Sparrows poked through the fallen sunflower seed hulls. Bluebirds wanted their food prepared and served nicely. Carolina wrens tried everything. I spotted a song sparrow in the mulch at the far end of the pool.
A white breasted nuthatch came for the suet. A blue jay lurked in the sweet gum. The two species of warbler continued to argue about pecking order.
Last night was down in the 20s and even a bright sun didn't push the air much above freezing. The usual birds came to the feeders. Something pulled down the grape jelly feeder. The mockingbird and the brown thrasher queued up for barkbutter. White throats foraged in the snow which highlighted their white throats. Carolina wrens were bound for suet and warblers for barkbutter. Bluebirds wanted barkbutter too. The song sparrow appeared briefly on the roof of the seed feeder where it upset a brown headed nuthatch.
Everything was shut down in anticipation of the storm which did not produce as much snow as the one a week ago. This snow was wetter and heavier so it may have compacted. There certainly was plenty of ice on the feeders, in fact, the perch on the seed feeder was frozen in place. A brown thrasher hammered through the ice on one barkbutter dish. The other had been emptied yesterday. So, to begin with, suet was the only available food. Warblers, wrens, a mockingbird, and downy woodpeckers queued up for it. A female cardinal joined the sparrows in the snow. Juncos were back.
Snow continued to fall in the morning though it had become light and drier. The creek was banded with frozen snow and regular ice which quickly melted leaving plates of gray snow-ice afloat. Hooded mergansers were soon fishing in the open water. Lots of small icicles probably started after dark yesterday as the rain froze. Snow was frozen on the underside of the railing and other objects. The gusty wind flipped up feathers on the birds but they didn't seem to care.
By lunch, the creek was free of ice but rough from the wind. The snow was finished falling if not with blowing around. A brown headed nuthatch wasn't in its usual hurry to leave the seed feeder. A half dozen bluebirds weren't picky as long as it was food. Juncos and white throated sparrows hunted through the fallen hulls for any bits of sunflower kernel. The male towhee reappeared, assuming it's the same bird I've seen before.
I tried to get a good photo of a pelican in flight and got a great out-of-focus plunge. Gulls also flew fish patrol as hoodies paddled and dived. One pelican rested on the dam and was joined by a crow. By then there was sunshine. More pelicans were attracted to the lake which was full of cormorants. A bufflehead drake came diving upstream on the creek. The buzzards didn't return but I saw one sail past on the wind. A couple of great blue herons settled who owned the territory.
The National Weather Service said, "WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM EST SATURDAY....Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches. Winds gusting as high as 40 mph." Songbirds were packing on the calories in anticipation of the coming storm. The brown thrasher stuffed itself full of barkbutter. Then warblers got what was left. I put out a fresh tub and the mockingbird dug in. Bluebirds queued up for suet and barkbutter.
Some snow still lingered from a week ago. Sparrows poked around in it for seeds. A friend out West jokingly asked about our snow pack and I said it was modest but persistent. The creek was a churning mess of ice and water. Gulls were more interested in fishing than they usually are. Pelicans passed repeatedly over the water. An egret again stalked along the dam.
Four vultures descended upon our trees and dock and hung around for at least an hour. There were both turkey and black vultures. I speculated that the cold reminded them of the winter when the fish froze and they feasted for weeks. But maybe they'd spied a carcass in the water and were waiting for it to wash ashore.
Warblers and a Carolina wren worked on the remains of the suet outside my window. Meanwhile, a white breasted nuthatch explored tree trunks. The female red bellied woodpecker paused there on her way to the feeder.
We froze overnight again so there was new ice on the creek and a sparkle to the remaining snow. Bluebirds were early birds. To be honest, I was late arising so I don't really know which birds were up with the dawn. Warblers tried to get a share of the barkbutter and suet. White throated sparrows stuck to their foraging. But on the seed feeder there was a surprise, a chipping sparrow. The brown thrasher, like the mockingbird, only wanted barkbutter.
Some odd-looking ducks hung out by the turtle log on the lake. They were featureless dark above and bright white below the waterline, with narrow, merganser-like bills. Pelicans fished when the ice melted. An egret haunted the lake while two great blue herons perched on neighboring docks on the creek.
In the morning, there was still ice on about half the creek. Pelicans found enough open water to keep coming back all day. A great blue heron owned the dam. When an egret tried to move in there was quite a dispute. They both flew in circles and the egret finally landed just below me.
Back at the feeders, a mockingbird enjoyed barkbutter. So did a blue jay. White throated sparrows picked seeds out of the snow. The female red bellied woodpecker ate suet. I didn't see if the male ever returned. Bluebirds argued over precedence at the barkbutter. Some had better luck at the suet. Warblers ate everything. I remember seeing a brown thrasher.
I got several photos of where a duck had been seconds before.The hooded mergansers left momentary craters in the water when they dived. One pelican has a couple of dark feathers atop its head as it began to grow mating plumage. The male kingfisher perched on a branch to survey the creek, especially where the ducks and cormorants were diving.
I managed to catch a bluebird, a titmouse, and a song sparrow in natural settings. A Carolina wren stayed behind an inconvenient branch. Then a junco banged into the window, It seemed OK, just a bit shaken. Other juncos showed up. Warblers worked on the suet cage just outside. Unfortunately, it has a poorer background for photos.
The sun shone most of the day but it was cold, plus there was the wind chill. Still, all the ice and most of the snow disappeared. When the sun went down behind bare trees, it left a lovely afterglow.
The sky was patchy blue and white when the male pileated woodpecker arrived. He felt the need to wipe off his beak on the post. Old ice and a refrozen skin of fresh ice covered all but the creek's channel. The day got sunnier and warmer so the snow and ice melted. On the creek, hoodies seemed spotlighted by the sun. A great blue heron took over the dam and that part of the lake.
A wet bluebird was first on the scene leaving me to wonder what had happened and if it would survive. Warblers and finches were in no hurry. Even a goldfinch paid a brief visit. Then a white breasted nuthatch attacked the suet. A brown headed nuthatch made off with sunflower seeds. Sparrows and juncos were below picking up the fallen seeds. A Carolina wren dug into the suet. A pair of fox sparrows rested in a dogwood that overlooked the shore. Unfortunately, part of the background was the glaring white of a boat. A mockingbird made sure to get a share of the barkbutter.
The creek was iced over again. As teh sun warmed it, the ice gradually retreated.
A red belied woodpecker had no sooner landed on the suet than it was intimidated and flew off. Then I saw why when a male pileated woodpecker took its place. I took many photos but I noticed the bird kept pausing to look at something. Eventually a female pileated appeared. She seemed more interested in him than in a suet breakfast. Seeing a pair was a first for me.
Warblers began to arrive and the female red bellied woodpecker showed up as soon as the pileateds left. A blue jay longed for barkbutter but was anxious about something.and retreated to the dogwood. A mockingbird did not share the jay's concern. Not long after, the feral cat came to do some birdwatching.
Some birds were unimpressed. A brown thrasher hardly paused its barkbutter eating. A more cautious bluebird watched from a tree. Two brown headed nuthatches raided the seed feeder. Then I saw what I think was a female cowbird on the seed feeder. A Carolina wren hunted goodies in the snow. I saw a bird land in the cherry. To my surprise, it was a cedar wax wing.
A great blue heron took over the dam and drove off an egret. The heron tolerated hooded mergansers.
The snow did not seem convinced that it was above freezing. If anything, more of the creek was frozen than yesterday. A pelican flew over the creek early and did not return. There were lots of birds at breakfast. I counted six bluebirds. The mockingbird and the brown thrasher were back and I saw a brown headed nuthatch. But I had no opportunity to take pictures till after lunch. The warblers and Carolina wrens found the suet feeder by my window. In the late afternoon a great blue heron flew upstream.
We certainly did not get eight inches, more like five, I would say. When I eventually went outside to knock the snow off the barkbutter, I found a disk of ice about a quarter inch thick. If that had fallen as snow, it might have added another inch or so. In the morning, the suet was all the birds could get to, because K later discovered the seed feeder was empty as well. The brown thrasher took over the suet and pecked away the snow.
Juncos showed up from wherever they go in warmer weather. Pine warblers glowed in the diffuse light. So did the cardinals. In fact, all the colors seemed intense against the snow, even the downy woodpecker's little red chevron.
Like the juncos, white throated sparrows foraged in the snow. Myrtle warblers joined them when they couldn't get a turn at the suet. Later, a song sparrow joined them. I saw some kind of hawk a couple of times, once pursued by a crow.
A blue jay was disgusted with the snow cap on the barkbutter. So was a mockingbird except it settled for suet. A titmouse came to the same conclusion. A Carolina wren insisted on sharing the suet with the brown thrasher. The female red bellied woodpecker was not sharing. Eventually a bluebird appeared in the afternoon.
Frozen gray slush mostly covered the creek.A little open water flowed next to the bulkhead and more below the dam. The slush ice developed very Arctic-looking cracks. As the open water widened in the afternoon, odd ripples and turbulence developed. I don't know if it was just the water or critters in the water. After lunch the overcast started to break apart letting sunshine through. I decided I'd taken way too many pictures and retired. It occurs to me that I didn't see a single mammal except the ones I live with.
The air was finally cold enough for snow though the ground wasn't during daylight hours. Elevated surfaces like the dock collected snow during the day. As usual, the cold brought birds to the feeders though I only got to observe at lunchtime. White throated sparrows, myrtle and pine warblers, Carolina wrens, a mockingbird, and a brown thrasher found the suet outside my window. The feeders on the patio also attracted a red bellied woodpecker.
Pelicans flew over the creek. A cormorant perched on the edge of the neighbor's floating dock. A great blue heron hunched on top of the dam. By evening there was snow under the redwood, in the birdbath, and on the pool cover.
The sky looked strange when I got up, dark overcast with a band of pink in the Northeast. A myrtle warbler was soon busy with the barkbutter. Mallards nibbled around the barnacles on pilings. White throated sparrows scuttled around the patio.
K kindly hung a fresh block of suet in preparation for the storm. Two Carolina wrens posed for me at lunch. Hanging in a basket outside, the plant I can't remember was dotted with yellow flowers. In the afternoon, the temperature plunged and sleet hit the windows
Blue jays were breakfasting almost before I was. A brown headed nuthatch was another early riser. Warblers came right behind with the pine warbler on the lower dish and the yellow rump on the upper. A bluebird took possession of the upper dish, evicting the yellow rumped warbler. It poked around the portulaca stalks, which had not yet perished from frost. Anther paler pine warbler landed on the suet but was dislodged by the red bellied woodpecker.
Nothing was happening at lunch time so fast forward to dusk. The tide was very low, not surprising since we're just past full moon with wind from the Southwest. Songbirds and waterbirds flew to their roosts. However, I believe the pelicans flying up and down the creek were fishing.
I was virtually in Richmond and didn't see much. Reflections on the creek were brilliantly colored. A mockingbird fed on barkbutter. The feral cat settled in to watch the seed feeder and all the sparrows and warblers scattered. A squirrel foraging around the birdbath, at first, ignored the cat. Pursuing fallen seeds, the squirrel came closer and soon they were face to face about a foot apart. The squirrel dithered and finally dashed away instead of climbing the post as I expected. The cat hustled off in a different direction. But the birds didn't come back before my meetings started.
Waves rolled across the creek. Sparrows stayed low to the ground. The brown thrasher was willing to swing on the dish feeder to get at the bark butter. So was a cardinal and a mockingbird. The intrepid Carolina wren managed to hang on to the suet cage. Warblers were scarce - the one I saw was down with the sparrows. I saw lots of pelicans but not once did I get a photo.
The worst of it was West of us, but we got strong winds and rain. The wind direction meant that the North-facing windows were streaked and hard to photograph through. A few buffleheads fished on the choppy creek.
Although it was in the 40s a lump of ice remained in the birdbath. Hungry feeder birds included a Carolina wren, a brown thrasher, and a mockingbird. The wren ate suet despite forays from a downy woodpecker. The woodpecker turned to the barkbutter along with the mockingbird and its thrasher cousin. White throated sparrows stayed earthbound. The house finches took over the seed feeder and squabbled among themselves.
I saw a bird streak into the sweet gum but was surprised to discover it was a kingfisher. Pelicans flew, dived, and floated up and down the creek.
The cold probably explained the waves of birds at the feeders, but maybe they sensed a storm on the way. Cardinals, chickadees, titmice, and brown headed nuthatches flocked to the sunflower seeds. Downy and red bellied woodpeckers, pine and yellow rumped warblers, bluebirds, and Carolina wrens fought over the suet. They also competed for barkbutter with a mockingbird and a brown thrasher. A squadron of pelicans fished up and down the creek.
The pair of wrens joined us for breakfast, one on the barkbutter, the other on the suet. White throated sparrows were up early too. At least four pelicans flew past repeatedly, often plunging into the creek, though I didn't see any catch a fish. They probably did when not in sight. Hooded mergansers and buffleheads were fishing too, though not for the same size catch.
At lunch time several brown headed nuthatches raided the seed feeder. The warblers were busy feeding as well. An egret preened on a stump on the lake while the wind blew through its aigrettes. A couple of cormorants did the same on a log. The lake appeared to be rushing toward the dam though I saw no sign at the outflow. A small flock of geese marched single file up and over the dam.
A blue jay posed today which was especially helpful since the sun wasn't confusing the camera. Warblers followed, pine and myrtle. (Myrtle is the name for the Eastern subgroup of yellow rumped warblers. West of the Appalachians they have yellow throats and are called Audubon's.) Two Carolina wrens checked out the food.
Buffleheads and hoodies were fishing on the creek. So were pelicans but trees kept jumping in front of them. A great blue heron kept watch on its stretch of the creek. The day got warm enough to lure a turtle out. I noticed that cormorants had painted a dead snag to look like a big white feather.
White throated sparrows foraged on the steps for suet crumbs. I know I saw a brown thrasher at some point in the day. A song sparrow performed on a dogwood branch. The blasted cat was back, birdwatching.
The creek was iced over, thinly. The cold sent pine and myrtle warblers looking for calories. The barkbutter lured a brown thrasher and a mockingbird. A Carolina wren was mostly interested in suet.
A flock of hoodies went by, herding fish. Curiously, some were much larger than others. Could they have been parents and offspring?
The warblers woke up cold and hungry and wasted no time getting to the barkbutter. They were eating before I was. The brown thrasher was right behind. It was so early that there wasn't enough light yet for the camera. The birdbath was frozen again and there was a skin of ice on the near side of the creek. The current flows against the far side.
By the time the blue jays got up there was plenty of light. But they were mostly too fast for me. The brown thrasher kept coming back for more. A Carolina wren slipped in for a share of the barkbutter. Even the foraging sparrows were too fast and often I photographed half a bird or a tail or the air. And when I got the mockingbird nicely posed, the camera flipped its focus to the background.
I saw the first junco in weeks. The red bellied and downy woodpeckers could not stay away from the suet. Among the white throated sparrows there was a song sparrow. Bluebirds eventually arrived.
At lunch time the tide was out and great egrets stalked minnows. Cormorants and a hoodie drake fished on the lake. A young pelican paddled up the creek.
I picked up the glass vase in which I'd been trying to root an azalea twig, and the glass fell to pieces. I should have brought it inside days ago because it had a narrow neck and the freezing water had nowhere to go.
One little pink cloud floated behind the trees in an otherwise blue sky. The creek was back to mirroring sunlight bounced off the trees. It was not iced over but the birdbath was frozen. Bluebirds appeared during breakfast. Then the female red bellied woodpecker showed up. I think it had ice stuck to its tail. White throated sparrows arrived in a rush. A Carolina wren was next. Blue jays tried my patience with their grab-and-go technique. And the camera didn't help by insisting on focusing on the background just because it was brighter. Then the cat interrupted.
From the back window, I could see a great blue heron standing in the creek below the dam. I suppose the water may have been warmer than the air. And the dam itself faces South so it offers shelter from North winds and reflects heat on sunny days. I think there were pelicans during the morning but I only caught reflections in the computer screen. In the afternoon I got a glimpse of a bufflehead and a cormorant diving.
At lunch time bluebirds and warblers were still feeding. A mockingbird tried the barkbutter but abandoned it for fallen suet crumbs. It was replaced by a brown thrasher. The red belly came back too. Later the cat came sneaking back and I told it off.
Heavy, dark clouds that looked full of snow slid across the sky without dropping a thing. A Carolina wren was up early looking for breakfast. It mooned me repeatedly while working on the barkbutter. An egret landed in a tree across the creek but was visible through a "window" between branches on my side of the creek. The warblers arrived for fresh suet.
Bluebirds got interested in the barkbutter too, and even in seeds. I witnessed an aerial fight between a cardinal and a smaller bluebird. There was plenty of food and they don't really share the same tastes, so I don;t know what made the smaller bird so angry. There were other instances of shoving and diving at a perched bird. Strange.
White throated sparrows foraged alongside pine and yellow rumped warblers. Even the wren poked through the mulch. The yellow rumped warblers were bolder today about getting a turn at the suet.
After dark the crescent moon was just past the peak of its transit across the sky.
A pink dawn turned into a cloudy morning. The creek was placid but still high. The female orioles were back and bullying the pine warblers. The red bellied woodpecker put them all to flight. Bluebirds watched from a distance. So did a goldfinch until it settled on the sunflower seeds. Then a bluebird tried the seeds.
Butterbutts scurried around the birdbath. A Carolina wren wanted to get past a bluebird on the seed feeder. Finally it seemed to decide, the heck with waiting, and went to work on the suet. The scarred white throated sparrow gleaned what had fallen from the feeders.
A squirrel was baffled by the seed feeder's squirrel proof mechanism. The clouds broke up and we had some sun. I picked up the branches that had come down in the storm. Many of them had jelly fungus attached. I found a gill mushroom in the grass that looked a bit like a shitaki. A pelican roosted on the channel marker.
Rain fell in waves throughout the day but at least it was warmer. The tide was still running high, streaked by wind and dimpled with rain. At times the rain seemed as thick as fog but it didn't mess up the windows. Bluebirds wanted their breakfast anyway. A mockingbird again escaped without a picture.
An egret swooped across the creek toward us at lunchtime. Pelicans occasionally cruised over the creek.
The song sparrow returned for seeds along with white throated sparrows. The brown thrasher was more interested in what might be lurking underneath leaves and wood chips. A Carolina wren observed from the bench then disappeared. Pine warblers seemed to be everywhere. Many of the birds had wet foreheads which gave them odd expressions.
Last month I glimpsed a male towhee and heard another, but today a male foraged under the seed feeder. They'd been scarce since the years when foxes moved in, probably because they are ground nesters.
The brown headed nuthatch managed to get some seeds. I noticed it has a little white patch on the back of its head. The female red bellied woodpecker worked on the remains of the suet. Pine warblers harassed the downy woodpeckers on the suet. Even the bluebirds got bad tempered, but I wasn't about to go out with a fresh block of suet. The brown thrasher helped itself to some barkbutter.
Below the dam, a snowy egret waded in the mud. A couple of people on the dam didn't notice. A half dozen mallards set up intricate wake patterns. The setting sun lit the reflected trees.
