Bright snow

At bedtime last night I could see stars so I think the snow was finished.  This morning is sunny but the sky is hazy.  The creek is half iced but the ice is so thin it ripples.  Pelicans and gulls have cruised over the open water by the bulkhead.  Hooded mergansers and a canvasback paddled up and down.

The song birds were famished so I'm glad we left the feeder open.  I glimpsed a titmouse in addition to the sparrows and the regulars.  Juncos scurried in the snow.  A dove landed on the feeder roof.  Both male and female towhee fed from the feeder.  The cardinals continue their turf contest, both the males and the females.

The sky clouded over by noon and the day got progressively duller.  Mid-afternoon, a fine rain began.  The birds all continued feeding anyway.  The eaves dripped, the snow slumped, and the creek ice slowly retreated. 

Warm, with wood ducks!

Of course the wood ducks showed up during breakfast when my hands were full.  And they stayed hidden behind nearer branches most of the time.  Pelicans and cormorants fished all around them. 

We were late getting up and sparrows were all over the feeder trying to get it open. A couple of crows chased each other.  A heron landed across the creek, which looked polished with sharp reflections. 

The sky has gotten white as wispy clouds spread, but the sun is still bright.  The creek has gone rough. A canvasback paddled past. 

A pelican in mating plumage perched on a dock piling.  Wisps of cloud hazed the sky.

Toward dusk, a bird, probably a warbler, perched in the top of the redwood, flying out to catch bugs.  And I could see insects flying around lower.  The irony is that it reached nearly 70 today and it may snow tomorrow. Clouds congealed quickly after dark. 

Cold

It is sunny again and this morning the birds were eager.  A half dozen sparrows and a female towhee competed for the perch and the ground.  The birdbath was frozen.  A great blue heron took position on the bulkhead again - same one as yesterday?  The ruddy ducks were in a huddle in the middle of the creek.  A mallard slipped by along the bulkhead.

I had better luck counting birds at 9am today, though they were mostly on or above the creek.  There were a couple dozen ruddy ducks. They were joined by four canvasbacks and a half dozen hooded mergansers.  I counted four turkey vultures and one black vulture circling overhead.  A crow took after one vulture.  A pelican passed through.  As for the feeder, white throats, a pair of cardinals, a couple chickadees, and two mourning doves were all I saw. 

A robin came for a drink at lunch.  Afterward, a pair of house finches joined chickadees and sparrows.  I saw something hiking itself along the underside of branches and got all excited till I discovered it was a chickadee.   The buzzards continued their patrol but the ducks moved on. 

White sky

The moon was bright last night, fattening past first quarter, but this morning there is cloud cover.  Ruddy ducks are still fishing and mallards and geese are paddling around.  Titmice started on the feeder, then white throats, a junco, and a finch arrived.

There was some sunshine around noon but the sky stayed white.  Great blue herons were having turf battles along the creek and a few egrets passed by on the way to the lake.  A cormorant surfaced between a couple of ruddy ducks, to their consternation.  The Carolina wren came for lunch, along with the sparrows, squirrels, cardinals, and chickadees.

Finally, mid-afternoon I saw the first pelican since the snowstorm and creek freeze.  Then some pale ducks with dark heads started diving among the much smaller ruddy ducks.  I believe they were canvasbacks.  Gulls and buzzards watched from the sky while two herons continue to chase each other.

Sunset was tinged pink.