Thawing

Morning was sunny and fewer birds were hungry.  The orioles got up early for jelly even though the dish had icicles.  They also ate suet.  A myrtle warbler wanted suet too.  Juncos hunted seeds in the snow.  The temperature rose into the 40s, icicles crashed, snow patches shrank, and open water flowed along the bulkhead though ice still covered 3/4 of the creek.  

At lunch, I refilled the barkbutter dish and discovered there was still ice where the patio was in the shade.  Starlings, bluebirds, and blue jays flocked to the fresh barkbutter balls.  Brown headed cowbirds chose seeds.  Then a goldfinch visited the feeder.  A bluebird drank from the pool meltwater since the birdbath was buried by K's shoveling.  Squirrels reappeared.  White throats investigated the leaf litter as the snow disappeared.  A male red bellied woodpecker perched up in the oak.  I saw Canada geese and a great blue heron where the creek had melted and a pelican and a handful of ducks in flight.  The lake was not frozen but I didn't see anything moving.