Sunny and dry

Yesterday, the kingfisher was back on her post, but not for long.  Maybe I bothered her?  The domestic cherry leaves began to turn.  Saltbush fluff was snagged everywhere. 

There was still not much to see today beyond the turning leaves and pretty reflections under a beautiful blue sky.  In the afternoon, faint cloud ridges formed.  

Tufted titmice visited the barkbutter balls.  A Carolina wren scurried under a chair.  A blue jay and some gulls flew overhead.  The three regulars -- cardinals, house finches, chickadees -- ate seeds.  

A Canada goose stood on the back of the dock bench.  I spotted a pied bill grebe in the water with a mallard for scale.  

Gone fishin'

The sun was back but there was a brisk breeze.  Apparently it was good fishing weather.  Pelicans, cormorants, hoodies, and the ruddy duck thought so.  There might have been a grebe as well.  A couple of blue jays followed each other through the trees. 

A day late

The pileated woodpecker that was missing throughout the GBBC returned today.  And I saw the first ruddy duck of the winter hanging out with a mallard and a grebe.  A couple of female hoodies paddled by. 

The dog put on a concert of growls and howls at nothing in particular.  The yellow rumped warbler exhausted itself chasing pine warblers, displaying its buttered butt, and trying to eat suet while hovering.  Must be something in the air, which rose over 70^o!  

After lunch, I saw three female orioles, a red winged blackbird, juncos, a song and a white throated sparrow, bluebirds, and a blue jay.  

Later on the creek, an egret flew in.  Turtles soaked up the sun.  Pelicans passed and one landed to swallow a fish.  A couple of female buffleheads flew in.  The kingfisher was back on the bench but without a fish.  A great blue heron flew over and the kingfisher disappeared. 

I left for a meeting at sunset and got to see the new moon's crescent trailed by a bright planet.  I didn't have the camera with me but here is a diagram.  According to EarthSky, the planet must have been Venus, though Jupiter was supposed to be in the neighborhood.  I hope I can watch tomorrow when they should be even closer.  

Fishing spree

Ducks and egrets and cormorants and pelicans and gulls patrolled the creek all day.   A grebe and a few buffleheads joined the hooded mergansers.  A snowy egret landed on the dock - the first time I've seen one come this far upstream.  

A great egret dried out on a post downstream.  It looked dingy and wet like it had fallen in.  I'd never seen a dirty egret before.  Rings of ripples kept popping to the surface of the creek but whether they were caused by fish or fishing ducks or methane wasn't clear.  The lake, however, was empty of action. 

The feeders also did lively business.  Pine and myrtle warblers, brown headed and white breasted nuthatches, bluebirds, and a Carolina wren joined the regulars.  Once again, goldfinches looked around for something to their liking. 

Juncos and white throats foraged on the ground beneath.  Doves seemed to be thinking romantically.  While outside, I spotted a male towhee.  It was harassed by a blue jay. 

Waterfowl

I saw very little for the last two days. The wind and the tide were still high on the 9th. The camera cooperated for once and caught a falling leaf.  The next day I found a pincushion moss that raised hair-like spore stalks. 

In the wet, gray morning today, a flock of birds darted among the trees but I couldn't make them out.  Finally a bluebird landed on the post.   I almost missed it.  The female downy was back at the suet.  Then the rain returned. Even after it stopped, the air was very humid and quite warm. 

A little sun leaked through the overcast mid afternoon.  A great blue heron on the dock had its back to me as it watched the water.  Then I spotted a little pied bill grebe.  A couple of mallards made a commotion.  The female kingfisher perched on the downstream dock but the camera blurred all my photos by focusing on the water instead of the bird. 

After my online meeting, I saw a flock of cormorants flying around as though something had startled them.  But the Canada geese on the ground didn't seem concerned.  Nor did the great egret perched on the lake log. 

More drama

Early morning was gray and the creek was flat with grayed reflections.  After breakfast I paid more attention to outdoors and saw a bluebird and a mockingbird, and then the feral cat.  The mockingbird came back when the cat left but other birds were slow to return. 

At lunch time a brown thrasher joined the mockingbird.  Starlings took over the suet but didn't stay long.  The day got very warm.  More plants flowered.  Pollen left lines on the pavement like the lines of sea detritus on wet sand.  Cabbage whites flitted around. 

Brown headed nuthatches were all over the bluebird house today.  I looked this up online and learned it's a common behavior. 

A dozen turtles filled up the available logs on the lake.  A pied bill grebe seemed more distinctly marked today.  Maybe it's getting ready to mate.  I took some pictures of a water bottle thinking it was a rare bird.  

Drama

When I got up, the sky was gray and threatening, but little rain fell overnight and the clouds began to break up shortly after breakfast. The usual domestic squabble between pileated woodpeckers entertained me as I ate. Afterward, a bluebird and a house finch complained that the second suet cage was empty.  By mid morning turtles had climbed up onto their log.  

Then I noticed a crow climbing about in the saltbush  The reason for this puzzling behavior revealed itself to be  a black rat snake.It too was climbing the bush and slowly made its way, bush by bush, to the dock where it dropped out of sight.  A male towhee supervised from the grass.  A muskrat or nutria swam past the commotion.  

Black swallowtails flitted around the yard looking for nectar or mates.  A mockingbird mostly contented itself with suet crumbs.  A female red bellied woodpecker arrived to make more crumbs.  That attracted a second mockingbird.  Two brown headed nuthatches shared the seed feeder perch. 

In the afternoon I spotted a pied bill grebe on the creek.  It raised its wings repeatedly or flapped them and seemed to be preening.  There were enough clouds to catch sunset colors and turn orange. 

Spring

Blue jays flocked to the barkbutter balls on a bright, mild morning.  A Carolina wren devoured suet. Its partner foraged on the steps and the mulch.  So did a myrtle warbler and a bluebird.  

I saw the female pileated woodpecker that came for suet.  A starling tried to insinuate itself onto the feeder, but the woodpecker refused.  Eventually, she got so annoyed, she chased the other bird away.  Later, a red bellied woodpecker flew off when I tried to take his picture. 

The "fried egg" daffodils began blooming.  Some of the dogwood flowers look like little boxes before they fully open.  Violets have been blooming for several days. 

Turtles basked in the sunshine.  A pied bill grebe paddled on the creek.  

Freezing

The creek was mostly iced except for the channel.  A Carolina wren greeted the morning.  I was having a camera focus problem, however.  Bluebirds soon followed and I got the camera to work, mostly.  Myrtle warblers acted up as usual.  The female downy got a few moments with the suet.  Sparrows stayed earth-bound.  My photo of a brown headed nuthatch was out of focus but the brown thrasher was just over-exposed.  Blue jays were wary so I mostly got their backs.  I missed the mockingbird entirely. 

By afternoon, the ice was gone and the pelicans were back, flying over the creek.  The great blue heron that owns this stretch of creek was on guard.  The tide was quite low.  Cormorants were busy diving after fish.  I got a glimpse of the grebe.  Then another heron made the mistake of landing in our yard.  It was chased off immediately.  Curiously, an egret that landed later was tolerated.  

Streaming clouds

I woke up to sunshine but soon clouds blew in from the Northwest.  All day clouds alternated with sunshine, but the cold was consistent.  Some clouds looked dark and stormy but nothing precipitated.  Reflections went from brightly colored to dull and muted. 

The mockingbird preferred barkbutter for breakfast.  Warblers took what they could get.  The Carolina wren seemed happier with suet.  Bluebirds alternated between suet and barkbutter.  

The creek became wrinkled with ripples but that didn't trouble the pelicans.  Cormorants, a bufflehead, a grebe, and hooded mergansers fished from the water's surface.  A great blue heron fished below the dam.  Then a gorgeous wood duck drake came paddling by, not fishing at all. 

I spotted a white breasted nuthatch in the trees but it nipped out of sight.  Bluebirds perched and posed everywhere.  One junco joined the white throated sparrows foraging in the mulch under the feeder.  A squirrel has been stripping bark from the redwood to line its drey. 

More mist

Moisture gathered in beads and drips that couldn't evaporate in the high humidity.  The temperature was nearly flat like the creek.  But the early fog did not deter a Carolina wren from the suet.  

By lunch, the fog thinned but the overcast remained and the light was poor.  I replenished the barkbutter balls and, as soon as I closed the door, birds arrived.  The female red bellied woodpecker tried a barkbutter ball, then went on to the suet.  Bluebirds and pine warblers flocked to the food.  A male bluebird tried the beautyberries.  

A couple of females confronted each other over the barkbutter balls.  I spotted a yellow rumped warbler in the oak.  Some squirrels were feeling romantic and slow-motion play-chasing.  An egret landed downstream.  A great blackback gull floated on the water opposite us.  Mallards dabbled on the creek.  Toward evening the pied bill grebe paddled swiftly downstream.  

This year, the rainfall was only 38.92" compared to a normal year of 49.18".   On the other hand, there has been no frost yet this fall and early winter. .And that concludes the year 2021.  

Cold wind

I didn't get outside but admired the creek reflections through windows.  Little flotillas of cormorants went by, so I assume the fishing was good.  Pelicans passed by as well. Mallards and geese were also plentiful but they weren't fishing.  Two egrets and a great blue heron rested above the bulkhead at lunchtime.  I also saw buffleheads and a grebe.  

And surprisingly, there were turtles sunbathing in the cold air.  

Persephone Period

According to the VA Pilot's gardening column, "Horticulture has the term “Persephone Period”: the time of year when days have less than 10 hours of sunlight...With fewer than 10 hours of light, crop growth more or less stops." And that was today, which I confirmed by checking sunrise and sunset times.  The Solomon's seal was fading toward dormancy. 

Anyway, I went a bit overboard with the camera.  The creek was rumpled, making reflections into abstracts.  A pine warbler woke up early to get a share of suet.  Chickadees, titmice, and house finches competed for seeds and a titmouse occasionally settled for a barkbutter ball.  

I took quite a few pictures of the feeder perch trying to catch one of the speedy brown-headed nuthatches.  Yellow rumped warblers showed up for lunch but the pine warbler stuck to the suet.  Downy woodpeckers needed a lot of suet too.  

Turtles basked in the chilly sunshine.  And I saw the first hooded mergansers of the season!  The pied-bill grebe returned later in the afternoon.  And of course there were mallards. 

In the middle of the afternoon crows gathered, cursing and screaming.  I looked where they were looking but the vegetation was too dense.  Finally they drove the hawk out into the open.  Its red tail was obvious and besides, it was BIG.  When it exploded into flight, I missed it.  

 

Pied-bill grebe

It was still chilly.  The air was much calmer than yesterday so the creek mirrored sunlit trees.  Leaves were getting very colorful.  Downy woodpeckers were back at the suet. 

I found a mud wasp's nest underneath a little outdoor table.   A pine warbler briefly clung to the bark of the oak.  A bluebird blended in with the oak leaves. 

Canada geese glided through reflections.  It's time the migrant ducks arrived but all I saw for sure were mallards, some tipping head-down to feed.  I thought I glimpsed a merganser but I couldn't be sure.  Then a pied-bill grebe paddled downstream. 

Some idiot mowed the marsh grass on the dam with a small "Cat." I'm not sure what you'd call the device.  Despite the noise, turtles sunned themselves on the lake. 

The sun still shone

The doves were back but this time no hawk attacked.  I did, however, see the young eagle several times.  The suet attracted warblers and starlings.  A red breasted nuthatch came for seeds and the bossy yellow rumped warbler chased it away.

Pelicans continued fishing in the creek and I finally got good in-flight shots.  Several turtles took advantage of solar energy.  And I saw the pied bill grebe again after a long absence.  Egrets and great blue herons also flew past me. 

Big day

I was mostly busy, but for once the birds showed up when I looked for them.  At least three white throated sparrows foraged for breakfast.  The one with the sore eyes seemed healed, but unattractive.  Carolina wrens went straight for suet but then checked everything else.  The mockingbird, of course, took over the suet.  

A red breasted nuthatch was thirsty as well as hungry.  Warblers continued their dominance struggles.  Downy woodpeckers finally got a turn at the suet.  The orioles were in no hurry for breakfast.  The female red bellied woodpecker interrupted the orioles.  A warbler sneaked in and got told off.  

It was too warm for pelicans but there was plenty of other waterbird action.  A pied bill grebe was hanging out with two pairs of hooded mergansers.  Turtles were out on their log.  A kingfisher landed on the dock by the dam, then flew off up the lake.  A great blue heron wrestled with a sizeable fish that tried its best to avoid fate.  

For some weird reason, Google won't let me add photos.  

Nuthatch wars

We had a beautiful but cold morning with sunlit trees reflected in the creek.  It seems that red breasted nuthatches take precedence over brown headed nuthatches, just like yellow rumped warblers over pine warblers.  

Speaking of which, the first yellow rumped warbler showed up this morning.  So did the first junco!  Titmice and chickadees interrupted the nuthatch wars.  A white throated sparrow gleaned the fallout.

Downy woodpeckers were quick to breakfast on suet.  A maddening blue jay was out of focus nearly every time it snatched a bark butter ball.  And so was a red bellied woodpecker.  When I got outside mid afternoon, it scolded fiercely but wouldn't stay still long enough for a photo.

Over on the lake a great egret supervised some turtles.  A great blue heron lurked nearby.  On the creek, a pied-bill grebe hung around with female hoodies.  The hoodies posed in the low-angle sunlight.  The crescent moon was blurred by passing streamers of haze.  

Overcast solstice

Song and white throated sparrows hunted for breakfast in the mulch and the frozen birdbath.  Carolina wrens stoked up with bark butter.  And then the cat appeared. 

The temperature rose into the 40s and the birdbath slowly melted.  A song sparrow waded through the tiny ice floes.  Downy and red bellied woodpeckers both wanted suet.  So did the orange crowned warbler.  Much later, a pine warbler wanted a share.  

The sun was detectable through the cloud cover but not bright.  The clouds frayed in the North briefly.  I saw cormorants, hoodies and buffleheads fishing and I believe I glimpsed a grebe.

Sunset on the shortest day lit up the bars of cloud in the West. 

Rain

A gusty South wind drove bands of rain.  At first, it spared the North windows and I saw a wet warbler and a dripping downy.  There wasn't enough light to get a picture of the white throats.  Then the rain hit the glass.  A titmouse and a nuthatch visited the feeder but the rain streaks distorted their images.  I had to rush off to a string of appointments.  The rain  flooded the ditch at the end of our street and the wind rocked the car.  It was blinding on the expressway.  But when I started back the rain was nearly finished.  Dark bars of cloud lined up South to North, but didn't do anything.  During lunch there was another period of rain which ended just before we left.  The horizon was rimmed with cumulus but there was sunshine. 

When I got home, most of the action was on the creek.  Buffleheads, mallards, cormorants, and pelicans were feeding.  Some herons flew past.  I counted one female and three male buffleheads.  There were at least two pelicans. 

The myrtle warbler had dried out.  I dumped the flooded jelly dish and bark butter ball dish and put out some jelly dusted with cayenne. A downy was silhouetted on a hackberry limb. 

I enjoyed the sunset colors that bounced off clouds to the Northeast and reflected in the creek.  (The light rays were playing pool.)  Buffleheads continued to fish in the twilight.  A dark bird I think was a grebe paddled by.  Two pelicans reappeared and plunged after fish.  Unfortunately there were tree limbs in the way.  And when there weren't, the light was gone.

Very warm

The temperature rose all morning.  The oak flowers emerged.  Confederate violets bloomed.  The money plants began to form flower stalks.  Daffodils and hyacinths were looking old.  Insects were flying, especially around the Carolina jessamine.  Some blueberry flowers were ready for bumblebees. 

The grebe continued to be very hard to photograph.  Turtles were out on logs enjoying the warmth.  I saw a few shovelers in the water nearby.  Only a few mergansers of either species were visible.  Maybe the others were out on the bay.  I did see a couple of osprey but missed the shot.  A big blue ball came bobbing upstream as I was leaving.  When I came back after dark, it seemed misty and there was no sign of the moon.