Icy

There was a skin of ice on the creek and the birdbath was a solid block of it.  A clementine had started to spoil so K spiked the good half of it for the orioles.

A Carolina wren showed up first but stuck to mealworms.  The cold brought two hungry yellow rumped warblers.  They didn't get along, this one's looking up at the other on the suet. White throated sparrows and tufted titmice were hungry too.  I poured hot water in the birdbath twice because it refroze the first time.

The sky was blue when we got up but gradually, as the temperature climbed, clouds appeared, first high and thin, eventually thicker.  At lunch there was still plenty of sunshine.  A nuthatch moved in on the feeder perch.  The anxious red bellied woodpecker spent more time in the dogwood looking at the suet than actually eating it.  Downy woodpeckers were bolder.  The orioles loved the fruit.  They seemed to be getting along a little better. 

I glimpsed a pair of hoodies on the creek after it melted.  And of course the ubiquitous mallards and geese appeared when the ice was gone.  Lots of gulls and a buzzard flew over.

It has been an extremely wet year.  The final tally was 68.86" of precipitation compared to an average of 46.64" a year.  I wonder if 2016 was just unusual or if the rainfall was part of climate change. 

Windy

Orioles and wrens were the first to arrive.  Downy woodpeckers followed.  I saw cormorants headed downstream - I must have missed them driving fish up the creek.  They were all waiting when I got home for lunch, plus titmice, white throats (including this odd-looking one), the song sparrow, and a nuthatch.  Crows bounced around the sky on the wind. 

Lots of mallards paddled around in the afternoon, as did a female bufflehead.  I saw a couple of herons and a couple of egrets and one pelican.  The sky clouded up and looked threatening but nothing came of it and the clouds moved off SE in the late afternoon.

Changeable weather

Rain started during breakfast and fell gently all morning.  I had forgotten to unbrick the feeder and had to get wet. Fishing birds, including a pelican, followed a school upstream around 8:30am.  Songbirds arrived about a half hour after that.  The oriole evicted the wren again.  The red bellied woodpecker got her suet.  The song sparrow went wading again.

At lunch time a flock of white throats joined the song sparrow.  I put out some fresh food when the rain stopped.  A female hoodie glided past on the creek.  Downy woodpeckers came for a suet lunch.  The clouds broke apart and let the sun through.  The wrens and orioles continued to fuss over the mealworms. A great blue heron was at its usual post on the dock next to the dam for at least two hours.  Cormorants dried out on the dead snags by the lake.  A female bufflehead paddled around the creek.

As I drove to Norfolk on an errand, the sun was shining but there was a bank of clouds on the horizon to the North and West.  They grew visibly higher in ten minutes and passed overhead while I was inside.  When I came out, everything was drenched and dark swirling clouds came to a sharp end on the Southern and Eastern horizon.  I could see rain falling to the South.  I followed the storm home while the sun escaped the Western edge and set the sky on fire. 

Chilly sunshine

A big flock of cormorants streamed over the dam.  A Carolina wren got up early to eat mealworms before the oriole bullied it off the feeder. The red bellied woodpecker was feeling bolder today.  A white throated sparrow went straight to the seed feeder for breakfast.  Titmice and nuthatches were up with the sun.  A brown thrasher lived up to its name in the leaves under the azaleas.

When I got home, there was a small green spider on the car.  I tried to move it to plants where it might find a meal, but the spider did not trust me and dangled from its dragline.  Meanwhile dozens of crows were in and around the Hollywood junipers eating berries.  The berries that were crushed on the driveway smelled very Christmassy.  It seemed like the presence of all the crows was too muck for the other birds - I hardly glimpsed any.

I tried my new camouflage hoodie, but still saw nothing in the yard.  The wind was much weaker than yesterday, but it was colder.  A bufflehead was out on the creek below the dam.  A buzzard tilted on the thermals rising from the water.

Warm, wet wind

There wasn't really any rain but the air was damp.  Thin dark clouds blew along under higher, whiter, slower clouds.  The sun came through gaps.  The temperature rose to nearly 70°F.  At breakfast the oriole kicked a Carolina wren off the mealworms.  Sparrows arrived early. Hoodies were out on rough water.

When I got home, the sky was clearing and birds were all over. Red breasted nuthatches, downy woodpeckers, wrens, and orioles came for lunch.  Something caused the nuthatch to freeze on the feeder perch which was convenient for me!  A song sparrow walked through the birdbath.  The wind gusts roughened the birdbath water, though there weren't any actual whitecaps.  The two male orioles continued their power struggle.  Two downy woodpeckers played follow-my-leader up treetrunks - courtship?

A pine warbler appeared and a titmouse sampled a mealworm.  The red bellied woodpecker hung around but couldn't quite get up the nerve to land on the suet.  A flicker lurked in the redwood.  A little mystery bird in the azalea right beside the window may have been a golden crowned kinglet.  A blue jay hammered a nut in the cherry.  And one Carolina wren had a lovely bath while the other ate more mealworms.

A female bufflehead paddled in the choppy water.  A great blue heron stood on the neighbor's floating dock for a while, then stalked along the bulkhead.  The tide was very low by then.

Overcast

I hustled everyone's breakfast and the birds began to arrive around 8am.  Carolina wrens came first.  The female red belly was back.  A white throat went straight to the seed feeder instead of waiting for seeds to fall.  Red breasted nuthatches showed up earlier than they usually do.  The light was too poor for closeups. 

Both a yellow rumped and a pine warbler popped up.  The song sparrow got inside the birdbath again.  All the regulars came out, including the cardinals that have been scarce lately.  And finally the oriole arrived, followed by titmice.  Then juncos joined the crowd and one of them got on the seed feeder.The second male oriole ate some jelly while watching for trouble from the dominant bird who appeared all too soon.  A pelican took the plunge but was screened by trees.

At lunch time a murder of crows flocked to our juniper by the driveway, but I could see them from the backyard.  I don't know what they were after.  The driveway has been full of juniper berries for several days.  A few hoodies glided past on the glassy creek.  I spotted three doves up in the oak. In the late afternoon, egrets and a heron again congregated on the dead trees by the lake.

Foggy dawn

No sign of Rudolph though.  We were rushing around and a bit late opening the Sunflower Seed Cafe.  I dumped rainwater and got fresh mealworms and jelly out.  A male oriole kicked a Carolina wren off the mealworm dish but I had scattered some on the ground.  A female red bellied woodpecker came for suet.  I think I glimpsed a pelican. 

When we got home in the afternoon there was bright sun in a cloudless sky.  The morning's birds were joined by titmice and nuthatches.  Song and white throated sparrows and juncos foraged on the ground. 

As the shadows grew long and the sunlight more golden, the lake held lots of egrets and over two dozen cormorants.  A group of cormorants is a "gulp."  I thought I saw a hole in a tree with something emerging from it, but the photograph reveals that it was great blue heron.  I mistook the shoulder patches for holes and the heron's head for a small critter!  Then a couple of kingfishers came flying past and swooped and seemed to chase each other.  A male landed on the neighbor's dock piling and a female on ours.  But they soon left.  And the sun set not long after. 

Gray and wet

The birds got up late.  Finally the song sparrow ventured out and the others followed: downy woodpeckers, red breasted nuthatches, titmice, white throated sparrows, pine warblers, chickadees housefinches, and squirrels.  The rain was very light but the gloom made the camera struggle. 

The feeders were deserted at lunch.  Afterward, I saw two yellow bellied sapsuckers in the wet trees.  And that was it for a dreary Christmas eve. 

Afternoon excursion

It was cold when I rushed out with mealworms and jelly, but the birdbath wasn't frozen.  At breakfast I saw an egret and then an eagle pass high over the creek.  Later a pelican also escaped my camera. Frothy clouds passed by headed East.

A brown thrasher joined the whitethroats in the leaves at the far end of the pool.  A red bellied woodpecker displaced a downy. And when it came back, a crow buzzed the poor downy scaring it off the suet.  Orioles, pine warblers, and Carolina wrens enjoyed mealworms.  Juncos foraged under the feeder.  A song sparrow occupied the birdbath. Titmice and the regulars ate seeds. 

The wretched feral cat was in the back yard in the middle of the morning.  The second male oriole ate some jelly in between looking anxiously around for the other male who soon showed up and put a stop ti the feast.  Finally the red breasted nuthatches showed up.  During lunch a chickadee took a bath. 

After lunch we went to the Lake Smith Lake Lawson park and walked out to the causeway between the two lakes.  We saw a downy woodpecker, a flock of white throats, some hoodies and cormorants on the water.  An egret and a great blue heron flew over.  Clouds quilted the sky and produced some interesting effects, but the low light made it hard to photograph distant birds.  When we got home another egret flew over the house.  Sunset came quickly and the sun escaped briefly and lit up the treetops. 

Hazy

When I got up, two Carolina wrens hopped around the hanger where their mealworms ought to have been.  I rushed out with them and of course everyone flew away.  An oriole soon showed up to take advantage of the restored food.  A pine warbler went for suet.  White throated sparrows scouted through the mulch.  Then both orioles got a yen for jelly. 

A ridged overcast cleared around 9, but the blue sky had a layer of ice cloud, thinner to the North, thicker in the South. There was ice in the birdbath too, though it wasn't frozen solid.   Nevertheless, when I poured hot water in, the birds flocked to it.  A song sparrow foraged in the mulch but never let me get a good view.   A titmouse was more cooperative, as was a dove.  Meanwhile, the squirrels were having a wild time all across the yard. 

At lunchtime, at least five great egrets circled high above the lake to the North.  Downy woodpeckers showed up to eat suet.  The second oriole got a helping of jelly, but anxiously kept watch for the dominant one.

Not much occurred on the creek, just mallards and geese paddling around.  Not too long before sunset, a female kingfisher rested on a piling.  Sunset painted the wispy clouds pink against the blue sky.

Sunny solstice

Frost whitened the dock, mulch, and grass at breakfast.  The birdbath was frozen.  I had to rush off and didn't see anything but unexplained rings in the still creek water.  The temperature rose about 20 degrees while I was away.

When I got home I refilled the empty mealworm and jelly dishes.  An oriole appeared almost before I closed the door. Pine warblers ate everything.  A downy woodpecker wanted only suet.  A goldfinch examined the suet but stayed vegetarian.

Then a red bellied woodpecker landed on the suet.  A blue jay watched.  Titmice and nuthatches joined chickadees and nuthatches for seeds.  White throats and juncos poked through the mulch.  Two Carolina wrens alternated between suet and mealworms.  The oriole got thirsty and so did a bluebird. 

After lunch I watched from my office.   The bluebird reappeared in the hackberry.  White throats foraged in the grass and bushes.  I glimpsed a flicker.  A mockingbird wanted hackberries.  Cormorants fished but hoodies just paddled past.  The great blue heron was at its favorite spot on the dock next to the dam. 

I spent the last of my gift card at Wild Birds Unlimited on a bluebird house and mounting pole.

Gray

Morning was quiet under a white sky.  The wind was not so strong and the birdbath was not frozen but the air was cold.  I saw an oriole in the camellia and hustled to get the mealworms out.  And never saw another bird.  We've been taking in the mealworm dish at night to make K happy.  Plus, it reduces the likelihood they'll be soup by morning.

Clouds were breaking up and the sun shone when I got home, around 1:30pm.  The orioles had finished off the mealworms and jelly and the dominant one was bumping a downy woodpecker off the suet, while number two watched enviously.  White throats scurried around and a nuthatch took seeds and suet whenever there was an opportunity.  They all scattered when I took more mealworms out, but an oriole pounced on them as soon as I went inside.

Later, a Carolina wren got a share of the mealworms. The clouds returned in the afternoon. I saw five egrets flying in formation over Independence Blvd.  And a mockingbird in the neighborhood. 

Cold and wet

The temperature dropped 40°F from yesterday.  I heard wind and rain all night, but inspection of the jelly dish suggested that the rain was not heavy.  A patio chair blew over.  The weather brought out the birds though the low light at breakfast and drops on the window didn't help picture-taking.  It was a quarter after eight before there was enough light.  The first bird I saw was a pine warbler.  White throats followed.  Then an oriole and a wren came to make sure the warbler didn't get all the mealworms.  Rain turned the jelly to juice but the orioles drank it.  The red bellied woodpecker came back but starlings scared it off.  Then nuthatches arrived.

By mid morning things had gotten lively.  Two downy woodpeckers chased around the yard.  A flock of juncos scurried everywhere.  Titmice showed up.  Chickadees pecked at the rosemary, I don't know why.  A flicker hammered something under the cedar.   A pair of bluebirds visited and the male discovered the grape juice.

A pine warbler peered at me on the computer.  Then a flock of robins picked hackberries.  After lunch I glimpsed a song sparrow. All the birds were very round and puffy against the cold. 

Weather drama

When I got up, rivulets of condensation ran across the patio.  The birds slept in.  Eventually a Carolina wren came for mealworms and a downy woodpecker for suet.  The tide was extremely low thanks to the West wind.  That attracted hoodies, egrets, and cormorants.  Finally an oriole arrived.  A crow cursed at a buzzard in the sweet gum.

The sky was clear blue at noon but the creek was very rough.  There were gusts that made me worry about the feeders.  The two male orioles continued their competition.  After lunch, big cumulus clouds began to blow past.  Pine warblers appeared, then titmice and nuthatches.  It was so warm, about 75°F, that I opened the door.  Honey bees were busy in the camellia and I saw a wasp.  Alerted by its rattle, I glimpsed a kingfisher, but it didn't wait for me to focus. 

By 3:30pm the clouds were congealing and getting dark.  Gulls and other waterfowl tossed on the wind, catching the sunlight while the sky behind them grew darker.  It soon grew too dark for photography and rain began around 4pm.  The temperature was dropping too.  A wren slipped in for a last minute snack.

Misty

Despite being breezy, the mist grew as thick as fog.  At times sheets of mist blew up the creek.  Sometimes the level of light dropped till I couldn't take photos.  It cleared in the late morning to a white sky while everything below dripped.  And the birds loved it, especially after I brought out fresh mealworms.  A pine warbler had been sitting patiently on the feeder hanger.

I had a leisurely breakfast catching up on the newspaper and taking pictures.  A male oriole pounced on the fresh jelly while the other one watched.  A Carolina wren preferred mealworms. Titmice were hungry for seeds.  Red breasted nuthatches mixed in with chickadees.  Some diseased house finches showed up with beak damage. 

Then a downy woodpecker showed up on the suet.  The red bellied woodpecker nervously tackled the suet from the wrong side.  It was intimidated by a pine warbler a quarter of its size.  There was a yellow rumped warbler around but it mostly stayed on the ground. 

White throated sparrows stayed under the shrubbery.  So did a blue jay.  And  there were bluebirds in the brush where I couldn't get the camera to focus and the light was bad anyway.  A flicker drove me nuts trying to focus. Mallards paddled around but the tide was way out.  A pelican soared through the mist.  Squirrels mostly foraged but the one that fancies itself an aerialist slipped on the wet wood.

A pair of bluebirds came for a drink during lunch.  Squirrels engaged in foreplay all around the cedar.  This included actually falling out of the tree!  I had to restock the mealworms -hungry birds.Around 3pm, there were a few brief moments of sun.  More bluebirds landed in the hackberry around then.  An oriole was with them.  The sky was only partly cloudy by sunset.  And around midnight I saw the waning moon. 

Brr-r-r-r

A skin of ice floated on part of the creek and the birdbath was a solid block.  Nevertheless mallards were paddling in the frigid water.  The two male orioles were hungry, but the dominant one ate mealworms while the other paced on the steps, poor thing. I was hurrying to a meeting and got no pictures. 

At noon, the sky was covered with corrugated clouds with lined of blue between the rows.  The birdbath was still ice so I poured hot water into it.  I saw juncos, a song sparrow, pine warblers and a yellow rumped warbler, male orioles, and red breasted nuthatches.  Brown headed nuthatches were mixed in with chickadees, but came and went so fast I never got a photo.  A blue jay raided the mealworms.  A single egret waited below the dam.

After lunch, titmice, a Carolina wren, and downy woodpeckers joined the others.  I glimpsed a white breasted nuthatch but it was gone to quick for the camera.  A small flock of goldfinches visited the birdbath.  Finally, a red bellied woodpecker landed on the post wanting suet.  And then I had to leave again.

Icy wind

I put out lots of bird food against the cold.  Nuthatches were already eating when I got up.  A "murder of crows" flew over several times.  Their shadows were quite creepy.  A couple of doves foraged in the mulch.  The female pine warbler also wanted suet.  The jelly dish was on a patio table where I put it yesterday out of the way of the leaf blower, but an oriole found it.  I later returned it to the spot under the rosemary.  A Carolina wren appreciated the mealworms I put out at the same time.

At lunch, the oriole decided to have some more of the clementine.  A downy woodpecker was working on the suet when there was a commotion that moved too fast for me, but I think involved a pine warbler and the woodpecker.  White throats were everywhere on the ground.

Three goldfinches came to the birdbath right after I pulled out all the leaves that had blown in.  Then something scared all the birds away, except the woodpecker which froze to the suet cage, relying on camouflage. 

Out on the creek, two male buffleheads tussled over a female.  I saw a pelican and a great blue heron fly past when I didn't have the camera ready.   And as I was downloading photos a flock of hoodies paddled upstream while an egret flew downstream. 

In my afternoon meeting, I watched the sun descend into a beautiful rose and golden glow behind bare trees.   But the flags standing straight out from their flagpoles reminded me of the wind.  The car claimed it was already down to 31°F.