Humid

The sky was overcast and the windows were fogged at breakfast because the outdoor air was so warm and damp.  Thus I could not get a picture of the white breasted nuthatch that made only one visit to the sunflower seeds.  Despite its repeated visits to the bark butter balls, a blue jay also escaped the camera.  Downy and red bellied woodpeckers competed with starlings for suet.  One of the yellow rumped warblers switched to the front yard suet. Titmice joined chickadees for seeds

A bug of some sort overnighted in a daffodil. Turtles were back on their log. Forsythia was in bloom. The sky cleared by mid afternoon and moon was well up by then.  It was balmy even in the shade when there was a breeze.  But winter isn't over and the suet disappeared too quickly, thanks to the starlings. 

Another 79°F record! 

Bluebird house

Morning was overcast with everything wet and low light.  The female kingfisher caught a fish for breakfast and was whacking it on the dock bench while we ate.  She had swallowed it by the time I got up to take pictures, and the light was not good.  Also breakfasting were downy woodpeckers, song and white throated sparrows, and the butterbutt.  A few forsythia flowers joined the daffodils and jessamine - all yellow. 

As I was getting ready for my lunch meeting, I saw the red bellied woodpecker but she scrammed before I could get to the camera.  The sky began to clear then, and that's when we installed the birdhouse.  We put it in the front yard where there could be more open space around it.  When I returned around 4pm, the sparrows and the woodpeckers were still at work.  A chickadee chased off a nuthatch before I could get a photo.  I sat outside for a bit though it was chilly in the shade of the house.  And while I was out there, this bluebird zoomed over me in the direction of the new house.  Fingers crossed!

Sunny

Four starlings descended on the suet, but fortunately spent more time fighting over it than eating it.  In between, a titmouse, a warbler, and the downy pair got some.  Cardinals competed with the titmice for seeds.  On the ground I saw a junco and a white throated sparrow.  The  creek was glassy, undisturbed by any birds. 

Lots of bugs were out in the afternoon - flies and bees, a cabbage white, and the first damselfly of the year.  There were a few azalea blossoms, forsythia, and Carolina jessamine, but the bees seemed to prefer deadnettle (Lamium pupureum).  The fig buds were opening.  I hung the new "Tweet Tweet Home" birdhouse. 

Toward evening, I saw a female hooded merganser dive.

Cooler

It was still sunny.  Apparently no one told birds about Daylight Savings Time so they have been an hour late for breakfast all week. The dogwood and sweet gum appeared about to pop into flowers.  Forsythia was in bloom along the fence.  The two male cardinals that share the yard had another glaring contest.  A starling looked at the suet and then flew off.  The tuxedo cat was around, as was the warbler.  That may explain the dearth of birds.  I chased the cat off once.

In the afternoon a little flock of juncos combed the slope for seeds.  A squirrel helped.

The sky was cloudless all day, though there was some wind.

Bright morning, dull afternoon

A junco poked through the mulch alongside the sparrows.  Cardinals and chickadees hogged the feeder.  The sun is shining but the sky is lightly veiled and dotted with small cumulus.

It clouded over at lunchtime.  I saw a pelican and an osprey and many geese.  I played with the new camera - it's powerful enough that I could see any feathers that were out of place.  But the birds mostly disappeared leaving me little to practice on, but flowers. 

At supper, we saw warblers flying after bugs.  Sunset was streaky with clouds. 

Buds are opening

It's still wet and not all that warm.  The oak has yellow flowers emerging and the buds on one dogwood are swollen and about to pop.  Finches were first to the feeder, followed by sparrows. A hopeful squirrel again tried to pry the feeder open. 

As I was cooking lunch, first a Carolina wren, then a titmouse, and finally a cardinal and a chickadee joined the sparrows.   An egret banked and turned way downstream.  While we were eating, a hawk swooped over the feeder and everyone scattered.  I think it may have been a sharp shin because I saw bands on a long tail.  Later a squirrel got up on the table outside and showed off her nipples - clearly she's nursing. 

In the afternoon, Canada geese were out on the creek and pelicans were flying low over it.  The feeder was back to finches and sparrows,  Clouds were still sweeping West to East while the trees tossed in the wind.  It grew drier and colder than in the morning. 

Rainy day

I don't know when the rain started but the birdbath was full this morning.  It's a quiet rain, sometimes no more than drizzle.  A Carolina wren poked into the bushes and hopped around the patio.  It looked skinny, maybe because the temperature is warmer and it doesn't need to fluff up?  A titmouse or two came to the feeder along with the regulars and the sparrows.  There are bugs flitting around.

Forsythia is blooming along the fence.  A squirrel took advantage of a lull in the rain to they to open the feeder.  It slipped and caught itself on the perch and proceeded to acrobatics.  Another is denuding the top of the red cedar, presumably for nesting.

A glimmer of sunlight appeared at lunch but was soon chased off by dark clouds and returning rain.  An egret swooped down to the shore where it was out of my sight. 

Dogwood fog

It is very thick. Most years, when the dogwood blooms we get morning fogs. The forsythia is also blooming despite having bloomed in early winter. Birds are singing all over but I can't see them. A woodpecker is hammering. A jay swooped past. A mallard pair is checking out nesting sites. The paper says blooms are two weeks ahead of usual but the mosquito control is beginning almost a month early.

All trace of fog burned away and the sun is bright. The painters are still discouraging feeder birds.

Heavy dew

It's calm and warm and all the surfaces are wet. A breeze ruffles the creek then it goes glassy again. Cormorants flew downstream and kingfishers disputed over fishing grounds. The "handkerchief" spiders have been busy making sheet webs. The creek water is much less murky - I assume that means it is colder. The sky is again that perfect blue that won't even accept contrails.

Now that there are no fledglings to feed, and possibly because of all the seeds and berries, the feeder is lonely. I startled some sunbathing doves and heard chickadees, but that's about it. Most of the trees are now turning though the colored leaves blow off quickly. The stinkhorns are still with us. The forsythia is blooming away even as its leaves turn red. I wonder if it is using up spring blossoms?

Ridiculously warm

It is supposed to reach 80 today then plunge 40 degrees. The lawn weeds are blooming - dandelion, birdseye, henbit. Mahonia, rosemary, forsythia, and the first daffodil are also in bloom on this last day of February.

A heron was stalking the dock in the early morning. A pelican patrolled the water. I checked the newspaper's "solunar" table which gave 8:15am as the "major" feeding time but didn't see any sign that it mattered to fishing birds.