Junco

I saw a male oriole eating jelly at breakfast, but I don't know if it wintered here or was just passing through.  I only got pictures of its rear, unfortunately.  A Carolina wren didn't find much in the glass dish.  A bluebird did better at the seed feeder.  A pine warbler came for suet.  A mockingbird helped itself to suet at lunch.   A myrtle warbler visited the jelly.  A brown headed nuthatch came for seeds.  White throated sparrows ate at feeders and under them.  

Later in the afternoon, a junco appeared.  Perhaps it was migrating North?  The feeder perch gave the bluebirds some trouble by twisting underfoot.  They looked like logrolling lumberjacks.  A blue jay drank from the pool puddle.  A starling tried to get some suet.  The mockingbird switched to jelly.  

 

Damp

Damp morning air grayed out the distances.  A couple of mourning doves poked through the mulch under the seed feeder.  Both song and white throats foraged alongside them.  A female bluebird tried to find something to eat in the glass dish.  After I took more food out, the male appeared too.  A white throat and a Carolina wren were tempted by the fast food, but not the song sparrow.  It did get up on the dead moonflower vine, but no closer.  

There was a brief sprinkle around mid day, right after I had refilled the glass dish.  The birds gobbled the barkbutter and mealworms fast enough that I doubt the food got wet.  Starlings, blue jays, and a mockingbird argued about it.  A myrtle warbler waited till the bigger birds left.   The male red belly visited the seed feeder.  A female junco wandered around the steps.  

 

Gray

The rain ended but the overcast persisted.  The pileated pair argued about pecking order. When they left a Carolina wren took over the suet.   A myrtle warbler pecked forlornly at the barkbutter crumbs.  A mockingbird was getting ready to do the same when a starling knocked it off the dish.  All that for nothing.  A junco foraged under the seed feeder along with sparrows.  

Out on the creek, a ring bill gull rested on a post.   A pine warbler watched from the feeder hanger while a wren chased crumbs in the glass dish.  Then a white throat had to have a look.  Then a bluebird and a starling.  The starling moved on to the suet.  Both wrens took turns on the feeders.  Meanwhile two female orioles queued up for the jelly.  

Very gray

Overnight rain continued into the morning and gradually became mist.  The temperature slowly dropped all day.  A flurry of birds arrived early but found nothing but seeds.  Even the suet was gone to the consternation of downy, red bellied and pileated woodpeckers.  I saw pelicans and a bufflehead on the creek.  A white breasted nuthatch was content with seeds.  Three juncos also ate seeds.  So did bluebirds.  Sparrows and warblers foraged on the ground.  A mockingbird gave up.  

At lunch, a Carolina wren settled for seeds.    By late afternoon the mist was becoming fog.  A pair of buffleheads were the lone occupants of the creek.  

Fog

Happy Lunar New Year and Mardi Gras.  At breakfast a light fog grayed the distant pines. It didn't seem to trouble the pelicans flying low over the creek.  Gulls, too, were fishing.  The committee of vultures took to the trees.  The two mourning doves returned.  Downy and red bellied woodpeckers came for the feeders.  So did a wren, a pine and a myrtle warbler, a brown headed nuthatch and starlings.  Blue jays flew past but returned for breakfast.

The sun finally got through at 10am.  Then a junco appeared on the seed feeder.  Where was it during the bird count?  Bluebirds enjoyed the sunshine.  A goldfinch also wanted seeds.  The pelicans kept on fishing, apparently with success judging by the splashdowns.  Cormorants had the same idea.  

 

Sunny

There was some nonsense predicted about snow showers, but the day was mostly sunny and mostly in the 40s.  Warblers were quick to notice the dish of barkbutter balls.  A house finch barged in on a warbler even though the finches show no interest in barkbutter.  White throats prospected in the dead vegetation.  So did a junco.  The red bellied woodpecker that was absent yesterday returned.  I guess it was intimidated by the pileateds yesterday.  An orange crowned warbler also seized a barkbutter ball.  And then blue jays came.  

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.  

Hawk

The morning sky was gray and threatened rain.  Below, the creek was dull and quiet.  K pointed out a possible hawk, but I thought it was too small.  However, the songbirds agreed with K and hid till it flew away.  From the blurry photos, it appears it was a Cooper's hawk sitting in the sweet gum tree.  It flew down toward the creek and disappeared.  

About six minutes passed and then the feeders were full of birds.  Pine warblers and bluebirds argued over the barkbutter balls.  The female bluebird pooped orange.  A yellow rumped warbler scavenged food I'd dropped for the ground feeders.  Juncos stuck to dropped seeds.  A brown headed nuthatch got a turn at the seed feeder.  A song sparrow also foraged in the leaf litter.  A Carolina wren got up on a chair to peer at me, then went to the barkbutter.  Then the orange cat showed up.  

After I shooed it off, the finch family monopolized the seeds to the disappointment of a titmouse.  A butterbutt and a white throat hunted a meal on the ground.   Up in the wild cherry, a squirrel washed itself.  The butterbutt finally got a chance at the barkbutter balls.  The clouds rolled away without doing anything and we had sunshine and a warm afternoon.  The only waterfowl I saw all day was a lone cormorant.  

Quiet

Despite a pleasant day I didn't see many birds.  A Carolina wren foraged under the dish feeder and later one ate from it.  A female bluebird watched from the top of the post and a male ate barkbutter balls.  A yellow rumped warbler considered the barkbutter balls.  A junco poked around the patio.  After working through the weekend, the dredge was stationary.  A small boat maneuvered back and forth around it.  

 

Blue sky

Birds were thick at breakfast.  The glass dish full of barkbutter balls hosted titmice, bluebirds, blue jays, Carolina wrens, pine warblers and a white breasted nuthatch.  However, a brown headed nuthatch cared only for seeds which those pesky house finches wouldn't share.  It drove the nuthatch to drink.  A couple of juncos foraged on the ground and tried the seed feeder.  A yellow rumped warbler poked through the dead vegetation.  A male red bellied woodpecker on the suet flaunted his red belly. 

The dredge was back at work disturbing the creek.  Squirrels played follow-the-leader from tree to tree and across the bouncy pool cover.  Not all the squirrels were willing to leap from redwood to hickory.  Both kinds of nuthatch were back for lunch.  The day was sunny and seasonable.  At sunset, which came all too soon, clouds of cormorants swirled and headed every which way.  

Migrants and homebodies

Clouds streaked the sky and the temperature was well above freezing.  An oriole came for breakfast.  So did pine warblers, bluebirds, white throats, and a Carolina wren.  A goldfinch considered the food and just drank water.  The dredge chugged up to the bend below the dam.  A red bellied woodpecker tried the suet and the jelly.  Juncos prospected on the patio and one argued with a cardinal about the feeder.  An orange crowned warbler also poked at the suet before turning to the jelly.  A white breasted nuthatch and a pine warbler both claimed the suet.  

A squirrel peeled a moonflower pod right in front of me.  It didn't seem pleased with the result.  Those seeds are hard.

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.  

Changeable weather

Early morning was very dark and gloomy.  About 9am rain began and we had a few minutes of snow around 11:30am.  An early Carolina wren was determined to break into the covered dish of mealworms but eventually moved to the suet and then the mulch  White throated sparrows, juncos, and the usual seed eaters also were not deterred by the precipitation. The snow did not stick anywhere.  

Wind dried the windows as the temperature dropped.  More birds came for lunch including a white breasted nuthatch the camera missed.  A wren glared at me because the dish feeders were still capped.  I fixed that as soon as I finished eating.  By around 2pm, blue rents appeared in the overcast and we had some sunshine.  A couple of squirrels cautiously shared the space below the seed feeder.  A wren and a white throat shared mealworms.  

Cornell says there is an irruption of finches and other seed eaters because it was a bad year up North.  They have sighting maps so I looked for red breasted nuthatches.  

 

Cold sunshine

Some snow survived on vegetation and furniture.  As they say, "Bridge Freezes Before Road" and a leaf is a small bridge.  A junco foraged in the birdbath.  Carolina wrens were quite hungry so I poured a fresh dish full of mealworms.  Then a white throated sparrow poked through the snowy leaves.  Later there were two wrens and one tried the underside of the suet.  The other sat on a chair arm.  One of them poked at the seeds as well.  Very thorough.  We had people working on the dock in addition to the dredge so I didn't expect waterfowl. An interesting article described using Bluetooth transmitters to track monarch butterflies. 

More birds

The prediction was for low clouds, fog, and general gloom but that was gone by 9am.  It was cold but not windy, good bird watching weather.  The new cat ambled across the patio early, but I didn't see any other predators.  Pine warblers were particularly interested in the dish of mealworms.  Bluebirds made the rounds of feeders.  Blue jays would really rather have had barkbutter balls.  The orange crowned warbler went straight to the jelly.  

Fuzzy clouds blew past and out to sea.  A Carolina wren picked through the dish but didn't seem pleased.  Pine warblers tried to get past bluebirds to the mealworms.  A titmouse clung to the brick wall, seeming interested in a cavity in the grout.  I thought I saw a butterbutt but couldn't be sure.  A white throat foraged under the seed feeder.  Juncos were also hard to catch on camera.  The two female orioles showed up for mealworms.  A pair of house finches kissed beaks.  

A flicker landed up in the wild cherry.  Then a male red bellied woodpecker chased a downy away from the suet.  He had a noticeably red belly.  

 

Many feeder birds

The dredge came around the bend below the dam, so naturally waterfowl disappeared.  The water looked very silty though the dark gray sky may have been part of the reason.  Since the rain had stopped, I uncovered the dishes and that drew birds.  A Carolina wren picked over the mealworms.  Then a pine warbler selected long ones, like french fries.  A pair of bluebirds were next.  Meanwhile a goldfinch got a drink.  A brown thrasher landed briefly on the dish.  Blue jays acted skittish and didn't want to leave the trees.  

Several pairs of house finches argued precedence at the seed feeder.  A white throated sparrow was tempted off the ground, but by then the mealworms were gone.  A titmouse was also disappointed.  I spotted a yellow rumped warbler up in the trees.  A brown headed nuthatch ignored the house finches.  Finally a blue jay flew down but it too was disappointed.  A junco foraged around the birdbath.  A titmouse in the dogwood ate something that looked like a  dead leaf rolled around a cocoon.  Too many twigs were in the way to be sure.  

I caught a squirrel leaping.  After the dredge stopped, I saw Canada Geese and a great blue heron.  

 

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.  

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.  

 

Juncos!

Despite sunshine, the day was much cooler.  Two juncos popped up at breakfast.  At lunch, the brown headed nuthatches were back.  So was the pine warbler.  

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.