Good weather

The creek, this morning, shone as though polished with reflections as clear and sharp as the original.  Blue jays looked dolefully at the nearly empty barkbutter dish.  Starlings weren't happy either.  A myrtle warbler and a mourning dove poked through the mulch.  White throats bounced up the steps.  At lunch a mockingbird looked reproachful at the still empty dish.  

A female oriole investigated the chain on which the suet cage was hanging.  Then she got a drink from the birdbath.  A male bluebird observed from the top of the feeder post.  A pine warbler ate suet.  The temperature rose into the 60s as puffy cumulus clouds sailed across the blue sky.  And so ended 2024.  

Still warm

I'm not sure how I missed Sunday but blame it on the great computer upgrade.  I certainly took plenty of photos.  The yellow cat prowled around the hillside.  The pileated woodpecker pair returned but the suet cage was empty.  They were not easily convinced to give up and they looked terribly shocked at such negligence.  A Carolina wren and a mockingbird felt the same about the barkbutter dish.  White throats didn't care.  Pine warblers and a downy looked for the missing suet.  Starlings would have settled for either. 

Finally, I installed another block of suet a myrtle warbler took advantage.   The male pileated soon returned.  Blue jays noticed the barkbutter balls that I had refilled.  The oriole got her jelly.  The thermometer read 70°.  There was trash afloat on the creek and a ball that I think was some kind of float that had gotten loose. 

                            - - - -

Rain fell overnight and filled the birdbath Monday morning.  The male pileated was back bright and early.  I waited till late morning to refill the dishes and actually spent time outside making vitamin D under the beautiful blue sky.  A handful of hoodies paddled downstream.  Blue jays were wary of my presence but they really wanted those barkbutter balls.  Pine warblers were a little more daring.  I was too close to the jelly dish for the oriole.  A white throat perched atop the dead dogwood.

Despite the warmth, the pelicans were active on the creek.  One roosted on the roof of a boathouse.  I believe I heard a kingfisher.  A hoodie drake met a female and they disappeared behind vegetation.  It wasn't as warm as yesterday and wind gusts made the air feel cooler than mid 60s. 

Very warm and cloudy

Because there was drizzle at dawn, K left the dish feeders covered. The sun soon lit up the creek.  Mallards glided through reflections.  A bufflehead drake fished.  Egrets and pelicans cruised over the water.  One pelican plunged with a huge splash  The ruddy ducks were back.  The temperature rose to the upper 60s, maybe higher.  The sky grew milky blue, then gray-white. 

The female pileated visited.  Pileated woodpeckers and starlings dropped a lot of suet crumbs which white throats gleaned from the steps.  I uncovered the dishes when I saw the oriole fussing because she couldn't get jelly.  Fresh barkbutter balls brought blue jays, starlings, and a mockingbird.  Warblers made the rounds.  A Carolina wren took a bath, interrupted by a squirrel. 

Clouding up

I had to go out early and missed the morning birds.  Plus I had to drive into the blinding sun.  And, wouldn't you know it, by the time I got back the sky was clouding over.  I poured out fresh barkbutter balls at lunch and pleased titmice, warblers, blue jays, and starlings.  A white breasted nuthatch wanted seeds.  A Carolina wren explored the patio.  An oriole visited briefly. 

Too many starlings

A myrtle warbler got an early start on the suet.   Blue jays got up early for barkbutter balls.  Then that starling brought all his friends and relations to feast.  I'd shout and they'd fly up into the trees and watch.  I tired of it first.  A mockingbird tried to get fed despite them.  White throats weren't bothered since the starlings didn't want seeds.  Two female orioles watched from a distance.  

The female red bellied woodpecker got her seeds.  Her size intimidated the other birds but I've never seen her do anything hostile, not like the cardinals that poke and shove.  A squirrel tested the feeder's squirrel-proofing.  I saw a handful of pine warblers.  An oriole got jelly.  The female pileated came for lunch.  I glimpsed a Carolina wren but didn't get a picture. 

Much the same

The weather was about the same as yesterday.  The songbirds were excited to find all the feeders full at breakfast.  They emptied the jelly and barkbutter balls.  First the female, then the male pileated showed up.  A pelican made a U turn over the creek but behind too much vegetation for a decent photo.  Blue jays were their usual greedy selves.  So was a starling that sat on the barkbutter balls.  A myrtle warbler worked on the suet when the woodpeckers left. 

Four ruddy ducks slept on the creek  I thought I saw a ruddy duck with the hoodies yesterday but I wasn't sure.  Pine warblers and the oriole eventually arrived.  A mockingbird kept an eye on the feeders.  The female pileated returned for the rest of her interrupted breakfast.  

Warmer

After another cold night, this day warmed into the 50s, and clouded over in the afternoon.  The yellow cat was on the prowl.  A white breasted nuthatch tried to get the last of the seeds just before K refilled the feeder.  A pine warbler worked on the remains of the suet.  Another rejoiced in the refilled barkbutter dish.  Soon the blue jays took that over.  A mockingbird joined them and then the female red bellied woodpecker.  White throats stayed on terra firma.  The female pileated got most of the suet.  

The barkbutter balls were gone by lunch so the mockingbird came to the window to complain. And pooped on the table outside!  Two female orioles argued over the jelly.  Hoodies and buffleheads fished on the creek.  A great blue heron observed from a dock piling.  Cormorants commuted homeward.  Two egrets landed in the bushes downstream.  I replaced the suet and the barkbutter balls so they'd be ready for breakfast. 

Icy

The creek was thinly iced and the thermometer read 31° at breakfast.  The male pileated was an early riser, wanting suet.  A mockingbird showed up next and complained about the empty barkbutter dish.  Then the female oriole headed to the jelly dish for some quick calories.  A couple of goldfinches tried to get a drink but I think the ant moat had frozen.  

White throats picked through the mulch.  After the woodpecker left a pine warbler worked on the suet.  When another bird investigated the jelly, the oriole came shooting in to take possession.  Bluebirds ate seeds.  A chipping sparrow came back and ate seeds.  The red bellied woodpecker did too.  A blue jay peered into the dish but found no barkbutter.  Three doves foraged in the mulch.  A butterbutt ate suet.  

A starling came for lunch, maybe because I finally refilled the barkbutter balls.  Buffleheads widened the open water where the current flowed under the bulkhead.  Blue jays queued up in a stream for the barkbutter balls.  A white breasted nuthatch ate seeds and bluebirds returned for more.  

Wintry

I saw no ice but the temperature was below freezing when I got up and I never saw it get higher than 35°.  There was a lot more cloud cover than predicted.  The cold made the songbirds very hungry so I took too many photos.  A pine warbler and a Carolina wren argued over the barkbutter crumbs.  Then a bluebird took over but the warbler didn't give up.  A chipping sparrow looked at the barkbutter balls and a second chipping sparrow appeared to dispute possession.  A pine warbler evicted them.  

Meanwhile, a downy was contending with warblers on the suet.  A white breasted nuthatch preferred seeds.  Blue jays grabbed the last of the barkbutter bits.  A titmouse had a little of everything.  The female red bellied woodpecker chose seeds over suet.  A mockingbird also scrounged barkbutter crumbs.  Three pine warblers all wanted suet so the downy ate seeds.  Of course there were white throated sparrows, chickadees, house finches, and cardinals.  

I didn't see activity on the creek, unlike the busy feeders.  At lunch, the poor downy was still afflicted with warblers. The female oriole finally showed up.  Three bluebirds tried barkbutter crumbs and weighed down the seed perch.  A brown headed nuthatch got some seeds and a drink.  Then at least two myrtle warblers arrived.  I wondered if they were new migrants as there hadn't been any for weeks.  The wind blew feathers awry.  A mockingbird came to the window.  

I stopped then because I was afraid I'd taken more pictures than I could deal with.  

Winter solstice

The short day was sunny and cold but not as windy as I expected.  The creek was coated with leaves so maybe the wind blew in the night.  A bufflehead drake floated among dock pilings with their barnacles exposed.  White throats scrounged for seeds.  Blue jays picked at barkbutter crumbs.  The female oriole returned but didn't cooperate with the camera at first.  

Crows and a gull flew back and forth across the creek.  The oriole returned at lunch and posed.  A Carolina wren hopped around.  A pine warbler noticed that I had refilled the barkbutter dish.  I noticed something white way up in a pine tree across the creek.  Just as I was about to give up on identifying it, it revealed itself as a great blue heron's beak.  K harvested the last pepper and brought the plants inside. 

Birds in the mist

The cool, misty air and gray light seemed to encourage birds.  White throats scurried around the mulch.  Pine warblers seemed famished.  They were joined by an orange crowned warbler.  A couple of male bluebirds wanted seeds.  A little flock hopped around in the trees but the light was too poor to identify them.  At least one was a robin but another might have been a house finch.  The female red bellied woodpecker took over the seed feeder.  

Muted colors were reflected by the flat creek surface.  Mallards slept on the water. A chipping sparrow joined the white throats.  A flicker explored a branch stump on one of the dogwoods. The male pileated was back for suet.  A mockingbird poked through the crumbs in the barkbutter dish.  A Carolina wren poked at the mulch.  A brown headed nuthatch tried to get past bigger birds to the seeds.  Even a goldfinch dropped by.  

Chilly

After a brief moment of sun at dawn, thick clouds covered the sky while a gusty North wind ruffled feathers. Pale birds, gulls or pelicans, wheeled over the creek.  The pileated female was back at breakfast.  Then the male showed up and took over the suet.  She was not happy and gave him no peace.  I thought she might win, but not this time.  Meanwhile, blue jays got their barkbutter breakfast.  White throats looked for anything on the ground.  Around 9am the clouds began to clear.  

Mallards occupied the dock while buffleheads and a cormorant dived.  Geese paddled down to a sunny spot on the bulkhead.  A mockingbird watched from a dogwood.  

Morning fog

The pileated woodpecker was not deterred by the fog. After the fog dissipated the day grew very warm.  White throats came to forage.  The car thermometer registered 73°. 

Warm

White throats were up early.  Blue jays waited for the sun.  A pine warbler didn't stay long.  And a mockingbird was so fast it escaped the camera.  A Carolina wren looked for spills.  A brown headed nuthatch investigated the barkbutter balls but preferred seeds.  The female pileated woodpecker returned and found I had put out fresh suet.  The day was a mix of sun and clouds and the temperature rose into the upper 60s.   Toward dusk the clouds thickened.  

Woodpeckers

The rain ended at breakfast but the day remained gray and turned misty in the early afternoon.  There was little wind.  Raindrops decorated bare branches like holiday lights.  White throats were out foraging at breakfast.  The female red bellied woodpecker decided to eat seeds today.  So did titmice, chickadees, and cardinals.  I spotted a yellow bellied sapsucker up in the hackberry.  Its yellow belly was very clear but its head was partly hidden.  A mockingbird played peek-a-boo in a dogwood.  

After lunch, the pileated woodpeckers found the suet, first the female, then the male.  When each landed it had its crest fully erect but quickly lowered the pompom into a point.  A Carolina wren ate barkbutter crumbs.  A gray squirrel leaped between trees.  When the pileated woodpeckers were full, a downy got some suet.  When I went to wash the towels, a little spider jumped off and hung from its safety line on the edge of the washing machine.  I snagged the silk with a paint stirrer and suspended it over the sink.  It looked like the spider I saw in the mountain mint last summer, the heptagonal orbweaver. 

In the afternoon mist, the sapsucker was back eating hackberries.  And then a flicker appeared making it all five local woodpecker species in one day.  It was confusing with the mist and backlighting to know which I was looking at since they were both in the same tree eating hackberries.  Neither was really designed to dangle from thin twigs.  Meanwhile, out on the creek there were buffleheads and hoodies.  

Cloudy

There was some sunshine early, but the day was mostly gray and a little warmer.  Blue jays quickly noticed the barkbutter balls.  White throats hunted for anything that fell.  A Carolina wren also enjoyed the barkbutter balls, and the suet.  Then the female red bellied woodpecker wanted a barkbutter ball.  The mockingbird satisfied both thirst and a yen for those barkbutter balls.  The yellow cat watched something down the hill out of my sight but its presence disturbed the birds.  A bufflehead drake dived for fish.  A pine warbler visited the suet.  

Not much stirring

I saw white throats, cardinals, and chickadees, but even barkbutter balls didn't attract others. A Carolina wren got away while my fingers were greasy.  A couple of buffleheads were out on the water.  The temperature was seasonable and a Northeast wind pushed clouds along, making the sun come and go. 

Clouding up

Morning was sunny but I didn't see anything till lunch.  The tide was low as a full moon approached but there weren't any fishing birds.  A fresh supply of barkbutter balls drew in blue jays, a mockingbird, a titmouse, and cardinals.  A dove wandered around the patio.  A downy worked on the suet.  A white breasted nuthatch behaved timidly but finally got a seed.  Overall, the day was warmer and clouds got thicker in the afternoon.  

Cold again

The temperature crashed overnight and today was fair and cool.  The birdbath had ice crystals but there was no ice on the creek.  At breakfast, it was shiny with reflections.  Blue jays poked through the crumbs of barkbutter.  A mockingbird sat on the chair, then flew to the jelly dish, and finally got a drink.  White throats bustled around under the seed feeder all day.  

Later the mockingbird was displaced by the female oriole.  A white breasted nuthatch visited.  The orange crowned warbler returned but was scared away.  A pine warbler also came for suet.  At twilight I discovered the great blue heron was back.  Cormorants flew home.  The people across the creek lit up their holiday bush.  The creek reflected all the lights as golden.  

2 wet gray days

I saw nothing yesterday.  Today wind gusts roughened the gray creek.  A downy, a titmouse, a goldfinch, a cardinal, and the mockingbird came anyway.  Seeds and suet were all that was available which disappointed the mockingbird. 

During a brief clearing mid morning birds and a squirrel rushed to get food.  I uncovered the barkbutter balls for the blue jays.  White throats foraged in the wet.  The squirrel got a drink from the brimming ant moat, and spilled it.  A pine warbler considered seeds and a Carolina wren suet.  It was very warm.  Then the rain came back harder and kept up for the rest of the day and into the night.  The cumulative amount of rainfall was in the Thursday newspaper, 2.57 inches. 

 

Gray

A great blue heron perched on a dock post.  The mockingbird came by at lunch.  White throats foraged.  A Carolina wren did not like the rain shower but it didn't last long.  A pine warbler observed that there was no barkbutter to eat.  Still, it brightened the gloom.  K moved the crops back out to take advantage of the warmth and free water.  In the afternoon a kingfisher took up the dock post.  

Warmer

Morning was not so cold but still windy.  Pelicans cruised over the ice-free creek at low tide. The feeders were quiet, then I noticed the black and white cat birdwatching.  After it gave up, songbirds began to appear.  Pine warblers started on the suet, soon joined by a chickadee.  The mockingbird went back to the jelly.  A white breasted nuthatch braved a cardinal for a seed.  A squirrel scrambled after hackberries.  A Carolina wren investigated the window.  White throats looked for spilled food. 

At lunch the temperature rose above 60°!  A mockingbird stared into the window.  A squirrel sat on the feeder roof and scrubbed its face.  It got a drink from the ant moat and showed it could cling to the post with only hind feet. 

Creek ice

Dawn was COLD.  The tide was out and a matte skin reached almost to the bulkhead.  Fortunately there were some barkbutter balls left from yesterday to help the blue jays warm up.  The mockingbird was upset that the ant moat was frozen.  A Carolina wren headed right to the suet.  White throats foraged below the feeders.  Crows stayed in the trees.  Even at noon there was still ice but the water got rougher and swept it away.  

An orange crowned warbler visited the suet.  Nuthatches, brown headed and white breasted came for seeds.  The female red bellied woodpecker had some seeds too.  After the ant moat melted, the female oriole came for a drink.  The Carolina wren peered through the window at me.  The orange crowned warbler found the jelly but the pine warbler stayed loyal to barkbutter and suet.  Cardinals, chickadees, and downy woodpeckers were present throughout the day.  

 

Red bellied woodpecker

The trees were still when I got up but soon the wind shook them and threw leaves at the windows.  The temperature read 32° and the tide was very low -- below the barnacles.  (There was no frost.  Yesterday's humidity was down in the 20s!)   The mockingbird headed straight to the ant moat as there wasn't any water left in the birdbath.  White throats danced around it hoping to kick up a seed.  A very plumped-out bluebird surveyed the scene while a pine warbler pecked at the suet.  Then bluebird and warbler shared seeds.  

The barkbutter dish held nothing but some oats.  A Carolina wren made do with suet.  At lunch time the mockingbird feasted on jelly.  The creek had risen to cover the lowest board on the bulkhead but the surface was flat and shiny.  A pelican made a couple of passes over the water but I didn't catch it on pixels.  

When the temperature got up to 40° I went out and filled the barkbutter dish.  A squirrel drank from the ant moat.  A buzzard passed over the house and creek.  And at long last a female red bellied woodpecker visited.  She had eyes only for the barkbutter balls but I expect she'll notice the suet eventually.  A female cardinal bellied down on the seed feeder perch so her feathers covered her toes.  It took surprisingly long for the blue jays to show up for barkbutter balls.  

Gusty

Sunshine was intermittent, wind gusts were fierce, but the temperature rose more than the earlier part of the week.  White throated sparrows and a Carolina wren were up at breakfast.  At lunch time I refilled the barkbutter dish and then we had blue jays.  Pine warblers also arrived at lunch.  Eventually, I saw the mockingbird.  The yellow cat tried again to catch a squirrel.  The frightened squirrel hid under the grill.  

The wind must have pushed water out of the Bay because the tide never rose much.  Still, the creek stayed glassy, though dusted with leaves and tree detritus.   

South wind

I was going to skip this day as I was on a computer during most of the daylight hours.  However there was a striking sunset and a bird chirping somewhere in the tree branches through which I saw the colors.  The temperature reached the upper 40s and the sky clouded over.  Yesterday the wind made a flag snap and stand fully outspread to the South.  Today the wind and the flag flipped, which explained the clouds.