  Despite the cold, white throats and the male downy had lunch with us.  During lunch, mallards were out paddling, while herons flew over the creek and egrets stalked below the dam. 

I had an evening meeting.  On the way home the temperature gauge read 24°F.  The slightly past full moon rose brightly, accompanied by Jupiter and chased by clouds.  This is a phone photo - it was way too cold to get the camera and come back outside.  The planet is on the left about 2/3 of the way up.