Morning fog

After the fog dissipated the day grew very warm.  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. 

Ice

The birdbath water was frozen but I did not see any other signs of frost.  The creek shone with reflections and the sky was very blue.  White throats were up early today.  Pine warblers were very hungry.  I spotted the great blue heron that has been flying up into the pines across the creek.  After I refilled the barkbutter dish we had streaming blue jays.  I also poured water in the birdbath but it started to freeze again.  A dove plodded over the pool cover.  A couple brown headed nuthatches made repeated seed forays.  

At lunch, a lone red winged blackbird devoured suet.  I wonder if he got lost from a flock.  The bird's back was lightly speckled and the epaulette was ragged yellow so I speculated he was young. 

Still hungry

The sun shone but it was still cold, and the birds were still hungry.  The barkbutter balls were gone again and a pine warbler was sad.  The white breasted nuthatch ate seeds instead.  The brown headed nuthatch was right behind.  And the warbler tried seeds too.  Goldfinches tried the seeds on the mountain mint but I don't think they liked them much.  A frustrated blue jay drank from the birdbath.  

 A male cardinal argued with a male bluebird on the seed feeder.  Then another male bluebird flew in.  Then a pine warbler flew in and we had all the primary colors.  A brown headed nuthatch schemed to get past the bigger birds.  All this upset the cardinal who chased them all away, then left.  A flurry of house finches ensued.  The female downy decided the suet was safer.  A goldfinch was attracted to the suet despite supposedly a vegetarian.  Finally the mockingbird arrived for a drink. 

The black and white cat stalked a squirrel and caught it. They wrestled and the squirrel got away. I wonder how.  The cat tried to pretend nothing happened.  Soon it left and birds began to reappear.  White throats stayed earthbound despite the danger.  A Carolina wren had a movable feast.  The male downy ate suet.  Chickadees and titmice ate seeds though a titmouse yearned for barkbutter balls.  I had a morning meeting and hoped to see pelicans again but no such luck.  Just before, I refilled the barkbutter dish and by the time the meeting was over it was empty again.  I also refilled the jelly dish. 

Hungry birds

The songbirds were very hungry all day.  I refilled the barkbutter despite the cold air and rushed back indoors.  Blue jays and starlings must have been watching.  Goldfinches were still wondering what to eat but never looked at the seeds.  Bluebirds had some of everything.  The mockingbird was still after water but discovered the jelly dish.  The brown headed nuthatches ate strictly seeds but the white breasted had some barkbutter balls too.  Chaff or anything the nuthatch didn't want got tossed. 

Pine warblers alternated between suet and barkbutter balls.  The Carolina wren ate everywhere.  Starlings preferred barkbutter balls but also ate suet.  If it was on the ground, the white throats would consider it food.  A pelican cruised over the creek. Crows escorted a hawk out of the area.  Vegetation was in the way but the hawk didn't appear bigger than the crows and appeared to be a light tan without markings so I'm guessing Cooper's hawk. 

Two pairs of cardinals reluctantly shared the area though one pair clearly dominated.  Squirrels also had a "pecking order."  Occasionally they also harassed the birds on the ground.  With bluebirds, I wasn't so sure.  Several doves showed up at lunch.  The oriole arrived after all the barkbutter balls were gone.  I did not refill the barkbutter balls again - once a day's the limit.  In the afternoon, there were flurries of birds competing for a place at the seed feeder.  I spotted a bufflehead on the creek, first I've seen this season.