Robins

There was a light frost and a skin of ice on the creek at first, but the sun quickly warmed everything.  A little flock of robins landed to drink from the pool puddle.  I was not surprised they were thirsty because there's been no rain this month and very little in January.  A different flock squabbled in the back yard across the creek.  It looked to me like one vulture had something that the others wanted.  They spread out their wings and danced around like boxers.  I saw one with a black head and several with red heads.  An eagle swooped past and kept going.  

At the feeders we had a red belly, a blue jay, a Carolina wren, a mockingbird, a bluebird, a pair of orioles, a pine and a myrtle warbler.  On the ground, the song sparrow joined the white throats.  A crow promenaded past the door.   The blue jay scolded me for letting the barkbutter balls run low.  

A brown headed nuthatch showed up for lunch.  Most of the breakfast birds returned.  I also saw through the trees an egret and a pelican and a duck I couldn't identify.   That made me decide to do a third bird count from a window with a better view of the creek.  I was rewarded with a bufflehead, a pair of hooded mergansers, and a red breasted merganser.  Pelicans were easier to photograph and I could identify the gulls.  One was a ringed bill and another was a great black backed gull.  At least four cormorants were fishing or drying out.  

I finally succeeded in accessing eBird on the laptop and using Merlin on the phone. 

Squirrel Appreciation Day

I skipped yesterday because I had so little to report.   A titmouse and a cardinal ate barkbutter balls.  A Carolina wren ate suet.  White throats wandered around the patio.  The sky was intensely blue.  

Light frost whitened the dead vegetation and skins of ice floated on the creek.   The sun's angle was finally high enough to catch the seedheads of mountain mint.  I tried to celebrate their day, but the squirrels seemed uninterested.  The day was sunny with a West wind.  

Bluebirds liked the mealworms but were back lighted at lunch.  As usual, white throats messed around in the dry leaves, no longer frosted.  Titmice were hungry for everything but had to compete with house finches and chickadees.  Pine warblers worked on the suet and got thirsty.  Eventually a Carolina wren arrived.  I saw a great blue heron land in a tree behind a lot of crisscrossing branches.  There were pelicans as well.  

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.  

Red bellied woodpecker

The trees were still when I got up but soon the wind shook them and threw leaves at the windows.  The temperature read 32° and the tide was very low -- below the barnacles.  (There was no frost.  Yesterday's humidity was down in the 20s!)   The mockingbird headed straight to the ant moat as there wasn't any water left in the birdbath.  White throats danced around it hoping to kick up a seed.  A very plumped-out bluebird surveyed the scene while a pine warbler pecked at the suet.  Then bluebird and warbler shared seeds.  

The barkbutter dish held nothing but some oats.  A Carolina wren made do with suet.  At lunch time the mockingbird feasted on jelly.  The creek had risen to cover the lowest board on the bulkhead but the surface was flat and shiny.  A pelican made a couple of passes over the water but I didn't catch it on pixels.  

When the temperature got up to 40° I went out and filled the barkbutter dish.  A squirrel drank from the ant moat.  A buzzard passed over the house and creek.  And at long last a female red bellied woodpecker visited.  She had eyes only for the barkbutter balls but I expect she'll notice the suet eventually.  A female cardinal bellied down on the seed feeder perch so her feathers covered her toes.  It took surprisingly long for the blue jays to show up for barkbutter balls.  

The lion and the panther

Frost furred the money plant leaves and the top of the seed feeder.  .  The creek glittered with reflected sunlight.  A fine haze was visible in front of more distant trees.  Pileated woodpeckers are definitely early risers.  Brown headed nuthatches were close behind.  Soon warblers arrived.  A goldfinch landed on the hanger above the ant moat but was soon gone.    Bluebirds checked the barkbutter dish and orioles the jelly dish.  The orioles were in luck, but not the bluebirds.  

A pelican perched on a dock post again.  Another fished next to a cormorant.  The yellow long-haired cat sauntered through the yard.  I think it was more interested in rodents than birds.  At lunch, the black cat ventured out on the pool cover to get a drink from the puddle   It was not pleased when its footsteps filled with water.  

Frost

There was a pretty rime of ice on the money plant and mountain mint leaves but I don't think anything was killed.  The creek was glassy in the early light and the day warmed pretty quickly.  The sky was intensely blue though there were contrail streaks.  Male flowers on the pines joined the oaks in gilding surfaces with pollen.  Money plants formed buds and violets bloomed.  Azaleas began to flower but the blueberry buds would not be rushed. 

I spotted a pied-bill grebe on the creek but it dived and anyway vegetation fooled the camera focus.  A great blue heron supervised the turtles on the lake.  A great egret fished below the dam. 

Starlings took over the dish feeders.  A mockingbird drank from the birdbath.  Orioles savored the jelly.  in the bushes across the pool, two brown thrashers chased each other but I got no pictures.  Bluebirds eventually got some food.  A myrtle warbler foraged in the birdbath which had dried out during the day.  Then it hovered to peck suet.  Strange bird. 

Bees inspecting the rue for flowers were disappointed.  A black swallowtail only cared about the rue leaves that would feed caterpillars.  

Frosty

I saw a light coat of white crystals on weeds around the birdbath and longer crystals that didn't quite cover the water in the birdbath so I added hot water and put out fresh barkbutter balls.  A flurry of birds arrived including a mockingbird, a pine warbler, and a bluebird.  Later a brown headed nuthatch and a male oriole put in an appearance.

K walked me through the camera setup, but I don't seem to have the magnification I expected.  And I haven't figured out how to get photos off the camera.  I took pictures of the creek reflections, a little flock of hoodies, and cormorants flying across sunset-colored clouds.  I missed the kingfisher and the great blue heron.  

Song sparrow

At breakfast, there were patches of ice floating on the creek and frost on leaves, but the air warmed up fast.  The day was generally sunny, though there were plenty of clouds.  The bullying butterbutt continued his bad behavior, chasing pine and other myrtle warblers away.  White throated sparrows were back, unobtrusively foraging. 

Both a white breasted and a brown headed nuthatch visited, the white breasted for suet and the brown headed for seeds.  Bluebirds returned.  A song sparrow preened in a dogwood between the pool and the creek. 

More warm sunshine

The mulch was frosted again and the trees in the distance appeared faintly misty.  Blue jay greed was greatly in evidence.  Of course, it wasn't so obvious how much suet the orioles and mockingbird were packing away.  The Carolina wren pair sampled everything.  I also saw red breasted nuthatches and yellow rumped warblers.

The bright sun brought turtles up from the mud.  But pelicans fished in the creek to avoid the wind.  There were also buffleheads and hoodies on the creek.  Five crows were up to something in the pines.  A squirrel sulked on top of the feeder it couldn't get into.  The temperature rose into the mid 50s and then clouds moved in by 4pm.  

Another frosty morning

A song sparrow scurried around the mulch.  The creek had a matte finish thanks to a skin of ice.  A female oriole was eager for suet though there was little left.  Both red breasted and white breasted nuthatches wanted sunflower seeds.  The aggressive yellow rumped warbler and pine warblers soon joined the crowd.  

I spotted a lone red-winged blackbird in the redwood just before it flew away.  The Carolina wrens explored the sunflower seeds, the mulch, and of course the suet.  White throated sparrows slept in but eventually appeared.    A bright sun raised the temperature to 58° by afternoon.  I finally installed a fresh block of suet in the, by then empty, suet cage. 

So many birds!

The chill overnight left a faint layer of frost and K said there was ice in the birdbath.  It certainly made the birds hungry.  Blue jays remembered they hadn't finished off the bark butter balls.  The sickly-looking white throat poked around below.  A male bluebird was evicted from the suet by a male oriole.  The downy woodpeckers were late. 

I saw a pelican and some migrant ducks fly upstream so I went to the window in back to get a better look.  They were gone but mallards were courting. He bobbed his head then she bobbed hers, back and forth, and then she disappeared under him.  They were discretely screened by vegetation.  

Back at the feeders, the mockingbird took over the suet, now conveniently within reach.  When the mockingbird left, warblers moved in.  Two butterbutts (aka yellow rumped warblers) flew at each other over the suet. But the pine warblers got their share.  They've been more aggressive this year - they used to defer to the butterbutts.  Titmice wisely chose sunflower seeds.  

After dinner was in the oven, I went outside.  The temperature had risen into the 50s but the sky was hazy.  None of the birds would join me. When I went back in they came out.  The pair of Carolina wrens switched off, one on the suet the other below scarfing up crumbs.  Red breasted nuthatches finally reappeared.  

I had put out jelly after seeing the oriole but a squirrel got into it.  The squirrel tried to climb the pole and slid down like a movie fireman.  So then it got up on the back of a chair and leaped for the crook of the hanger.  It hung like a bat from the top and ate upside down.  Then it came over to the window and hopped up on the birdhouse I keep meaning to clean out, the better to glare at me for laughing.  

The mockingbird and a pine warbler argued over the suet.  Then a female red bellied woodpecker showed up.  The mockingbird moved to the bark butter.  But the feisty pine warblers stayed with the suet.  

A brown headed nuthatch visited tie seed feeder.  The white throat had a brief bath.  A brown thrasher snatched a bark butter ball.  The juncos arrived in the late afternoon.

I glimpsed buffleheads paddling upstream so I went down to the dock to see if there were more waterbirds.  Just cormorants commuting home.  I was hoping I might have a better angle on the planetary conjunction, but the camera battery gave out and I was cold.  This was the last chance since it's supposed to be raining tomorrow evening.  Back inside with a fresh battery, I noticed egrets were congregating on the lake.  There were also cormorants and a great blue heron in the fading light.  

Cold

I'm not sure whether it got down to freezing last night, but if not, It may tonight.  Despite the sunshine, it's certainly too cold for the pepper plant.  Pelicans were flying and fishing on the creek.  So were a flock of cormorants.  A great blue heron lurked under the bulkhead.  I saw four buffleheads, a drake and three females, but there may have been more underwater. 

Downy woodpeckers were intent upon suet.  Red breasted nuthatches refueled on seeds.  A blue jay perched in the hackberry. 

Still cold

The orange crowned warbler was up early.   There wasn't much suet left.  A Carolina wren poked around in the mulch.  The male downy was too much for a smaller bird on the suet.  I think it was the kinglet but it was on the far side of the suet so I don't know for sure.  Then the downy lost out to the red belly.  The orange crowned warbler returned and shared with the red belly, briefly. 

Two doves pecked through the ice on the birdbath.  The two downy woodpeckers landed on the post at the same time and had to settle whose turn it was.  I noticed it's always the male's turn first.  A white throated sparrow foraged with the song sparrow.  The creek was choppy. 

In the afternoon, a pine warbler visited the suet. 

Ice

Long crystals covered the surface of the water in the birdbath at breakfast.  The sky was a cloudless robin's egg blue and the creek was full of wavy reflections. A Carolina wren was up before there was enough light for pictures.  A song sparrow was glad I scattered some seeds.  A white throated sparrow was able to get some before they were all gone.  Soon the downy woodpeckers arrived.  The red bellied woodpecker lurked in the trees before venturing to the suet.  A goldfinch seemed uncertain what was edible. 


By lunch time, the creek was no longer calm.  Clouds sped across the blue sky and occasionally blinked the sun.  A female oriole slipped in for a bark butter ball. A Carolina wren had the same idea.  The the male oriole had to have some.  The orange crowned warbler preferred suet.  And the ruby crowned kinglet went for the dish of bark butter.  A song sparrow waded in the cold birdbath water looking for dropped seeds. 

A female oriole tried to share the suet with a downy but it didn't last.  A hooded merganser drake bobbed on the water.  The sparrows, kinglet, and warbler hung around into the afternoon.  So did I but eventually I had to do other things.  The nearly full moon was up before sunset.  

Still overcast

Frost coated the mulch and melted off the bird feeder.  Ice only covered half the creek.  A downy woodpecker was up bright and early.  A pine warbler followed on the suet.  Then a bluebird dropped in but apparently did not think the suet was edible.  The male red bellied woodpecker was back. Vapor rose off the creek.  

While there had been some sunshine early, the sky clouded over again.  After church, K sawed down two redwood limbs that had been intruding in my view and confusing the camera focus.  A Carolina wren looked for a bark butter ball.  A pine warbler went for the tub of bark butter, perhaps because the downy woodpecker was on the suet. There were buffleheads on the creek. 

Frigid

The creek was choppy at first light but it calmed under the sun.  The birdbath was solid ice so I poured hot water in and a couple of hours later it had frozen again.  Another thing that froze was my car battery, so I spent time I didn't have getting it replaced.

Nevertheless, I discovered that we have two song sparrows.  They don't seem to hang out together like the Carolina wrens or the cardinals so I didn't realize I was seeing different birds.  This morning one foraged in the mulch while another lurked under a chair.  I also saw at least one white throat.  Downy woodpeckers stuffed themselves on suet.

An egret huddled on the dam.  A great blue heron preened on the bank above the bulkhead. Pelicans patrolled the creek.   Crows behaved mysteriously, whispering together on the far bank.

Sunset was cloudless but the sky glowed with color. 

Going gray

A cold and sunny start led to a warm, overcast day's end.  The birdbath was frozen.  Birds didn't get going very fast but eventually a downy woodpecker came for suet.  The feral cat huddled under the cedar facing away so it appeared all black. 

The creek was a perfect mirror, "as above, so below."  I saw a pelican but it was gone before I could think about the camera.  A bufflehead drake hung around making rings in the reflections. 

By noon, clouds created a mackerel sky and by mid afternoon the overcast was solid.  The temperature had risen about twenty degrees.  As soon as the light was poor, out came the white throated sparrows.  

Brrrrrr

A light frost rimed the mulch and the birdbath was frozen.   A dark morning with an occasional stray fragment of a snowflake gave way to bright sunshine that never warmed the air beyond the 30s.

 A downy woodpecker found the suet. Titmice joined the feeder gang.  Then the cat showed up. 

A crow perched on a piling at the neighbors' dock.  A great blue heron flew downstream. At least half a dozen hoodies cavorted on the creek as the shadows grew long.  The low angle sunlight gilded the ducks which wasn't good for photos. It seemed at times like they were swimming in rings as though herding fish.  Sometimes there was a commotion in the water with no visible cause.  The tide was out so any fish would have had less space to escape. 

Overnight freeze

At breakfast, I saw an osprey in the pines across the creek. The water in the birdbath was frozen which annoyed a white throat. 

The myrtle warbler with no yellow along its wings was up early to eat bark butter.  About twenty minutes later the one with lots of yellow took over.  A Carolina wren went for the suet.  I put out jelly for the oriole but a squirrel found it. 

It was nearly lunch time when the downy woodpeckers arrived. Titmice appeared around the same time and so did pine warblers. 

The brown pelican plunged for a fish.  A crow made off with a treat and the others chased after it.  The wood duck drake, or another, was back on the lake.  A bufflehead dived its way downstream to where an egret fished in the late afternoon sun. 

Frigid

When I poured hot water into the birdbath, it practically froze on contact. The wind was the reason the creek wasn't frozen too.  I saw a couple of hoodies on the water.  Later there were buffleheads.  The "king tide" had already peaked.  Bright sunshine lasted all day.  The afternoon low tide was very low because the wind helped the tide. 

A downy woodpecker was up early to enjoy some undisturbed time with the suet.  White throats were out and about.  A myrtle warbler pecked at the ice in the birdbath.  I put out some jelly and saw one female oriole.  A red breasted nuthatch nearly eluded me as did a Carolina wren.