Hungry birds

At breakfast,I saw no evidence that any snow fell overnight, but K said I should have looked in the front yard.   Some fuzzy clouds floated in sunshine, but by 10am we had overcast.  The birds were glad to find all the feeders open.  Bluebirds went after the mealworm barkbutter mix but so did white throats, pine warblers, and Carolina wrens.  The pileated pair were only interested in suet.  The male evicted the female.  A bold (or hungry) downy tried to share with the red belly but the red belly decided on seeds.  Later he scared a warbler off the suet.  A song sparrow came a-foraging with the white throats.  Blue jays picked over the barkbutter balls.  

The great blackback gull was back.  A small flock of buffleheads paddled around the dock most of the day.  I spotted a female hoodie among them.  A handful of vultures kept circling over the water.  Several pelicans fished and one perched on a piling.  A ring bill gull flew by.

At lunch, the birds brightened the dull light.  A myrtle warbler joined its pine cousins.    First a white breasted nuthatch then a brown headed showed up.  Bluebirds, white throats,  and wrens returned.  I missed a shot at a male oriole but two females were more cooperative.  I could tell them apart because one was a darker orange than the other.  A mockingbird watched from across the pool patio but didn't come to eat.  A brown thrasher, however, dug right in.  

 

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. 

Temperature dropping

A dusting of snow lay on the concrete, evidence that the ground was frozen.  Wind whipped the trees and passing clouds made the sunlight blink.  The birds went through a lot of food.  A Carolina wren woke up hungry.  Then a titmouse came for seeds.  White throats foraged in the frozen mulch.  Three bluebirds watched from the wild cherry.  

Out on the creek, I saw herring gulls and a hoodie drake.  A handful of buffleheads flew downstream and a pelican flew upstream and landed on the dock.  Of course there were mallards.  A great blue heron strutted by with its catch.  

The red bellied woodpecker joined us for lunch.   Bluebirds and white throats appreciated the barkbutter refill.  A mockingbird lurked in a dogwood, seeming upset at the competition.  Then a male Baltimore oriole brightened the jelly dish.  A blue jay drank from the pool puddle.  That water is the last to freeze.  A white breasted nuthatch ate barkbutter balls.  The female oriole showed up and made the male wait for jelly.  Two orioles and several warblers consume it fast.  A myrtle warbler wasted energy chasing other warblers away from food.  

 

Really cold

The temperature was 22° when I got up and rose all the way to 24° during the day.  The gusty wind must have driven the chill down into the teens.  Occasional sunlight broke through the overcast.  The red belly was up early, soon followed by the oriole.  The oriole was not willing to share with bluebirds.  Eventually she left and I counted four bluebirds.  Warblers and white throats hunted breakfast.  A white breasted nuthatch, then brown headed nuthatches, visited.  A Carolina wren poked that long beak into dead vegetation.  Blue jays noticed the barkbutter balls.  K refilled the glass dish twice.   A white throat tried to get possession of the dish but neither a bluebird nor the oriole was intimidated.  A chickadee walked down the pine trunk.

At lunch, white throats, nuthatches, titmice, wrens, and red belly were all still eating.  A flock of a dozen or more hoodies, mostly drakes, fished on the creek. I had been afraid the dredging might have scared them off for the Winter, but today the equipment was docked.   There may have been more females but they blended in with the water.  A pelican fly-by was blurred by tree branches.  A cormorant popped up out of the cold, gray water with a fish.  A half dozen egrets flew away.  A couple of buffleheads hung out with the hoodies.  Of course there were mallards.  They intercepted the cormorant but it dived.  Bu then the light was very poor.  

The snow began around 10pm.   

Windy

Morning was sunny but wind made the creek choppy.  Pine warblers enjoyed the fresh suet but a wren and a titmouse were disappointed by the empty barkbutter dish.  I refilled it.  A junco roamed the patio.  The male red bellied woodpecker made repeat visits to the suet.    

Pelicans paddled up the creek.  The sky became overcast in the afternoon.  I saw an egret flying up the lake and another on the shore.  Two pair of hoodies paddled upstream along the bulkhead.  

High wind

Morning began wet with the temperature in the mid 60s.  The sky was clear and then a menacing cloud blew in from the Northwest.  Eventually the blue sky returned but with strong wind gusts.  The warmth produced bugs for birds so they didn't have to fight the wind to get to the feeders.  I saw hoodies on the creek.  A great blue heron flew over.  A Carolina wren visited the barkbutter balls.  

More fish

After lunch, I noticed that egrets were congregating below the dam.  Soon they were flying upstream, joined by diving ducks and cormorants.  I went outside for a better view but the wind was too much for me.  There were fewer egrets than yesterday, I think, but just as many cormorants.   Unlike yesterday it was low tide and the fishing seemed to last longer.  I believe the ducks were all hoodies.  

Up on the patio, a Carolina wren made the feeder rounds and tossed a barkbutter ball down to the patio.  An oriole got a drink.  A couple of juncos hunted food scraps on the concrete.  The sky was blue with passing clouds.  

 

Thanksgiving

The temperature dropped a lot over night and the day only got into the mid 50s.  Morning light bounced off the creek to play across the bulkhead.  A crow investigated the stale barkbutter I had dumped.  The yellow cat investigated something under the wind cherry.  A pair of hoodies paddled downstream.  

At lunch, a Carolina wren dropped bits of suet then hustled down to pick them up.  A white throated sparrow came no nearer than the dogwood on the far side of the lower patio.  The wind brought down leaves and pine needles.  A great blue heron flew up into the pines but I lost sight of it.  The sky which had been a clear, dark blue began to be freckled with cumulus.  

I went outside to make some vitamin D and caught sight of the orange crowned warbler.   The dredge was taking the day off.  I heard a kingfisher but didn't see it.  The wind was too cold for me so I retreated indoors.  Then all the birds that had hidden reappeared.  The wren came back for more suet.  Chickadees were thirsty and hungry.  A male downy landed on the post but flew away to the dogwood.  I don't know if it felt too exposed or didn't like the looks of the suet.  

Bluebirds flitted around in the dogwood.  A football-shaped object floated downstream.  I could see labels on it but not well enough to read.  Several egrets flew around, maybe settling territorial rights.  There was always vegetation in the way.  The same was true for the gulls I saw.  Then a flock of cormorants flew downstream.  Enough leaves were gone that I could see the lake again but nothing appeared on it.  I am thankful to live here where I can see all this.  

Betwixt seasons

Winter migrants mixed with summer insects.  More white throated sparrows arrived.  A white throat ate beautyberries which looked past their prime.  An orange crowned warbler showed up and made straight for the jelly.  A goldfinch that was dressed for winter looked at the menu and left.  A Carolina wren popped up under the beautyberry bush.  Except for its eye, it completely blended in with the leaves.

But I also saw a leaf-footed bug that was missing a leg and a cucumber beetle on a rose.   The temperature rose into the upper 60s, but the sky clouded and partly obscured the sun.  At least three hoodies paddled together.  Egrets jockeyed for good fishing spots.  A kingfisher streaked past in a gray and white blur.  A half dozen mallard drakes paddled along the bulkhead, feeding.  Both domestic and wild cherry leaves turned fall colors.  

Wind shift

The West wind emptied the creek in the late morning.  In the afternoon, I spotted a couple of hooded mergansers newly arrived from the North.  Later, four egrets took over the big dock downstream to sunbathe, I think.  Commuting cormorants flew past rose-tinted contrails at sunset.  

Fog

I like morning fog but this didn't burn off.  Instead it congealed into gray overcast.  A heron was almost invisible perched on a piling.  A cormorant blended into the gray water. Another tried to dry out on the piling where the heron had been.  A hoodie pair were easier to see, at least he was.  Later the piling held a ring-billed gull. 

A bluebird came for seeds and a red belly for barkbutter balls.  A blue jay didn't find much left in the dish and tried some seeds instead.  A white throat perched on a hickory twig.  A mockingbird watched from the roof before flying to the barkbutter dish.  A Carolina wren chose suet. 

Kingfisher and eagle

Thin bars of cloud striped the blue sky.   A Carolina wren joined us for breakfast.  A mockingbird followed.  An egret perched on a post downstream while another waded.  Gulls patrolled the creek and cormorants dived.  Three pelicans sunbathed on the roof of the boathouse across the creek. 

Two mockingbirds came for lunch.  So did a pair of bluebirds.  The Carolina wren was back too, eating some of everything.  While morning was sunny, over lunch the sky clouded up.  Two egrets looked tor the best place to fish.  Bluebirds and the occasional white throat ate barkbutter crumbs.  The mockingbirds sampled the different offerings. Three daffodil varieties bloomed.  A light shower occurred around 2pm, then gradually the sky cleared again.

I was looking for pelicans in the late afternoon when I spotted a kingfisher. Cormorants, pelicans, a great blue heron, and a female hoodie passed, then I saw something swoop.  Crows came after it and finally I saw it between the goose fences.  I was afraid it was trapped but it flew out with no trouble.  Meanwhile, the kingfisher had teleported downstream.  

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.   

Gone fishing

A Carolina wren greeted the morning. One junco was still foraging with the white throats.  A goldfinch visited the seed feeder and ran into trouble with the aggressive butterbutt.  I only saw one mockingbird, or maybe one at a time.  The Baltimore orioles were unhappy that the jelly dish was on the ground.  We don't know how that happened.  The male oriole checked the ant moat since it is also red.  Today was so much colder -- 31° when I got up -- that I was unwilling to deal with the dish feeders.  Anyway, there were starlings.  A white breasted nuthatch got some seeds. 

At lunch, the red belly returned.   A wren wanted to share the suet.  I could see hoodies and ruddy ducks on the creek but foliage kept interfering with the camera focus.  One hoodie hen got a fish.  A pine warbler was bullied by the butterbutt.  A bluebird watched for a long time before landing on the feeder. 

I saw more gulls today than all winter.  A young eagle snatched a fish in front of me.  A great blue heron watched.  A few cormorants dived after fish.  I spotted a shoveler on the lake.   Even a crow got a fish but I think another bird dropped it.  Something zoomed around on the surface of the creek and the eagle went after it.  

Water birds

The sunlight on the creek seemed a bit muted as though filtered by haze.  An early pine warbler tried to beat other birds to the food.  White throats were up early as well.  Blue jays discovered that I had refilled the barkbutter dish.  A myrtle warbler discovered the fresh jelly.  A mockingbird glowered at the seeds and a cardinal sampled the barkbutter balls. Then they switched sides.  

A mourning dove drank from the pool puddle and then foraged under the seed feeder.  The temperature rose into the upper 60s and the snow was reduced to one lump of shoveling.  The sky was cloudless though not a deep blue.  A Carolina wren ate suet.  Then a male red belly wanted suet.  An oriole visited the jelly.  

A pelican flew up the lake.  A flock of about ten hooded mergansers drifted around the dock.  The hoodies paddled off downstream which was when I got a count of them.  The drakes hadn't been visible before.  A female bufflehead popped to the surface and saw the other ducks disappearing.  She paddled after them as fast as she could, but soon resorted to flying.  Cormorants were silhouetted against the evening sky.  

Snowfall

The birdbath was frozen.  Blue jays stoked up on barkbutter balls.  I was generous because there was no telling when I'd be able to put out more.  A goldfinch visited the seeds.  A pine warbler worked on the suet.  A junco prowling the patio was joined by another.  A Carolina wren ate seeds.  A female oriole wanted suet but was puzzled by the plastic cover.  The male pileated wasn't happy either.  A great blue heron stalked along the bulkhead.  I saw a brown thrasher under the porch chair but it scooted away too fast.  Bluebirds slept in and arrived mid-morning.  So did the male oriole who figured out the suet right away.  A myrtle warbler ate a barkbutter ball.  Seeds were the only thing that interested a brown headed nuthatch.  Barkbutter balls lured a female red belly.  More juncos arrived including a female.  Then a red winged blackbird appeared. 

A pelican flew over the creek.  The snow began about 12:30pm with almost invisible flakes.  At 27°, the snow didn't wet the patio, but built up first on tables and chairs. Birds ignored the snow and kept eating.  A white breasted nuthatch came for seeds.  The male downy got suet and a myrtle warbler got a barkbutter ball.  So did a bluebird. 

Flakes got bigger as the afternoon went on and the ground became white.  The snow created a fog effect, obscuring distances.  Juncos and white throats continued their seed hunt on the ground.  Something flipped the suet upright pleasing a warbler and a downy.  A bluebird, house finches, and a wren ate seeds as the snow fell.  Even a junco moved up to the seed feeder.  The orioles kept the snow off the jelly.  The nuthatches came back.  Bluebirds extracted barkbutter balls from under the snow.  A patch of ice formed beside the dock.  Three hoodies were barely discernible paddling along its edge.  There were other dark shapes I couldn't identify, especially as the light was dropping.   

Daffodils

It was a lovely day to finish the GBBC, though a lot colder and still windy.  A female oriole greeted the dawn.  White throats got up on the furniture.  A pelican flew upstream over low tide.  A myrtle warbler was puffed up very round.  It came for a drink in the birdbath.  Bluebirds posed.  A solitary junco joined the white throats.  A squirrel tried to rob the seed feeder.  The female pileated woodpecker ignored a starling while eating suet. 

At lunch the suet was gone and the male pileated was disappointed.  A mockingbird wedged itself onto the seed feeder perch.  A wren poked into everything.  A ruddy duck floated by.  Then a small flock of hoodies went past in the opposite direction.  Nuthatches came for lunch, both kinds.  A downy woodpecker ate seeds but a red belly left in disgust.  Bluebirds ate seeds too.  A song sparrow showed up after months of not seeing one.  Then a red winged blackbird visited all by himself. 

Daffodil sprouts emerged from the mulch in several spots and one clump even had buds.  In the late afternoon, I saw two hoodies on the creek.  A large buff-colored bird flew past which I believe was a Cooper's hawk.  A great blue heron crossed the creek and four egrets flew North.  Cormorants began to head home.   

Gray day

The sky was overcast and the temperature rose.  I submitted two more checklists for the GBBC today.  I was glad to include some birds that don't show up every day.  Of course I bribed them with food.  Bluebirds repaid my generosity.  A myrtle warbler and blue jays were pleased too.  At lunch, a little flock of hoodies passed by several times pursuing fish.  I under-counted them, alas.  I also saw a pelican.  Both male and female orioles came for jelly.  White throats were joined by a junco.  A light rain began mid afternoon.  Toward evening ruddy ducks fished in a rain mist and cormorants flew to roost.  

 

Great Backyard Bird Count

We had a bright sunny, but much cooler, day to start the GBBC.  I filed two checklists, one for breakfast and one for lunch, because I had meetings in between.  The creek glowed at dawn.  Blue jays were early.  So were starlings.  A Carolina wren worked on the suet while an oriole female took a drink above.  Then they shared the suet.  A myrtle warbler watched.  A downy woodpecker wanted a turn with the suet.  White throats minded their own business on the ground.  At some point the suet cage chain came unhooked but the hook caught and kept it from falling.  Instead it swung madly with every movement of a bird.  A cormorant, a hoodie, and a ruddy duck fished on the creek.  A pine warbler got seeds.  

Three pelicans a-bathing

A dark, misty dawn turned to rain during breakfast.  The usual birds - cardinals, house finches, titmice, white throats - rushed to eat when the rain started.  A Carolina wren had seeds and suet.  Then I saw pelicans afloat on the creek in the rain.  Instead of fishing, they were ducking and flapping just like a songbird in the birdbath.  A cormorant and a hoodie investigated the commotion.  

The wind picked up and the mist cleared though the sky stayed gray.  A great blue heron stood on a dock post to preen its feathers which were sticking out every which way.  A male and a female oriole came to the suet.  The male didn't figure out right away how to get at the suet and when he did, he kicked off the female.  When he left she returned to the frustration of a waiting downy.  He paced vertically on the post, then gave up and ate seeds.  

A myrtle warbler was the next suet visitor.  Then the male pileated woodpecker arrived.  A female downy was frustrated this time.  The female pileated wanted a turn too but the male was too greedy.  I caught a glimpse of a kingfisher on the post where the heron had been.  A couple of crows landed in the redwood.  The rain came back and I gave up watching.