Sunny

There was some nonsense predicted about snow showers, but the day was mostly sunny and mostly in the 40s.  Warblers were quick to notice the dish of barkbutter balls.  A house finch barged in on a warbler even though the finches show no interest in barkbutter.  White throats prospected in the dead vegetation.  So did a junco.  The red bellied woodpecker that was absent yesterday returned.  I guess it was intimidated by the pileateds yesterday.  An orange crowned warbler also seized a barkbutter ball.  And then blue jays came.  

Pileated pair

The temperature dropped thirty degrees but we had sunshine.  Several white throats foraged among the dry leaves.  Then the woodpeckers arrived.  So did a crow and each species was wary of the other.  The crow spooked first.  At lunch, I saw an egret hunched up under the bulkhead.  A pine warbler was saddened by the empty dish feeder.  I had dumped the mealworms because they were soggy from yesterday's rain.  

Hard rain

Pelicans fished the creek.  Wind kept the songbirds away, all but a Carolina wren.  Squirrels played follow-me.  We had blue sky in the morning, then in the afternoon a shower became a downpour.  Meanwhile the temperature was stuck at 65 for hours.  That was the last rain of the year so we finished about six inches below average.  

White sky

The birds were slow to wake up but they came hungry.  Blue jays gobbled up barkbutter balls.  The male red belly had suet.  Warblers, Carolina wrens, and bluebirds went back and forth between them.  An orange crowned warbler and a pine warbler argued over the suet.  A brown headed nuthatch was loyal to the seed feeder.  A white throat nibbled at the barkbutter balls.  

Meanwhile, pelicans flew over the creek.  Squirrels had more on their minds than food.  Mid morning, we had some sunshine but the sky stayed white, with temperatures in the 40s.  

Windy

Morning was sunny but wind made the creek choppy.  Pine warblers enjoyed the fresh suet but a wren and a titmouse were disappointed by the empty barkbutter dish.  I refilled it.  A junco roamed the patio.  The male red bellied woodpecker made repeat visits to the suet.    

Pelicans paddled up the creek.  The sky became overcast in the afternoon.  I saw an egret flying up the lake and another on the shore.  Two pair of hoodies paddled upstream along the bulkhead.  

Gray gloom

White throated sparrows and Carolina wrens joined us at breakfast.  There was sun at first but it didn't last.  The blue jays cleaned out the glass dish leaving nothing but dust.  I refilled it with mealworms which they don't like as much.  At lunch a pine warbler visited.  My timing was really off and half my pictures were where the bird had been.  

Hawk

The morning sky was gray and threatened rain.  Below, the creek was dull and quiet.  K pointed out a possible hawk, but I thought it was too small.  However, the songbirds agreed with K and hid till it flew away.  From the blurry photos, it appears it was a Cooper's hawk sitting in the sweet gum tree.  It flew down toward the creek and disappeared.  

About six minutes passed and then the feeders were full of birds.  Pine warblers and bluebirds argued over the barkbutter balls.  The female bluebird pooped orange.  A yellow rumped warbler scavenged food I'd dropped for the ground feeders.  Juncos stuck to dropped seeds.  A brown headed nuthatch got a turn at the seed feeder.  A song sparrow also foraged in the leaf litter.  A Carolina wren got up on a chair to peer at me, then went to the barkbutter.  Then the orange cat showed up.  

After I shooed it off, the finch family monopolized the seeds to the disappointment of a titmouse.  A butterbutt and a white throat hunted a meal on the ground.   Up in the wild cherry, a squirrel washed itself.  The butterbutt finally got a chance at the barkbutter balls.  The clouds rolled away without doing anything and we had sunshine and a warm afternoon.  The only waterfowl I saw all day was a lone cormorant.  

Crows

The sunny day was mirrored by the quiet creek.  A Carolina wren prodded the suet.  It or another watched from a dogwood branch.  A white throat foraged while the usual seed eaters congregated on the feeder.  After a bluebird showed its disappointment, I refilled both dishes.  But mostly, there were crows.  They perched in the trees and on the dock.  Something, maybe yesterday's fish, interested them at the water's edge.  Certainly the fish was no longer on the dock.  Mallards paddled around and earlier I thought I saw female buffleheads.  The crescent moon was very pretty on the way to church and returning home but I didn't have a camera.  

Brown creeper!

I was gone during the rainy morning.  At lunch I saw a Carolina wren and a white throated sparrow.  During my early afternoon meeting flying egrets reflected on the computer screen.  A great blue heron perched on one of the dock pilings.  I also saw a little bird hopping up the trunk of the redwood, and yes, it was a brown creeper!  It investigated a knothole.  Some birds only like a dull gray day.  

Speaking of herons, one landed on the dock with a quite large fish.  It tried its best to swallow the thing, but the fish was too big.  Meanwhile, a pelican paddled beside the dock.  I don't know if the heron robbed it or if it was hoping the heron might drop the fish into the water.  The pelican gave up and the heron did drop the fish, but on the dock.  The heron left it there and went stalking along the water's edge.  

Quiet

Despite a pleasant day I didn't see many birds.  A Carolina wren foraged under the dish feeder and later one ate from it.  A female bluebird watched from the top of the post and a male ate barkbutter balls.  A yellow rumped warbler considered the barkbutter balls.  A junco poked around the patio.  After working through the weekend, the dredge was stationary.  A small boat maneuvered back and forth around it.  

 

Winter solstice

Birds were busy at breakfast.  Pine warblers, two Carolina wrens, three bluebirds, both kinds of nuthatch, a goldfinch, a white throated sparrow, and a red bellied woodpecker all came to the feeders.  But, of course, the goldfinch was only a spectator.  A female oriole had a drink before settling in on the barkbutter balls.  A blue jay was coy.  

There was some sun in the morning but it grew weak as the cloud cover thickened.  I saw pelicans and egrets despite the dredge.   A squirrel drank from the ant moat.  

Blue sky

Birds were thick at breakfast.  The glass dish full of barkbutter balls hosted titmice, bluebirds, blue jays, Carolina wrens, pine warblers and a white breasted nuthatch.  However, a brown headed nuthatch cared only for seeds which those pesky house finches wouldn't share.  It drove the nuthatch to drink.  A couple of juncos foraged on the ground and tried the seed feeder.  A yellow rumped warbler poked through the dead vegetation.  A male red bellied woodpecker on the suet flaunted his red belly. 

The dredge was back at work disturbing the creek.  Squirrels played follow-the-leader from tree to tree and across the bouncy pool cover.  Not all the squirrels were willing to leap from redwood to hickory.  Both kinds of nuthatch were back for lunch.  The day was sunny and seasonable.  At sunset, which came all too soon, clouds of cormorants swirled and headed every which way.  

High wind

Morning began wet with the temperature in the mid 60s.  The sky was clear and then a menacing cloud blew in from the Northwest.  Eventually the blue sky returned but with strong wind gusts.  The warmth produced bugs for birds so they didn't have to fight the wind to get to the feeders.  I saw hoodies on the creek.  A great blue heron flew over.  A Carolina wren visited the barkbutter balls.  

Migrants and homebodies

Clouds streaked the sky and the temperature was well above freezing.  An oriole came for breakfast.  So did pine warblers, bluebirds, white throats, and a Carolina wren.  A goldfinch considered the food and just drank water.  The dredge chugged up to the bend below the dam.  A red bellied woodpecker tried the suet and the jelly.  Juncos prospected on the patio and one argued with a cardinal about the feeder.  An orange crowned warbler also poked at the suet before turning to the jelly.  A white breasted nuthatch and a pine warbler both claimed the suet.  

A squirrel peeled a moonflower pod right in front of me.  It didn't seem pleased with the result.  Those seeds are hard.

Butterbutts arrived

A little flock of yellow rumped warblers were all over the feeders in the early morning.  After that, I only saw one at a time.  The dredge was back at work now that the creek melted.  

At lunch I filled the dish with mealworms.  That pleased bluebirds, white throats, titmice, pine and orange crowned warblers, and Carolina wrens.  A brown headed nuthatch wanted seeds.  The temperature got into the mid 50s and the sky clouded over.  Sunset was streaky with stratus clouds.  

Insects were lured by the warmth.  I saw a lacewing on the window after dark.  

 

Still very cold

This morning the creek was iced but the feeders were busy.   Blue jays woke up hungry for barkbutter balls.  So did a white throat, a pine warbler, an orange crowned warbler, and a Carolina wren. Even a cardinal stopped there on the way to the seeds.  A red bellied woodpecker was obscured by the suet block.  Brown headed nuthatches joined the cardinals and chickadees on the seed feeder.  Juncos foraged and occasionally flew up to the feeder instead of waiting for seeds to fall.  A bluebird couldn't make up his mind.  Bright sunlight made some birds silhouettes.  

An egret flew over the creek but there was no reason for it to land.  Squirrels foraged in the leaves under the feeder.  At lunch there was no activity at the feeders.  The creek was still mostly iced at sunset.  Only the channel under the bulkhead had melted.  

Hard freeze

The ant moats were solid ice but the creek flowed free.  A Carolina wren was hungry enough to brave the cold.  Soon a white throat arrived.  I had a meeting but kept an eye on the creek.  Gulls and pelicans flew over the creek and egrets prowled under the bulkhead.  Female buffleheads dived and the sun shone.  

The songbirds emptied the dish of mealworms but I waited till after lunch when the temperature had climbed to 32°° to dash outside.  It took the birds a little while to forgive me.  The wren took a barkbutter ball down to the concrete and hammered it into fragments.  The orange crowned warbler chose jelly and followed up with suet, then checked out the barkbutter.  Meanwhile a white throat was foraging under the seed feeder.  The wren decided that looked like a good idea.  

In the late afternoon, egrets congregated on the sunny side of the lake.  Pelicans returned to patrol the creek as the light faded.  

Changeable weather

Early morning was very dark and gloomy.  About 9am rain began and we had a few minutes of snow around 11:30am.  An early Carolina wren was determined to break into the covered dish of mealworms but eventually moved to the suet and then the mulch  White throated sparrows, juncos, and the usual seed eaters also were not deterred by the precipitation. The snow did not stick anywhere.  

Wind dried the windows as the temperature dropped.  More birds came for lunch including a white breasted nuthatch the camera missed.  A wren glared at me because the dish feeders were still capped.  I fixed that as soon as I finished eating.  By around 2pm, blue rents appeared in the overcast and we had some sunshine.  A couple of squirrels cautiously shared the space below the seed feeder.  A wren and a white throat shared mealworms.  

Cornell says there is an irruption of finches and other seed eaters because it was a bad year up North.  They have sighting maps so I looked for red breasted nuthatches.  

 

Sunshine

It was cold overnight but the day warmed up and the sun shone despite clouds on the horizon.  The tide was very low at breakfast and there was a skin of ice away from the current.  Later, I think I saw a bufflehead drake on the creek.  Blue jays took the first turns at the barkbutter balls.  Then a pine warbler, two Carolina wrens, and a white throated sparrow visited the barkbutter dish.  One wren poked at seeds while the other foraged on the ground.  An orange crowned warblers ate jelly.  The pine warbler also checked out the seeds.  

Overcast

The overcast sky did not precipitate either rain or snow but occasionally let the sun come through.  Yellow rosebuds continued to open but the camellia had used up most of its buds.  The orange crowned warbler nibbled on barkbutter balls until interrupted by a chickadee.  Then the warbler went for jelly.  I spotted a mockingbird running along a cherry limb.  The Carolina wren was back with a good appetite.  I spent too much of the day looking at screens instead of windows.  

Busy

A couple of pelicans and at least eight egrets flew over the creek in the early morning before the dock workers arrived.  My photos were all blurred by foreground vegetation.  The tide was very low.  A Carolina wren and an orange crowned warbler came to the feeders.  But mostly workmen were coming and going all day, inside and out.  

Not so cold

All I saw was a Carolina wren.  Too much disturbance was going on.  Sunset was colorful, but so early.  Ten more days before the nights start getting shorter.  

Cold sunshine

Some snow survived on vegetation and furniture.  As they say, "Bridge Freezes Before Road" and a leaf is a small bridge.  A junco foraged in the birdbath.  Carolina wrens were quite hungry so I poured a fresh dish full of mealworms.  Then a white throated sparrow poked through the snowy leaves.  Later there were two wrens and one tried the underside of the suet.  The other sat on a chair arm.  One of them poked at the seeds as well.  Very thorough.  We had people working on the dock in addition to the dredge so I didn't expect waterfowl. An interesting article described using Bluetooth transmitters to track monarch butterflies. 

Snow, sort of

The NWS said, "WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO MIDNIGHT: Snow expected."  Rain was falling in the morning so K left the caps on the dish feeders. The birds were not happy.  One tried to peck through the glass to the food it could see inside.  Then lumber arrived for the dock.  Meanwhile the tide was running high for a waning gibbous moon.  A cold NNE wind was probably the cause.  Around 3pm, clumps of flakes began blowing around, melting on contact with any surface.  Eventually some flakes on vegetation didn't melt.  The snowfall continued into darkness.  Altogether a miserable day.  

More birds

The prediction was for low clouds, fog, and general gloom but that was gone by 9am.  It was cold but not windy, good bird watching weather.  The new cat ambled across the patio early, but I didn't see any other predators.  Pine warblers were particularly interested in the dish of mealworms.  Bluebirds made the rounds of feeders.  Blue jays would really rather have had barkbutter balls.  The orange crowned warbler went straight to the jelly.  

Fuzzy clouds blew past and out to sea.  A Carolina wren picked through the dish but didn't seem pleased.  Pine warblers tried to get past bluebirds to the mealworms.  A titmouse clung to the brick wall, seeming interested in a cavity in the grout.  I thought I saw a butterbutt but couldn't be sure.  A white throat foraged under the seed feeder.  Juncos were also hard to catch on camera.  The two female orioles showed up for mealworms.  A pair of house finches kissed beaks.  

A flicker landed up in the wild cherry.  Then a male red bellied woodpecker chased a downy away from the suet.  He had a noticeably red belly.  

 

Many feeder birds

The dredge came around the bend below the dam, so naturally waterfowl disappeared.  The water looked very silty though the dark gray sky may have been part of the reason.  Since the rain had stopped, I uncovered the dishes and that drew birds.  A Carolina wren picked over the mealworms.  Then a pine warbler selected long ones, like french fries.  A pair of bluebirds were next.  Meanwhile a goldfinch got a drink.  A brown thrasher landed briefly on the dish.  Blue jays acted skittish and didn't want to leave the trees.  

Several pairs of house finches argued precedence at the seed feeder.  A white throated sparrow was tempted off the ground, but by then the mealworms were gone.  A titmouse was also disappointed.  I spotted a yellow rumped warbler up in the trees.  A brown headed nuthatch ignored the house finches.  Finally a blue jay flew down but it too was disappointed.  A junco foraged around the birdbath.  A titmouse in the dogwood ate something that looked like a  dead leaf rolled around a cocoon.  Too many twigs were in the way to be sure.  

I caught a squirrel leaping.  After the dredge stopped, I saw Canada Geese and a great blue heron.  

 

Cold rain

A few birds ventured out.  Chickadees, titmice, house finches, and cardinals came for seeds.  A white throated sparrow puttered in the mulch.  An orange crowned warbler considered seeds but settled for suet.  

 

Overnight freeze

We brought in the pepper plants yesterday.  Other plants looked frost-damaged and I saw some white frost on leaves.  The cold brought out hungry birds.  I couldn't identify the ones flitting through the trees but I think they were warblers.  House finches settled on the seed feeder.  Juncos landed on the patio and poked through the frosted vegetation.  Bluebirds were wary but eventually came to the feeder.  A red bellied woodpecker considered the suet.  It's been months since I've seen one.  A goldfinch debated abandoning veganism for barkbutter.  Then a white throated sparrow foraged where the juncos had been.  Titmice took whatever they could get.  A crow watched from the redwood.  A blue jay passed through the yard but didn't come for food.  A Carolina wren made the feeder rounds, all before 8AM.  

At lunch, two white breasted nuthatches came for seeds and barkbutter balls.  Then I had to hurry to a string of meetings that took the rest of the day.  

Chilly

The prediction was for a sunny day but the sky took its sweet time clearing.  The gray sky at breakfast lacked wildlife even though I restocked the dishes.  At lunch a brown headed nuthatch bullied chickadees.  Then a cardinal took over the seed feeder.  The temperature was in the low 40s but there wasn't much wind and the creek was flat.  A squirrel leaped the tree gap.  

Later the black cat walked across the lower patio.  I went outside to see if I could see the round moon, but vegetation was in the way.  Three egrets flew over, one at a time, headed North.  Many cormorants flew every which way as the shadows got long.  

 

One wet wren

December got off to a dull start - I saw nothing on the 1st.  Today we had heavy rain in the morning and gloom in the afternoon.  A couple of house finches, a chickadee, and a Carolina wren got hungry.  Alas, K had uncovered the dish feeders and the contents turned to soup.