Bird buffet

The ice on the creek was broken where the barge had plowed through but it had refrozen overnight.  A Carolina wren helped itself to bits of barkbutter with beak wide open.  The female Baltimore oriole was up early and headed for the jelly.  Or course, white throats poked around the dead vegetation but also visited the barkbutter dish.  A myrtle warbler paused on the bench.  Another investigated a tabletop.  Then the male pileated woodpecker arrived.  Some of the songbirds were intimidated, but not the brown headed nuthatch.  The red bellied woodpecker ate seeds - he must like something in the mix I bought.  A white breasted nuthatch asserted itself despite the house finches.  A mockingbird wasn't happy to find barkbutter instead of mealworms.  (I emptied the mealworm bag yesterday.)  Bluebirds were happy with either food.  Blue jays were late noticing that there were barkbutter balls.  

A starling came for lunch.  The sun lit up its iridescent feathers, but a bluebird was annoyed at being displaced.  The white breasted nuthatch came back for more seeds.  The oriole ate some barkbutter balls and some suet.  She emptied the jelly.  Brown headed nuthatches were back.  So was a wren.  Pine warblers made a late appearance.  Soon the barkbutter dish was down to dust, so I refilled it.  The creek partly melted during the afternoon, as much from the dredging as the temperature, I think.  Maybe the abundant sunshine helped.  

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.  

Warming

Again, part of the creek had a thin coating of ice but the rest was a perfect mirror in the early sunlight.  The two Carolina wrens were early birds.  Bluebirds were close behind.  White throats resumed kicking mulch and dry leaves.  A cardinal argued with a bluebird over the contents of the dish feeder.  Surprisingly, the bluebird won.  Pine warblers made the rounds of feeders and furniture.  One foraged on the pool cover.  I could see birds in the bushes but only a cardinal was identifiable.  At lunch time several butterbutts showed up.  So did the dredge crew.  As the afternoon went on, the sky grew overcast. 

I learned that iNaturalist has a Bird Feeders group that added some of my photos.  

 

Still very cold

This morning the creek was iced but the feeders were busy.   Blue jays woke up hungry for barkbutter balls.  So did a white throat, a pine warbler, an orange crowned warbler, and a Carolina wren. Even a cardinal stopped there on the way to the seeds.  A red bellied woodpecker was obscured by the suet block.  Brown headed nuthatches joined the cardinals and chickadees on the seed feeder.  Juncos foraged and occasionally flew up to the feeder instead of waiting for seeds to fall.  A bluebird couldn't make up his mind.  Bright sunlight made some birds silhouettes.  

An egret flew over the creek but there was no reason for it to land.  Squirrels foraged in the leaves under the feeder.  At lunch there was no activity at the feeders.  The creek was still mostly iced at sunset.  Only the channel under the bulkhead had melted.  

Sunshine

It was cold overnight but the day warmed up and the sun shone despite clouds on the horizon.  The tide was very low at breakfast and there was a skin of ice away from the current.  Later, I think I saw a bufflehead drake on the creek.  Blue jays took the first turns at the barkbutter balls.  Then a pine warbler, two Carolina wrens, and a white throated sparrow visited the barkbutter dish.  One wren poked at seeds while the other foraged on the ground.  An orange crowned warblers ate jelly.  The pine warbler also checked out the seeds.  

Oriole & red-bellied woodpecker males

Morning was gray and, despite the higher temperatures, the creek was still half iced with frozen snow.  Around the birdbath a few clumps of snow remained.  Some white throats foraged there while a myrtle warbler ate barkbutter crumbs.  

By lunch time the sun was shining.  A female oriole enjoyed jelly.  K had acquired some different suet balls.  Since they weren't hot pepper flavored, K applied hot sauce to discourage squirrels.  The birds seemed cautious.  Starlings, bluebirds, and a male oriole gave them a try.  A junco briefly poked through the litter under the seed feeder.  

A male red bellied woodpecker wanted suet but there was a starling on it.  The woodpecker scolded furiously but the starling would not leave.  Finally the red belly moved to the barkbutter dish but I didn't see it it eat anything. 

Warming

A gray sky promised a rise in temperature.  The birds ate all the food and left.  A cardinal and a white throat poked through the snow to see if any seeds had been missed.  Since the creek was still frozen there were no waterfowl except the evening cormorant commute.  

Melting

The temperature got a little above freezing and the icicles dripped, but the creak and the yard stayed white.  An oriole landed in the snow.   A goldfinch watched.  So did a mockingbird.  Warblers poked through the snow.  A red-winged blackbird came back.  A blue jay puffed feathers over its toes but then landed in the snow anyway.  A Carolina wren claimed the seed feeder.  Bluebirds chose barkbutter balls.  A myrtle warbler considered jelly.  A junco landed in the snow. Two brown headed nuthatches owned the feeder.  The white throats stayed earthbound and were joined by a squirrel. 

Overcast

24° the thermometer read!  The creak was almost completely ice covered.  The ant moat was frozen as well as the birdbath.  White throats busily hunted calories to keep warm.  I was not willing to venture outside at breakfast to feed the birds.  Starlings and warblers hoped anyway.  At lunch, a Carolina wren joined the white throats foraging.  Bluebirds chose seeds.   So did a red belly and a downy, both female.  The ice remained, though by then the temperature was up in the 40s.  A female oriole couldn't even get a drink.  

Since it was warmer, I restocked the jelly and barkbutter, but left the suet for another day.  Brown headed nuthatches came for seeds in the afternoon.  Blue jays, warblers, and bluebirds were happy to see the barkbutter balls.   The sky remained overcast all day as it tends to do when winter air gets warmer.  

 

Cold again

The temperature crashed overnight and today was fair and cool.  The birdbath had ice crystals but there was no ice on the creek.  At breakfast, it was shiny with reflections.  Blue jays poked through the crumbs of barkbutter.  A mockingbird sat on the chair, then flew to the jelly dish, and finally got a drink.  White throats bustled around under the seed feeder all day.  

Later the mockingbird was displaced by the female oriole.  A white breasted nuthatch visited.  The orange crowned warbler returned but was scared away.  A pine warbler also came for suet.  At twilight I discovered the great blue heron was back.  Cormorants flew home.  The people across the creek lit up their holiday bush.  The creek reflected all the lights as golden.  

Creek ice

Dawn was COLD.  The tide was out and a matte skin reached almost to the bulkhead.  Fortunately there were some barkbutter balls left from yesterday to help the blue jays warm up.  The mockingbird was upset that the ant moat was frozen.  A Carolina wren headed right to the suet.  White throats foraged below the feeders.  Crows stayed in the trees.  Even at noon there was still ice but the water got rougher and swept it away.  

An orange crowned warbler visited the suet.  Nuthatches, brown headed and white breasted came for seeds.  The female red bellied woodpecker had some seeds too.  After the ant moat melted, the female oriole came for a drink.  The Carolina wren peered through the window at me.  The orange crowned warbler found the jelly but the pine warbler stayed loyal to barkbutter and suet.  Cardinals, chickadees, and downy woodpeckers were present throughout the day.  

 

Ice

The birdbath water was frozen but I did not see any other signs of frost.  The creek shone with reflections and the sky was very blue.  White throats were up early today.  Pine warblers were very hungry.  I spotted the great blue heron that has been flying up into the pines across the creek.  After I refilled the barkbutter dish we had streaming blue jays.  I also poured water in the birdbath but it started to freeze again.  A dove plodded over the pool cover.  A couple brown headed nuthatches made repeated seed forays.  

At lunch, a lone red winged blackbird devoured suet.  I wonder if he got lost from a flock.  The bird's back was lightly speckled and the epaulette was ragged yellow so I speculated he was young. 

Quite warm

At breakfast we saw bright, sharp reflections of sunlit trees.  The birdbath was frozen.  Brown headed nuthatches spent a lot of time at the seed feeder.  White throated sparrows were joined by a song sparrow.  A starling performed acrobatics to get at the shrinking piece of suet.  The nuthatch tried the suet but went back to seeds.  It almost fell into the ant moat trying to get a drink.  

The short tailed squirrel returned.  A mockingbird and the female red bellied woodpecker wanted to know if I was ever going to refill the barkbutter dish.  Warblers, of course, continued to fight over suet.  A hoodie drake passed upstream.  The temperature touched 60° and the sky grew hazy, then cloudy.  A male downy worked on the suet despite the warblers.  

Cold

A pine warbler was the early bird.  He checked out the seed feeder while the clouds were still tinted with sunrise.   Myrtle and orange crowned warblers soon followed.  Patches of floating ice didn't cover the creek but the birdbath was solid ice.  Even so, I didn't see much activity.  A pelican flew past.  A cormorant splashed down. 

In the afternoon, clouds on the way home looked like a storm was about to dump on us.  When I got home, the pileated pair took turns at the suet, to the frustration of the downy.  The red bellied woodpecker was more flexible and visited the seed feeder and the barkbutter dish.  The clouds passed and returned through the afternoon.  Warblers, bluebirds, titmice, and the regular cardinals, house finches, and chickadees were all hungry but wary of the pileated woodpeckers.  

The warblers tussled over the suet.  Female orioles scraped the jelly dish clean.  A Carolina wren managed to dodge them all.  Brown headed nuthatches got some seeds to "hatch."  K poured water in the ant moat and birdbath.  That attracted warblers and I saw one myrtle warbler still wearing a summer mask.  A mockingbird was attracted by the suet crumbs the woodpeckers dropped.   

Three cat day

The last day of the year was beautiful, though cold.  I could see ice crystals in the birdbath but not on the creek.  The fishing birds, mostly egrets and cormorants, came back at breakfast.  Shortly thereafter the feral tux cat tried to catch a bird but only succeeded in scaring them all away.  It then made itself at home on the bench, grooming in the sun.  (The dog was busy sleeping off an early night.)  

Warblers were hungry enough to come back to the feeders that were out of the cat's reach.  I believe there was a female blackpoll among the pine and myrtle warblers.  A mockingbird foraged on the ground briefly.  Brown headed nuthatches owned the seed feeder.  Even a cardinal thought twice about arguing.  A white breasted nuthatch made a brief visit.  A song sparrow foraged under the mountain mint then hid in the camellia.  The orange crowned warbler got into the fresh jelly.  The male downy stuck around and traded off with the female for time at the suet.  And the cat, that had pretended to be asleep on the bench, made another dash toward the birds. 

Blue jays got excited about the fresh dish of barkbutter balls.  A red bellied woodpecker worked on one of the dead limbs on a pine tree.  I glimpsed a hoodie drake.  Bluebirds finally heard about the fresh food and came for their share.  The blue jays were not in the mood to share.  A female oriole noticed that there was jelly.  The long haired yellow cat joined the tux cat, but the dog sorted them out.  Then the all-black cat showed up and I gave up.  

I copied yesterday's weather statistics because there was no additional rain today.  The rainfall for December was more than double the average but for the year it was just an inch and a half above average.  I've read that rain in the winter refills aquifers and raises the water table, so that's good. 

Busy birds

Warblers showed up while the light was still fairly low.  Bluebirds came too, wanting barkbutter balls.  Then the blue jays emptied the dish.  Maybe that's why the other birds were so early?  The creek was so smooth reflections were sharper than the original scene.  Long crystals of ice floated on the birdbath.  

After the sun rose high enough to brighten the yard, a female oriole arrived for jelly.  The song sparrow began hunting for fallen seeds.  White throats were right behind.  One picked up a germinated seed and appeared to be smoking something.

At lunch, a mockingbird wanted me to refill the barkbutter dish.  Suet was just too much work.  The song sparrow had its head down, tending to business.  But it didn't hang around when the feral cat showed up.  A female (I assume) squirrel had been playing follow-my-lead for several days and today she led a suitor on the great Tarzan leap.  Her follower wasn't quite ready for that, but eventually leapt too.  

Once the cat was gone, bluebirds, warblers, sparrows, and the oriole came back.  At least two brown headed nuthatches took over the seed feeder and intimidated bigger birds.  The song sparrow got a germinated seed.  

Two turtles basked in the afternoon sun.  A small flock of hooded mergansers passed a handful of mallards and the hoodies split up. Only the females came on toward me.  A couple of gulls circled over the lake.  

Flock of orioles!

The birdbath had ice at breakfast and I could see a thin, flexible skin on the creek away from the current.  Pine warblers came for breakfast.  They tried to take over the suet but the downy clung tight.  Then they argued over the barkbutter dish.  I saw what I think was a myrtle warbler up in the trees.  A mockingbird also lurked in the trees. 

Then orioles of both sexes began to collect.  I think there were three of each but I know I counted five birds at one time.  They watched the feeders from the bare branches of the wild cherry.  I confess that at a distance I can mix up pine warblers and young female orioles.  The orioles are bigger but that only helps when they are near each other.  But there's no mistaking the males.  Finally, they all swooped down together, then fussed at each other. 

The birds emptied both dishes, jelly and barkbutter, so at lunchtime I put out refills.  That brought in the blue jays.  They're too greedy to bother with rain fragmented barkbutter.  They want to cram five balls in their crop and beak.  Makes me wonder what they do with them. 

The day grew warmer than earlier in the week.  A Carolina wren got into the barkbutter balls.  White throated sparrows looked for fallen seeds and a drink from the birdbath.  A red bellied woodpecker hiked up a pine trunk.  There were lots of leafbirds on the trees and in the water.  Canada geese gathered on the far bank of the creek.   Two big turtles basked next to a great blue heron.  I saw one bufflehead drake and many mallards. 

Ice in the birdbath

I thought at first there was ice on the creek but it was just ruffled water.  The birdbath had long, thin crystals.  A Carolina wren came for barkbutter balls. 

Toward evening, mallards became very busy on the creek.  I could not see what inspired them to paddle from one spot to another so fast they left wakes.  Cumulus clouds blushed orange as cormorants flew past.  

Sky drama

There was ice in the birdbath again and a skin of ice floating in patches on the creek.  Thin, high clouds covered much of the sky.  A white throated sparrow had queued up for breakfast so I hustled more food out to the hanging dishes.  That brought a bluebird and a blue jay.  A myrtle warbler wandered around.  The downy ignored everything but the suet.  A pine warbler wanted some suet too.  The butterbutt did its hummingbird imitation, hovering at the suet.  Finally the orioles arrived, and then the starlings.  

Buffleheads dived for fish while mallards snoozed on the dock.  In the dentist's new office on the 6th floor facing Mt. Trashmore I was entertain by at least ten egrets passing in flight higher than the building.  The smeary clouds produced a brilliant sundog.  The hygienist took photos with a phone and promised to send them to me, but they never arrived.  When it was too late, I recalled that I too had a phone capable of photos.  

Frigid

The creek was half iced over and the birdbath was a rock. Fortunately there was no wind and the sun shone. Puffed up against the cold, birds were anxious to pack on some calories. Unfortunately, the cat was too.  Pine and myrtle warblers managed to avoid the predator.  Bluebirds stayed out of reach.  Even starlings avoided danger.  Orioles seemed oblivious.  A song sparrow hunted fallen seeds.  Two downy woodpeckers courted, I think.  They circled around a dogwood trunk, then one came to the feeder.  A junco discovered the birdbath had refrozen.  An odd red winged blackbird with white eyebrows showed up.  I guessed it was a youngster with some juvenile feathers remaining, or maybe female.  A blue jay went for barkbutter balls but a bluebird objected.  

At lunch, a Carolina wren hunted in the leaves, then flew to the suet.  Doves camped out by the frozen birdbath.  The orioles sampled everything.  A brown headed nuthatch  got a turn at the feeder.  Warblers and starlings argued over the suet.  Meanwhile, a red bellied woodpecker watched from the trees.