West wind

The breeze pushed clouds and warmer air to us.  Much of the snow has fallen out of the trees.  At breakfast a juvenile eagle made a couple of passes overhead.  Later a pelican and a buzzard went by and gulls continued to fly over the frozen creek.

The feeders were busy all morning.  At least one squirrel feasted on suet while another worked on the seed feeder to no avail.  (I think that pepper is needed in the suet.)  A song sparrow joined the white throats and juncos, and the regulars.  A wren appeared briefly.  A red bellied woodpecker chased the downy woodpecker pair off the suet but was confronted by a bold warbler. 

The birds were back at lunch and through the afternoon.  The icicles dripped but the creek stayed frozen. The sunshine was constant despite the passing clouds.  Sunset was streaky so tomorrow may not be so sunny.

Sun on snow

The sky cleared by dawn.  Gulls, including one great black back, and crows were flying about along with flocks of smaller birds.  White throats and juncos joined cardinals and finches for sunflower seeds and a starling competed with a warbler for suet.

K said that a squirrel as able to use the snow on the roof of the feeder as an anchor to reach the seed trough.  She took pictures, so here is the proof.

At lunch a downy chased a butterbutt off the suet.  I can tell two yellow rumps apart - one has a black patch on the throat where the other is all white.  Lumps of snow were falling off the trees and bombing the ground. 

K said it clouded up in the afternoon while I was busy on the computer. 

More snow

It was still falling at breakfast on the 4" that accumulated overnight.  More worrisome were the wind gusts and the crack of sleet on the windows.  Birds mobbed the feeders except when those gusts came through.  Cardinals, finches, white throated sparrows, juncos, yellow rumped warblers, starlings, robins, and a red bellied woodpecker showed up for breakfast.

The snow quit before noon but it remained overcast and gusty.  The snow itself had developed a crust that supported the birds and squirrels.  Chickadees and two brown thrashers joined the other birds at lunch.

K said it began to snow again but I missed it.  Toward evening, a heron and a duck flew over.  And then it was dark. 

Sparkling snow

About two inches of snow fell last evening, then the sky cleared by dawn.  The creek got a coat of white over the ice, but not in some spots where I think there was melt-water atop the ice.  This was fluffy snow that the birds sank into.

And there were plenty of birds.  The regulars and the winter regulars (white throats, yellow rumps, and juncos) were joined by a dove, a brown thrasher, a song sparrow, and a pine warbler.  A red bellied woodpecker and a downy woodpecker, both female, came for suet but were run off by a starling who was in turn chased by a squirrel,  Robins were hanging around the yard.  Gulls were flying.  At one point both butterbutts were about a foot apart on the snow-covered mulch coexisting, but it did not last long enough for me to take a picture.

The day warmed quickly and most of the snow was gone by lunch. The big storm was predicted for tonight. 

Cold and gray, then snow

There were a few flickers of sunshine but mostly it was overcast. I didn't see much in the way of birds till late in the morning - just warblers and white throats.

At lunch, juncos and titmice appeared.  And we had three species of woodpecker: red bellied, downy, and pileated.  Robins were also out in the trees.  Geese walked around on the ice on the creek.  Gulls, crows, and a buzzard flew around.

As I was sorting photos, I heard a lot of twittering.  Snow started and the birds mobbed the feeders.  A couple of doves poked through the mulch along with the juncos and white throats.  The brown thrasher reappeared.  Pine warblers came for suet but the yellow rumps weren't feeling generous. 

The meteorologists were babbling about a light dusting when we were well into our second inch of snow. 

Gray

K got a new block of suet and installed it yesterday evening.  There weren't many birds at breakfast, just the usual ones: white throats and warblers and the ever-present cardinals, finches and chickadees.  Mallards walked around on the still frozen creek.  Herons flew past. 

Some rain fell in the morning and turned to snow before lunch.  Meanwhile the temperature dropped and the wind picked up. 

A red bellied woodpecker showed up after lunch and approved of the new suet.  I saw a buzzard and a pelican fly by, and a cloud of gulls. 

Snow fog

Despite the thick fog, plenty of birds found the feeders, including two red-bellied woodpeckers.  The brown thrasher was back, along with white throats, juncos, a warbler and the regulars. The icicles, however, were gone. 

Around 10am the fog began to sink, flowing down to the creek.  A half dozen mallards walked around on the ice.  Down by the dam outflow a pair of wood ducks paddled in the melt-water.  They were followed by a male hooded merganser.  Titmice and chickadees showed up.  A robin and a wren perched beyond the pool. 

In the afternoon there were flickers of sunlight.  At least eight mallards fed under the bulkhead.  The two chasing herons reappeared. Two doves and a song sparrow came to the reappearing mulch under the feeder. 

Warming at last

A South wind brought clouds and warmer air, but fitful sunshine.  During breakfast a bald eagle flew over too quickly to grab the camera. Cardinals, house finches, juncos, white throats, and yellow rumps fed almost continuously, except when the feral cat appeared.  The song sparrow was back for more seeds.  The brown thrasher again tackled the suet, as did a starling briefly.  A grackle and a robin landed for a drink. Blue jays and titmice lurked in the trees. 

A cloud of gulls circled over the creek even though it was still covered with ice.  Then a buzzard cruised upstream.  In the bit of open water at the dam outflow a red breasted merganser fed next to an egret.

At lunch time a downy tried to get some suet but the bigger birds were too much for it.  A red bellied woodpecker made a couple of forays to the feeders but startled off each time.  Two brown thrashers flitted from branch to branch, as did a mockingbird.  Two titmice came for seeds.  A flock of crows occupied the dock for a while.  I glimpsed a pelican headed West.

When I got home, the brown thrasher was still at it.  I saw a bird in silhouette that looked like a wren with a cocked up tail but it flew before I could be sure. 

Even colder

K says it was 10°F when she went out for the newspaper.  But the sky was clear as the sun rose so some melting may occur. The male towhee and the brown thrasher were back.  The brown thrasher tried its best to manage the suet feeder.  The towhee evicted a song sparrow from the seed feeder.  A goldfinch landed briefly on the feeder hanger but took off before I could get it in focus.  Cardinals and house finches also came to the seed feeder and yellow rumps and a female downy woodpecker to the suet.  White throats, juncos, and squirrels scoured the snow and a dove looked for a drink.

When we came back from lunch, a mockingbird was working on something in the driveway.  The brown thrasher was back struggling to balance on the suet cage.  The other birds were joined by a chickadee.  The warblers continued to war over the suet.  I do not understand why they cannot share.  The temperature climbed up to 19°F by 2pm. 

After dark the descending new moon was trailed by Venus and Mars.  Unfortunately the only window at the right angle had a screen, and I was not about to go outside.  So the image got diffracted which made Venus look like a Kelly Freas star and the moon like it was shredded. Mars is there, above Venus.

Bitter wind chill

Outside the patio door the packed snow and ice was a miniature glacier that didn't even dent when I stepped on it.  Wind gusts made the low temperature even chillier.  But the bright sun continued to melt spots and lengthen icicles.

Over the course of the morning all the recent winter visitors appeared: cardinals, finches, chickadees, tufted titmice, white throated sparrows, juncos, yellow rumped warblers, downy woodpeckers, and starlings.  A male towhee took over the feeder and a brown thrasher foraged through the fallen hulls.  A squirrel did its very best to break into the feeder, but failed as always. Two butterbutts briefly shared the suet, then went back to chasing each other. 

The temperature in the afternoon got above 20°F and the pool cover continued to melt.  A little bit of the creek on the far side melted, though I could only tell by the way the light reflected onto the bulkhead.  A crow walked around on the ice by the dock.  An egret flew down to the dam where I assume it found sun without wind. 

The male towhee came back in the afternoon, as did a titmouse.  A female downy got some suet after I chased off starlings.  I will need a new block of suet very soon.  White throats, warblers and the regulars were back too. A dove stopped by briefly.  And I caught a brown creeper hitching up the pine trunk!

Butterbutt was the last bird feeding.  Puffy cumulus appeared and tinted rose at sunset.  The cormorants commuted to wherever they spend the night.

Very cold

A streaky gold dawn segued into bright sunlight.  Two herons flew over.  I wonder where the water birds are waiting out the freeze.  Feeder birds paid a quick breakfast visit.  A yellow rump and a downy tried the frozen suet.  White throats and juncos skittered around the snow crust.  Cardinals and finches visited the feeder. It is too cold for melting though the snow may be compacting - K said she didn't break through the crust.

I happened on a map of white throated sparrow migration produced by eBird. 

The lunchtime visitors were sparse.  The same birds appeared, but mostly one at a time.  However, they posed in the trees which made a nice change from feeder pictures.  Peanuts only attracted squirrels.  A little melting occurred at the margin of the pool and creek but it began refreezing soon. One squirrel got a cold drink.  Another clung to the sunny side of the oak trunk. 

Icicles got impressively long.  The sky stayed clear through a peach-colored sunset.  A planet trailed the sun but tonight is the dark of the moon.  And tomorrow begins the lunar new year.  Tomorrow is supposed to be even colder, maybe single digit Fahrenheit. 

Snow with icing

The windows facing North (and toward the feeders) were coated with a lumpy glaze over night.  Lots of birds came to breakfast, but it was difficult to identify and impossible to photograph them.  I did see some in the bushes out the side windows.  The sleet made inch long icicles on the gutter and the camellia, and dripping water says bad things about the attic insulation.In addition to the regulars, I definitely identified at least four white throats, a butterbutt, a dove, and a brown thrasher. 

Lunch time was sunny and the iced snow was blinding.  Starlings attacked the suet but other birds seemed to find it frozen too hard.  A red bellied woodpecker inspected the trees.  A butterbutt actually chased a titmouse off the seed feeder!  Juncos foraged on the snow crust which supported a squirrel's weight.  Icicles dripped in the sun but the snow showed no sign of melting.  The creek looked milky with the combination of snow and ice. 

The clouds returned in the afternoon.  A male downy showed up to try the frozen suet.  I scattered peanuts and got squirrels. 

Ice and snow

The wind dropped so the creek froze over.  House finches and white throated sparrows came for a sunflower seed breakfast.  A yellow rumped warbler and a downy woodpecker pecked suet.  A cardinal showed up late.  Broken cloud cover blocked sunshine.

When I got back from swimming, the overcast was complete.  A female ruby crowned kinglet was hopping around in the arbor vita by the driveway, and me without any kind of camera, not even a cell phone.  I hurried in for the camera but the bird was gone.  I could not figure out what it was plucking off the branches.  A half dozen gulls circled over the driveway, I don't know why. 

Lots of other birds enlivened lunch.  A male red bellied woodpecker paused briefly on the redwood.  A fox sparrow hunted on the bank below the pool.  A female redwing joined a female robin in drinking from the pool puddle which was frozen but apparently they got some water.  A pair of juncos appeared as did a titmouse.  White throats were still foraging and butterbutts still battling.  A pair each of finches, cardinals, and downy woodpeckers came to feed. 

I tossed out peanuts but squirrels got them all.  One squirrel had a chunk out of the side of its tail.  A crow buzzed the patio, apparently for fun.  The falling tide left a shelf of ice down by the dam.  At least four egrets were hanging out there, as they often do when it's cold.  Two great blue herons chased down the creek and a cormorant flew overhead.

Snow started falling around 4pm and was sticking thickly after an hour.  Cardinals, white throats, and warblers continued to stuff themselves.  A large patch of snow collected on the creek ice.  We're leaving the feeder unbricked, and the snow unblemished.  Anything that ventures out tonight is welcome. 

Polar gale

The wind gusts were roaring all night.  Apparently the wind kept the creek from icing over, but the birdbath and the pool puddle froze.  Usually wind keeps the birds away, but not this morning.  A flock of robins stayed in the yard the whole time I was counting for the GBBC.  I think there were a dozen.

The suet cage swung so wildly that the only birds who fed from it were two starlings.  A brown thrasher tried, but the wind was too strong.  Cardinals, chickadees, white throats, and a white breasted nuthatch visited the refilled seed feeder.  The butterbutts scurried around on the ground but still chased each other.  I saw squirrels but they stayed distant. Out on the creek there were geese, a dozen ruddy ducks, and a cormorant.  A gull tried to ride the wind. 

We were gone for most of this beautiful, if chilly, day.  As we were leaving, I saw a junco and a pelican.  I believe I saw a dear carcase on the road to Williamsburg.   Certainly there were vultures and gulls aplenty riding the wind.

When we got home in the middle of the afternoon the backyard was still full of birds so I did another count.  There were 14 red wing blackbirds, a brown headed cowbird, and 10 robins flocking together, drinking from the pool puddle.  A fox sparrow joined them.  Four starlings attacked the suet, scaring off the butterbutts and a downy woodpecker.  Pairs of cardinals, house finches, and towhees, and a lone chickadee came for seeds.  Under the feeders, a junco, a dove, and 3 white throats foraged. 

Out on the creek, the descending sun gilded a flock of a dozen ruddy ducks, 4 pintails, a pair of hooded mergansers, and 3 mallards.  I could see a great blue heron on a downstream dock.

Still frigid at breakfast

Puffy white throats and juncos hunted for crumbs on the patio.  The creek ice buckled around the barnacles on the pilings.

The morning warmed considerably while I was in a meeting.  And the sky clouded over while the ice melted except in the shade.  I counted birds during lunch: 1 yellow rump, 2 white throats, 3 mallards, and a crow and a gull of indeterminate species.  I blame the high winds for the low numbers. 

As the sun set, and the cormorants flew home, the clouds broke apart and tinted up nicely.

Some rain fell well after dark, or possibly snow, though it was water on the car. Apparently there were high winds as well. 

Frozen

The creek was solidly iced with big cracks.  Down by the dam open water had Canada geese floating asleep.  The snow on the mulch had not melted in the sun but what fell on the tables and chairs had become ice.

The regulars were hungry as were white throats and yellow rumps.  A woodpecker arrived later and eventually so did juncos and doves.  I glimpsed a towhee off under the cedar.

Around noon the feeders were busy.  Titmice joined the others.  Juncos and white throats were everywhere and yellow rumps battled for the suet.  Egrets and herons were hunting open water.  Today was the first day of the GBBC and I forgot to count. 

In the late afternoon the sky grew cloudy but the sun stayed bright.

Frosty morning, afternoon snow

The creek and all other water sources were frozen and frost rimed the mulch and made the feeder sparkle.  A yellow rump was hungry enough to come for suet and a squirrel was out foraging.  All other wildlife was tucked away somewhere.

The temperature rose swiftly during the morning and the creek was half melted when I got home.  Then around noon a patch of fleecy cumulus blew out of the SSW, followed by more and before the hour was over the sky was overcast.

Meanwhile, the birds had arrived: titmice, both pine and yellow rump warblers, a downy woodpecker, and of course white throats and juncos joined the regulars.  A pair of starlings briefly attacked the suet, spilling more than they ate.  A pair of doves foraged afterward.

Out on the creek a cormorant dived, then some ducks appeared.  Herons and pelicans flew over.  Crows and geese strutted around the opposite bank.

And then the temperature went back down and sometime after 4pm snow started.  The ground had warmed up too much for it to stick, but I wonder about after dark.  What a weather-filled day!  The foraging white throats seemed a little frantic and a yellow rump scurried around the patio while a cardinal chowed down at the feeder. 

Windy, cold, and drying out

Pelicans and an egret flew past us.  White throats were everywhere, hanging on the suet, pushing finches off the seed feeder, scurrying around the patio and mulch.  A yellow rump got some suet when the white throat gave up.

On the way home in the late morning we saw a fox trotting nonchalantly across the neighbors' front yards.  At home, the back yard was lively.  A pine warbler was on the suet feeder.  K put out some granola and the white throats got greedy.  Titmice came to the seed feeder and a male downy to the suet.  Meanwhile egrets flew around the dam.

At lunch, a female junco showed up.  A squirrel worked on a nest high in the red cedar.  A half dozen ruddy ducks paddled upstream and one came back down.  A crow chased a gull in circles above the creek.  Then the crow promenaded along the bulkhead to the boat lift.  The creek appeared very green today.

After 4pm the sky began to clear, but the wind was very cold.  Ruddy ducks were still paddling around and songbirds were still feeding. Herons flew over the dam but one stood on a dock downstream.

When I got back from the library, the black sky was very crisp with bright stars.  And it was cold. 

Cold rain blowing

It was rough and raw out this morning.  But birds were plentiful.  A ring bill gull walked around the hospital parking lot.  A flock of blackbirds foraged in a lawn I passed on my way home and later showed up in the back yard.  Robins accompanied them. 

Meanwhile hooded mergansers and cormorants were out on the creek while pelicans, great blue herons, and (I think) an eagle flew over.  Juncos and white throats poked around the patio and joined the regulars on the feeder.  A woodpecker and a warbler struggled with the swinging suet cage.

Rain coming?

Rain was predicted but the morning had muted sunlight.  A pelican flew over the creek and geese were out.  White throats and a couple of juncos tussled with finches for the sunflowers.  A yellow rump visited the suet.  On Facebook, an interesting discussion of crow roosts produced this link.

As I pulled into the library, I noticed that the sky to the South was pleated with clouds though the sun was strong.  When I got home, three male mergansers were chugging along upstream.  White throats scurried around while a warbler ate suet.  At lunch, pelicans cruised over the creek.  A great blue heron landed on the boat-lift across the creek. 

The afternoon clouded over quickly.  More juncos and white throats foraged but the feeder was down toward the end.  I added water to the birdbath even though rain may refill it.

By evening it was getting foggy but the rain did not start till after 9pm.