Not as hot

I was tired last night and skipped posting even though I had photos.  The mockingbird was back.  Bluebirds visited.  I was unable to catch a tiger swallowtail on camera.  Blue jays wanted barkbutter balls.  White throats continued to forage and bathe.  Cardinals courted.  A Carolina wren was thirsty and hungry.  A squirrel was itchy but crept close to me.  

A mockingbird started off the morning and visited on and off all day.  A male red bellied woodpecker came for breakfast.  The creek was sunlit and placid in the morning.  A Carolina wren came for lunch.  White throats were still packing for the trip North.  Titmice were hungry today, thirsty too, and in need of a bath.  A female brown headed cowbird got a drink.  Blue jays got a share of mealworms since there weren't barkbutter balls.  Bluebirds were very late arriving.  

The blue-eyed grass and the coral lily bloomed.  I think this is very early in the year for these lilies.  Blue flag irises were also flowering.  Wild cherry trees were done blooming.  The butterfly milkweed got a head start on the mountain mint.  I glimpsed a skink but it was faster than the camera.  Dragonflies also defeated me.  A silver-spotted skipper posed with its silver spots hidden.  I saw tiger and dark swallowtails and a medium-sized butterfly that was too fast to identify.  

Squirrels were very active, chasing, drinking, and eating.  One dived headfirst into the mealworms.  The mealworms are not peppered to discourage squirrels but they were resting on a bed of barkbutter dust that was.  The squirrel frantically brushed its face.  It was much more careful after that.  One squirrel was nursing.  Clouds spread across the sky in the late afternoon and sunset was fiery red.  

Lamb-like weather

A little googling suggested that the proverb owed as much to constellations in the zodiac as to weather prediction.  However that may be, the month began with soft, warm air under a sunny sky.  Bluebirds made the feeder rounds.  White throats did too, and also foraged on the ground.  The song sparrow stayed on the ground.  A myrtle warbler wanted what was in the dish.  Another white throat took a bath in the pool puddle while a dove walked around the edge.  Starlings made repeated forays but spooked easily.  Blue jays were wary but got their share of barkbutter balls.  So did a white breasted nuthatch.  I saw a brown headed nuthatch but it was too quick.  A crow investigated.  

I refilled the glass dish.  A mockingbird must have been watching.  A couple of bufflehead drakes dived and a couple of pelicans flew over the creek.  A Carolina wren finally arrived.  Then a brown thrasher showed up.  Baltimore orioles visited.  Three female brown headed cowbirds picked over the mulch.  I think they wanted the stale popcorn.  More daffodils bloomed.  The temperature cooled as the day went on, there were some wind gusts, and clouds moved in.

4 and 20 blackbirds

We restocked all the feeders and word got out.  The mockingbird arrived almost immediately after I put mealworms out.  Then a flock of blackbirds landed everywhere.  A lot of them were brown headed cowbirds.  A minute later they spooked and did not return.  

 

Sunny but not warm

The sun was back today after 2/3 of an inch of rain yesterday.  The creek work continued.  I saw a pelican and a great blue heron in flight but not when I could get a picture.  A Carolina wren was glad the barkbutter balls were available again, but they disappeared fast.  A shorter-haired yellow cat watched the birds for a moment.  I had an early meeting, then more meetings.  

Bluebirds came for lunch.  Pine warblers joined them.  Brown headed nuthatches plundered the seeds.  A white throat cleaned up the barkbutter dish and a titmouse hunted crumbs.  A myrtle warbler was sad over the empty dish.  Then a brown headed cowbird pair came to see what was on offer but left disappointed.  And I left for yet another meeting.  

 

Pretty day

I ran around town and missed a lot.  A brown headed nuthatch greeted the dawn, followed by a myrtle warbler.  Soon a Carolina wren visited the suet.  Bluebirds ate seeds and a mockingbird ate barkbutter balls.  Three female brown headed cowbirds inspected the feeders.  I hope they don't deposit eggs in any nest around here.  The male oriole was back, lured by the jelly and suet.  A Carolina wren looked for suet crumbs. 

Gray day

Today was cooler, still windy, and mostly overcast, but full of birds.  A female bluebird came for seeds.  A myrtle warbler preferred suet.  The cardinals were courting -- he ferried seeds all of 15 inches up to her.  I guessed it was the thought that counted.  A mockingbird settled for seeds.  A red bellied woodpecker watched from the trees.  White throats foraged in the mulch under the feeder.  The male oriole settled for suet and the female did the same.  A male bluebird took over the seeds from the female.  The female oriole considered the seeds and sampled them.  Even a blue jay was hungry enough for seeds.  I refilled the dishes and a myrtle warbler inspected first the jelly, then the barkbutter balls.  Gulls, pelicans, and cormorants pursued fish. 

The sky was brighter at lunch.  I saw another pelican.  A Carolina wren found what remained of the barkbutter crumbs.  Then a bluebird poked at the crumbs and complained.  A female brown headed cowbird paused on the seed feeder hanger.  Hooded mergansers fished and socialized.  The male red belly finally came to eat suet.  When he left a wren moved in, then a downy.  By evening there were rents in the clouds and some sunset color as the cormorants flew home.   

Spring-like

Apparently there was rain overnight because the birdbath was brim full.  White throats kicked mulch around it.  Daffodils bloomed.  I missed getting pictures of the blue jays and red belly but two mockingbirds came back for multiple visits.  The bossy myrtle warbler hung around.  A female brown headed cowbird joined house finches on the seed feeder.  A Carolina wren sat in a dogwood to groom itself. I think it was molting.  A titmouse was well fed.  A bluebird popped in for a barkbutter ball.  A starling lost its balance on the barkbutter hanger.  Even a white throat sampled the barkbutter balls.  Tiny puffs of cottony cumulus floated on a bright blue sky.  

The total rainfall for February was 5.87" versus a "normal" of 2.9".  But when added to the dry January, it looked less impressive, 7.51" versus a "normal" of 6.31". 

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.  

Gloomy gray

Because of the pesky starlings, we hung the suet horizontally with the plastic packaging still on the upper side.  A pine warbler soon figured it out.  A brown headed nuthatch only cared about seeds anyway.  I spotted the male red bellied woodpecker in the trees.  Expecting rain, I did not refill the barkbutter dish which disappointed a myrtle warbler.  A junco hopped around the patio.  Bluebirds ate seeds since there was nothing in the barkbutter dish.  The male red belly figured out the suet.  Alas, so did a starling.  A white breasted nuthatch was content with seeds.  The starling brought friends including a female cowbird and a red-winged blackbird.  A Carolina wren took a turn with the seeds.  A downy enjoyed the suet.  White throats hunted fallen seeds.  A goldfinch got a drink and then hung out on the seed feeder with another.  One of them was curious about the suet.  The other attempted to bully a titmouse but the titmouse just sneaked up behind.  A very little rain spattered the window.  There were ruddy ducks on the creek but the light was too bad and they just blended in with the gray water.  

Chilling

There was evidence of overnight rain but the wind blew hard and the temperature dropped steadily all day long.  As a result, we had bright sunshine and blue sky.  The female red belly wanted seeds but a male cardinal wasn't willing to move.  White throats did their can-can in the mulch.  Titmice and chickadees got some seeds.  A Carolina wren performed on the barkbutter ring.  A myrtle warbler perched on the chair arm.  I refilled the jelly and barkbutter dishes.  A blue jay approved.  

K rehung the suet at lunch after I slipped trying to do it.  While sitting on the steps I was an object of curiosity for a pine warbler and a brown headed nuthatch.  A myrtle warbler was more interested in the suet.  Soon a male oriole visited but didn't partake of our offerings.  Blue birds were happy to feast.  I counted three males and a female.  A mockingbird showed up after the barkbutter dish was emptied.  Two brown headed nuthatches shared the seed feeder perch.  A starling drank from the birdbath.  Brown headed cowbirds took over the seed feeder.  Like the cardinals, they are too heavy for two of them to share the perch.  They argued over which got to stay.  The male red belly visited in the afternoon for suet.  

Earlier in the day,  a great blue heron had been up in the pines.  A few buffleheads had paddled past.  Toward evening, I saw five egrets lined up under the dam. Two or three pelicans were still fishing.  The cormorants flew to their roosts.  The lake was empty of birds as it has mostly been this winter.  The convenient log the turtles used disappeared over the summer.  

4 & 20 blackbirds

A pine warbler caught the light at dawn on this icy cold day.  A myrtle warbler sat on a chair soaking up rays.  A Carolina wren stayed in the shadows to eat suet.  Then starlings began to arrive.  Blue jays found the barkbutter balls left from yesterday.  A handful of robins stayed up in the trees.  Three or four white throats rushed around.  

The creek was well iced except where the current runs under the bulkhead.  The female downy had seeds.  Bluebirds argued with a female oriole over the barkbutter balls.  She won and the bluebirds decided to eat seeds.  She moved on to the jelly.  Back at the barkbutter dish, it was bluebird versus pine warbler.  Other warblers focused on suet.  

The female red belly opted for barkbutter balls instead of her usual.  Or maybe it was a different bird?  The male downy wanted suet.  Meanwhile egrets and perhaps other birds flew over the creek.  Brown headed nuthatches  were thirsty and hungry for seeds.  I glimpsed a white breasted nuthatch making off with a barkbutter ball.  

Red winged blackbirds and brown headed cowbirds added to the blackbird count.  They ornamented the trees and then spooked.  The wind grew gusty and the tux cat showed up.  Starlings didn't care.  An oriole gleaned barkbutter dust from the emptied dish.  The red belly went back to seeds.  A mockingbird made a late visit.  A mourning dove wanted a drink but the birdbath was still a solid block.  

Four woodpeckers

Some fishing occurred at dawn.  I saw cormorants for sure.   The creek surface was roughened.  Up on the patio, a myrtle warbler wanted a drink from the drying birdbath.  The male pileated tackled the suet.  I got a glimpse of a white breasted nuthatch but it did not return. 

In the late morning, red winged blackbirds came back along with starlings and cowbirds.  By then the temperature had climbed enough that I refilled the dish feeders.  This time I put out barkbutter balls for a change.  A bluebird was watching.  A female yellow-shafted flicker landed in the dogwood but came no closer.  

A handful of hoodies paddled by on the far side of the creek.  A pine warbler studied the menu.  By this time the wind had grown very gusty and was waving whole pine trees.  The wind, or something, made birds cautious and easily spooked.  The red bellied woodpecker, for example, snatched a barkbutter ball and was gone.  I had to lie in wait for her.  Blue jays were even worse. 

A few white throats came to forage along with a song sparrow.  The male oriole finally settled in for some jelly.  A Carolina wren also poked through the mulch.  Downy woodpeckers squeezed in whenever the starlings left the suet.  That made four woodpecker species today.  Buds on the dogwood and the oak seemed to be swelling.  The newspaper started reporting on pollen last Friday. 

Windy

Because of the time change I was up earlier, before the day had shown what weather to expect.  A titmouse, a butterbutt, a song sparrow and two white throated sparrows were already seeking breakfast.  The creek was still and high with the new moon, but the trees it reflected were just gray.  Soon, though, there was sunlight and two brown headed nuthatches appeared.  Although only 20 minutes had passed, the creek surface had become rumpled.  Fierce-looking clouds boiled up from the horizon but they were all show and no storm.

The starlings arrived and began to argue about the food. The female pileated woodpecker scared them away.  Then a crow scared the woodpecker when it prospected for suet crumbs. 

Blue jays discovered that I'd put out mealworms.  Then the starlings had to have some.  The female red bellied woodpecker worked hard to extract seeds.  Bluebirds heard about the mealworms.  The male bluebird tried seeds as well.  He had one feather sticking out at an angle.  (I hope it drops somewhere I can find it.)  Orioles found the jelly. 

A flicker hunted in the pine needles and dried vegetation of the far side of the pool.   A dove joined a squirrel in rooting through the mulch under the feeder. 

Pelicans patrolled the creek and one floated downstream.  By this time the tide had dropped though the wind was affecting it.  Warblers were here and there at lunchtime.  A white breasted nuthatch escaped the camera while my hands were full of lunch. The orioles had another dispute over jelly.  The male pileated took a turn at the suet.  A small flock of red-winged blackbirds clustered around the birdbath.  Three brown headed cowbirds, one female, were with the half dozen blackbirds. 

The wind got stronger as the day progressed.  Dark clouds continued to blow over.  The late afternoon sun lit up the trees in front of the clouds, then turned the clouds yellow. 

Drying out

We got over four inches of rain this week and more is predicted.  But none fell today so I put jelly and barkbutter balls out.  The suet may not last till the next dry day.  Pileated woodpeckers gave it a thorough pecking.  The female red bellied woodpecker still ignored the suet in favor of the seeds.  The downy shared the pileated's preference.  

The creek was in a reflective mood in the early light but there was no sunshine to make the water glow.  A pelican passed over.  A bluebird checked out the menu.  A brown headed nuthatch got some seeds.  Then white breasted nuthatches did the same.  

Around 12:30pm a bit of blue opened up in the Northeast and soon the clouds were rolling back.  The wind that pushed the clouds away felt cold, but the temperature was close to 60°.  Blue jays stuffed their beaks with barkbutter balls.  Starlings copied them.  Butterbutts were more interested in the suet.  

Sign of Spring - A female cardinal had a beak full of twigs!  A pair of brown headed cowbirds hung out with the starlings.  The female orioles found the jelly.  

Evening arrived with bars of cloud across the Northeast sky.  It made an interesting backdrop for the cormorant commute.  

Final GBBC day

From 7:50 to 9:05am I counted 2 butterbutts, an orange crowned warbler, 2 pine warblers, 3 orioles, 2 blue jays, a female cardinal, 2 starlings, and then a rptor caused a lull.  After it soared away, I saw 2 crows, 4 house finches, the female red bellied woodpecker, 3 red winged blackbirds, a chickadee, a pelican, 2 white breasted nuthatches, a cormorant, and finally the female downy woodpecker.  The sky was blue except for contrails and the temperature was 41°.  

By noon, the temperature had risen to 48° under a cloudless sky.  I watched for an hour and a half and saw 2 pelicans, about five warblers (pine and yellow rumped), 2 white throated sparrows, a bluebird, a brown headed nuthatch, 3 house finches, an oriole, and 2 starlings. Then a big raptor, possibly an eagle, swooped behind the trees.

After a break, I started again at 2pm for another hour and a half.  This time a pileated woodpecker showed up. 3 orioles including a male, 2 white throats, 2 cardinals, a mockingbird, 2 mallards, 3 red winged blackbirds, 2 starlings, a female brown headed cowbird, a persistent brown headed nuthatch, and at least 5 warblers, some pine and some yellow rumped finished my count for the year.  

Apparently the afternoon was warm enough for a midge to fly and land on the window.  

Windy

The day grew steadily colder and the clouds made me think of snow. I was gone all morning.  In the afternoon, the wind gradually cleared the sky.  Brown headed nuthatches managed to get fed despite the bigger birds.  Blue jays and bluebirds were delighted when I finally restocked the dish feeders.  Orioles felt the same about the jelly.  An oriole with a beak full of grape jelly looked quite bloodthirsty. 

The warblers wanted some of everything, even jelly for one myrtle warbler.  A Carolina wren scavenged whatever fell.  Juncos and white throats also foraged on the ground.  A brown headed cowbird joined them.  Three robins flew over him.  A couple of red winged blackbirds stayed in the trees. 

A big raptor circled but my only photo was fuzzy.  I saw buffleheads on the creek.  

Fishing frenzy!

Egrets, pelicans, and gulls chased the fish up the creek and back down twice in the morning.  The first run was at high tide.  Cormorants and hooded mergansers followed the crowd of white birds.  A great blue heron perched high in the pines. 

The female cowbird returned.  A mockingbird got into the barkbutter balls before the blue jays noticed. Bluebirds and warblers got their share.  A goldfinch was shy about intruding on the house finches on the feeder.  I got some pruning done before the rain began.  

Blackbirds and woodpeckers

The sun shone all day while small clouds flowed rapidly East. It didn't seem windy at ground level though it was colder.  Pelicans continued to fish but the other birds were fewer and less frequent so I think that the fish they were after must have dispersed. (I was wrong!) A few buffleheads paddled after the bigger birds. 

I paid more attention to the song and feeder birds.  Woodpeckers stayed fairly distant.  I saw a red bellied woodpecker hiking up a pine trunk.  A flicker preened on the hackberry trunk.  I think the downy finished off the suet.  Three red winged blackbirds and a female cowbird foraged under the seed feeder.  And a male oriole enjoyed some jelly.  

Bluebirds, warblers, a Carolina wren, brown headed nuthatches, and a mockingbird visited feeders while juncos, white throated sparrows, and a song sparrow hunted on the ground.  Of course the cardinals, house finches, chickadees, and titmice come every day.  

Frozen

Overnight was as cold as predicted but less windy.  I poured hot water into the birdbath twice and each time it refroze.  But while it was still fluid, it was popular with the songbirds.  The creek didn't freeze on account of the wind agitating the surface, I think. 

A female towhee came to eat the seeds I scattered.  So did a flock of cowbirds and red winged blackbirds along with one starling.  A crow flew to the post and scolded till the left.  There weren't many seeds left for the sparrows and juncos.  

A female red bellied woodpecker took the suet away from the downy.  Bluebirds and warblers alternated between suet and barkbutter balls.  Even the nuthatches took turns on the suet.  The Carolina wrens ate some of everything.  

First dragonfly

Despite the fact that the feeder perch would hold at least four of them, a chickadee and a nuthatch didn't feel like sharing.   A pair of goldfinches briefly checked on the seed feeder and decided to go elsewhere for breakfast.  I've noticed that they are more picky than other birds.  Starlings showed up for suet.   Blue jays were around but never out in the open. 

After lunch, I went outside to listen to the birds.  I had a hard time spotting the singers I could hear.  A wren buzzed, a red bellied woodpecker hammered and croaked, a mockingbird ran through his repertoire, others I couldn't identify.   I think the woodpecker was fussing because I was too close to the feeders for his comfort.  A brown headed cowbird male perched in the pecan, but I don't know if it sang. 

The dragonfly was about the size of a pennant, smaller than a skimmer, with unmarked wings and a dark body.  It was zigzagging on a gusty breeze and never perched, so no photo.  I also saw another big black beetle, another burrowing bee, and an earwig, I think, with a red head and pale thorax.  A tiny, white spider tried to get inside the camera.  

The azaleas were at their peak.  Money plants were already making seedpods.  Wood hyacinths and violets added blue and white to the pink azaleas and money plants.  One of the wood hyacinths came up pale pink.  The rue was beginning to flower as was one blue eyed grass plant.  Coral lilies started blooming a couple of weeks ago.  This week the Solomon's seal shot out of the ground and immediately started making flowers.

An egret sauntered past oysters at low tide.  The green between its beak and eye showed it was in the mood to breed.  A goose and a mallard drake were the only other water birds I saw.  A big fish jumped anyway.  I went back outside after dark because the temperature was so pleasant.  The moon and planets weren't visible.