All day rain

A pair of Carolina wrens were early risers.  House finches and white throated sparrows arrived soon after.  The two female orioles were not joined by the male.  The mockingbird was back but found the suet harder to reach.  A brown thrasher was only interested in bark butter balls, which I wasn't going to waste in the rain.  Titmice and chickadees appreciated the overhang on the seed feeder.  

Suet eaters like the downy woodpecker had no shelter.  A female cardinal ejected smaller birds and was in turn chased away by a male.  She may have been an interloper as there was another female in view.  Pine and yellow rumped warblers finally appeared at lunch.  A yellow rump still had the remains of a black mask from summer.  

The squirrels got frisky.  Then one decided to rob the seed feeder but it slipped on the wet roof and was only saved by a grab at the perch.  With a definite air of "I meant to do that," the squirrel proceeded to try breaking in from that vantage.  But, of course, its own weight kept the door shut.  Finally it fell off and hobbled away.  

Bluebirds finally showed up after lunch, looking bedraggled.  I saw goldfinches flitting around the sweet gum.  The song sparrow spent a little time foraging under the seed feeder.  The cat sat on the wet pool cover to birdwatch.  Behind it, I could see a cardinal and a white throat on the beautyberry bush.  Maybe the rain softened the dried up berries. 

Pelicans, a great blue heron, and an egret were fishing but there was too much wet vegetation in my way.  Mallards seemed to be pairing off. 

Sunshine

The overnight chill left a patchy skin of ice on the creek.  I was up earlier than usual and noticed that the orioles visited soon after dawn.  The pine warblers weren't far behind.  I was having problems with focus because of the lighting so a brown thrasher and a blue jay got away.  I was more successful with the song sparrow.  The white throated sparrow mostly hid under the furniture.  

When we got back from taking my car in for inspection, a downy woodpecker had the suet.  Goldfinches returned to the sweet gum tree.  Bluebirds posed and were joined by a blue jay.  The mockingbird tried to be everywhere.  

By lunch time pelicans were fishing again.  Hooded mergansers joined them.  Mallards paddled around on their own business.  

Fishers

This cold, sunny day began and ended with buffleheads.  Orioles returned to the suet.  A Carolina wren assessed its chances and went for bark butter balls instead.  And I went off to Zoom.  I was distracted by the reflection of pelicans on my computer screen. 

At lunch, the mockingbird flitted from tree to tree.  Bluebirds and warblers came to the feeders, stressing the downy woodpeckers.

In the afternoon, there was more fishing - ducks, pelicans, cormorants, and a great blue heron.  I even saw a human fishing under the dam, presumably for something larger than what the little ducks were after.  There were a few hoodies mixed in with the buffleheads. I got a number of photos of where a duck had been. 

Warmer

Today was warmer and cloudier than the last two.  But the orioles and the pine warblers, not to mention the goldfinches, were little flecks of sunshine.  The mockingbird was still bullying all the others.  Fortunately it can eat only so much if it hopes to fly.  A Carolina wren stayed only a moment.  A white breasted nuthatch wasn't in quite such a hurry.  Bluebirds didn't rush but my focus was poor.   The yellow rumped warbler had to wait for a chance at the suet. Then a downy woodpecker claimed it.  

There were definitely two different white throated sparrows and the new one looks much healthier.  A blue jay was more than usually cooperative.  The wren, or another, came back for a drink. A squirrel was already eating dogwood buds.  Then the cat decided to lurk under the jelly dish till I yelled at it.  The birds were so plentiful and I spent so much time birdwatching over the long weekend, I decided to put it all in eBird. 

Cormorants and buffleheads were fishing.  Then at least ten hooded mergansers joined them.  Then a half dozen more female buffleheads arrived.  A couple of mallards seemed to want to join the fun.  While there was a lot of diving, they also seemed to be skimming something from the surface.  

Five crows gathered on the dock bench and called in unison. 

Ice

A skin of ice covered most of the creek when we got up, not just because of the cold - the wind had quit agitating the surface.  The current kept the water open along the bulkhead.  A mockingbird showed up almost immediately.  Then the song sparrow reappeared.  A female oriole soon arrived, followed by the white throated sparrow.  A red breasted nuthatch saw a chance at the feeder. 

Then a second female oriole demanded a turn at the suet.  Bluebirds were more interested in bark butter balls but suet would do.  The mockingbird returned and attacked one of the orioles, actually hitting it mid air.  It has become quite a bully.  A squirrel thought the suet worth checking out, but the pepper was too much for it.  Then the feral cat scared everyone away.  By then the temperature was rising though the day stayed quite cold.  

After the cat gave up, the birds returned and the downy woodpeckers joined them.  A yellow rumped warbler insisted on sharing the suet.  Then a pine warbler did too.  The Carolina wren pair split up as usual, one on the feeders and one on the ground.  Chickadees and titmice made frequent trips to the seeds when house finches weren't sitting there.  A blue jay tried the suet for a change.  I decided I needed to stop taking pictures and deal with the photo backlog from Christmas day.  

Freeze

Not just frost this time, the birdbath was full of ice. But the wind finally stopped howling.  I failed to photograph pelicans and a great blue heron pursuing an intruder.  Vegetation blocked a shot of the egret sheltering below the dam.  The female oriole was an early riser and so was the mockingbird.  Bluebirds and blue jays soon followed, then pine warblers. 

The goldfinch flock drank from the pool puddle since the birdbath was frozen.  Juncos and white throats poked through the mulch looking for whole sunflowers amid all the hulls.  

At lunchtime, white breasted nuthatches came for sunflower seeds.  I'm sure I saw at least two of them.  Later a brown headed nuthatch popped up. 

On the other side of the steps, a brown thrasher tossed mulch around, presumably hunting bugs or worms or maybe runaway barkbutter balls.  Both females, the oriole and downy shared the suet.  That made the mockingbird envious.  At least, its yellow eyes got redder, which I think reflects strong feelings.  Eventually it took possession and the oriole watched instead. 

I also saw a goldfinch on the suet cage with the oriole, but I think it was confused.  The male red bellied woodpecker wanted suet but spooked and fled back to the dogwood.  

The flirting squirrels were back.  They got distracted by fallen seeds.  A female bufflehead fished around the barnacle-encrusted pilings across the creek.  I saw some other ducks headed upstream that may have been hoodies.  Mallards were paddling around with their heads under water.  

Yellow birds

Overnight rain filled the accidental rain gauge and enlarged the pool cover puddle.  The wind was still roaring. It didn't deter the birds - they must have been really hungry.  I think I've seen more of the mockingbird this week that the rest of this year.  The white throated sparrow was out hunting breakfast too.  

The sky slowly cleared after noon though the gusty wind continued to push fat, white cumulus past us and out to sea. Carolina wrens joined us for Christmas dinner.  Sunny male pine warblers flocked to the feeders along with the paler females and youngsters.  Four bluebirds ornamented the trees.  On the choppy creek, a female bufflehead dived. A male hooded merganser caught something.  Crows tried to raid the barkbutter balls.    

A very orange female oriole settled on the suet.  According to All About Birds, "Females become deeper orange with every molt."  The pine warblers wanted to share, but not with each other.  A downy woodpecker finally got a turn when the oriole was stuffed.  It had to put up with the warblers' attempts to displace each other. 

In the mulch, a goldfinch joined a house finch to hunt for fallen sunflower seeds.  The goldfinch still had a bit of summer color, revealing that it was a male.   It kind of looked like a black eye.  Several more goldfinches plucked seeds from sweet gum pods.  

Late in the afternoon, a male oriole showed up.  A Carolina wren and the mockingbird came back.  The mockingbird guarded the barkbutter balls but accidentally, or on purpose, knocked a clump to the ground where the oriole pounced on it.  Meanwhile, the mockingbird moved on to the suet.  The oriole flew off with his prize.  Then the female oriole came back for more suet.  

Clouds turned rose at sunset and the temperature continued to drop.  

Gale

The South wind roared all day and drove the temperature up to 70°.  At times, fierce gusts grounded birds. The Carolina wren pair arrived early.  Pine warblers shared suet with downy woodpeckers.  Blue jays were sneaky but bluebirds were more cooperative. 

I startled a kingfisher and it got away without a portrait.  I did catch a hooded merganser pair.  A female bufflehead was diving around the pilings of the dock across the creek.  Later I saw a drake. 

The white throated sparrow dashed around the patio.  The mockingbird switched to bark butter balls.  The pine warblers argued over the suet.  

So many birds!

The chill overnight left a faint layer of frost and K said there was ice in the birdbath.  It certainly made the birds hungry.  Blue jays remembered they hadn't finished off the bark butter balls.  The sickly-looking white throat poked around below.  A male bluebird was evicted from the suet by a male oriole.  The downy woodpeckers were late. 

I saw a pelican and some migrant ducks fly upstream so I went to the window in back to get a better look.  They were gone but mallards were courting. He bobbed his head then she bobbed hers, back and forth, and then she disappeared under him.  They were discretely screened by vegetation.  

Back at the feeders, the mockingbird took over the suet, now conveniently within reach.  When the mockingbird left, warblers moved in.  Two butterbutts (aka yellow rumped warblers) flew at each other over the suet. But the pine warblers got their share.  They've been more aggressive this year - they used to defer to the butterbutts.  Titmice wisely chose sunflower seeds.  

After dinner was in the oven, I went outside.  The temperature had risen into the 50s but the sky was hazy.  None of the birds would join me. When I went back in they came out.  The pair of Carolina wrens switched off, one on the suet the other below scarfing up crumbs.  Red breasted nuthatches finally reappeared.  

I had put out jelly after seeing the oriole but a squirrel got into it.  The squirrel tried to climb the pole and slid down like a movie fireman.  So then it got up on the back of a chair and leaped for the crook of the hanger.  It hung like a bat from the top and ate upside down.  Then it came over to the window and hopped up on the birdhouse I keep meaning to clean out, the better to glare at me for laughing.  

The mockingbird and a pine warbler argued over the suet.  Then a female red bellied woodpecker showed up.  The mockingbird moved to the bark butter.  But the feisty pine warblers stayed with the suet.  

A brown headed nuthatch visited tie seed feeder.  The white throat had a brief bath.  A brown thrasher snatched a bark butter ball.  The juncos arrived in the late afternoon.

I glimpsed buffleheads paddling upstream so I went down to the dock to see if there were more waterbirds.  Just cormorants commuting home.  I was hoping I might have a better angle on the planetary conjunction, but the camera battery gave out and I was cold.  This was the last chance since it's supposed to be raining tomorrow evening.  Back inside with a fresh battery, I noticed egrets were congregating on the lake.  There were also cormorants and a great blue heron in the fading light.  

Sunshine

Between one thing and another, I missed most of the morning.  I did see pelicans, migrant ducks, and I think a kingfisher fly past.  The ducks looked small and white, and fast, so I couldn't be sure if they were buffleheads or hoodies.  Clouds cleared and returned and finely went away leaving an intensely blue sky.  A great blue heron chilled on the neighbors' dock.  Mallards skimmed storm debris from the creek. 

When I got outside, the temperature had risen into the 50s, but the wind was cold and the shadows were long.  I spotted a junco up in the wild cherry. You know where the downy woodpecker was.  Warblers were delighted with the fresh block of suet K installed.  A different white throated sparrow explored the mulch.  Four juncos joined it.  Carolina wrens went everywhere.  

I hoped to catch sight of the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction, but I couldn't find a clear sight line.  I did enjoy the sunset and the first quarter moon.  

Solstice

Overnight rain and a gray sky gave no indication that there was such a thing as sun.  But directionless illumination can be good for photography, as long as there is enough light.  Mostly the light was poor today - birds moved faster than the shutter.  

The white throated sparrow showed up first.  Warblers and Carolina wrens attacked the suet.  Then the mockingbird came back for another try.  

Blue jays tried foraging in the mulch.  The feeder counterweight is set too low for them.  The male red bellied woodpecker was soon followed by a downy woodpecker.  And then the cat.  

At lunch, a brown thrasher discovered the fresh bark butter balls. The mockingbird was not impressed.  Pine warblers were getting really bold and challenging larger birds on the suet.  I think a couple of birds were pine siskins.  I wonder if I've been seeing them all along and thinking they were female house finches?

The song sparrow scouted the seed feeder.  I discovered goldfinches up in the sweet gum plucking seeds from the gumballs.  (Gumballs look eerily like diagrams of coronavirus.)  There were flickers of sunlight in the afternoon, but too much cloud cover to think of seeing the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn.  Maybe tomorrow night.  

Cold rain

The light was poor and the birds were in a hurry.  I was able to hustle bark butter balls out to the feeder before the rain began.  But more birds were interested in the dwindling nub of suet.  A Carolina wren and a pine warbler shared suet, briefly.  Then the downy took over.  A mockingbird had quite a struggle to reach the suet, but persisted. 

Bluebirds did want bark butter balls. So did blue jays, brown thrasher(s?), and the red bellied woodpecker.  Once again a goldfinch came and watched and didn't eat.  

The white throated sparrow was joined on the ground by the song sparrow and, I think, a pine siskin.  The rain continued all day but the birds did not.  

Cold

Morning was sunny.  A white breasted nuthatch was the early bird on the suet.  Bluebirds and warblers soon followed.  Then the downy woodpeckers had to defend the suet.  A song sparrow hustled around the patio, then hopped up to the roof of the feeder.  That brought out the white throated sparrow.  

Soon a blue jay discovered the restocked bark butter balls.  Three more followed.  Then the cat arrived.  The birds ignored it and even foraged on the ground, tempting fate.  Carolina wrens eventually joined in.  The white breasted nuthatch considered bark butter balls, but decided on sunflower seeds.  

Reflections on the creek were as sharp as reality.  Geese and mallards made the only disturbance I saw.  In the afternoon, a wren burst into song on the back of the bench.  Juncos briefly hunted through the mulch.  The sunlight grew muted and the sky grayed.  

Cold and gray

There was intermittent sunshine in the morning, between periods of clouds that made me think of snow even though the temperature was in the low 40s. The red bellied woodpecker paid an early visit.  I finally caught up with the brown thrasher.  

Pine warblers were plentiful.  The Carolina wrens were back.  Blue jays were greedy.  Juncos darted around the patio.  A goldfinch watched from the feeder hanger but did not partake.  A white breasted nuthatch snatched a seed and disappeared.  Downy woodpeckers kept at their suet even when the feral cat curled up on the pool cover. 

Three female buffleheads paddled around the placid creek and there may also have been a few hoodies.  I was in the midst of cooking so I can't be sure.  Afternoon was grayer and windier.  

Bright and cold

I was Zoomed out  with five meetings, but nevertheless there were hungry birds.   You know what the downy woodpeckers were after.  The Carolina wrens felt the same.  So did the pine warblers.  And the red bellied woodpecker.  Bluebirds considered the entire menu, but chose suet.  Titmice ate everything. And the result was a lump of suet that looked more like a stalactite than a brick. 

Several blue jays flocked to the fresh bark butter balls.  They chased away a brown thrasher.  A mockingbird landed on the post but I didn't see it eat anything.  The white throated sparrow stayed on the ground.  So did the juncos.  

When I finally got lunch, there were no birds, just a cat.  Geese glided on reflected trees.  At least twenty cormorants gathered on dead trees, fallen into the lake.    Mallards left wakes across the creek's reflections.  I didn't see any migrants.