First pelican

The creek was mostly unruffled under a hazy blue sky.  By the time I realized I was seeing a pelican over the creek, it had passed behind vegetation and I was too late to get a picture.  Then I thought I saw a duck, but it was a beer can.  Toward dusk, a real duck paddled through the reflected Christmas lights across the creek.  It was a pintail drake.  I wish it had showed up when the light was stronger. 

The cat soaked up sun on the bench and the dog was oblivious.  Birds, however, were very aware of the cat.  Still, we had visits from pine warblers, a greedy blue jay, titmice, the male oriole, a brown headed nuthatch, and a bluebird.  The female downy demanded her suet back from a pine warbler.  He just moved over to the barkbutter balls.  

Pintail drake

The sky was gray in the morning.  Buffleheads kept their distance.  A pintail drake consorted with a flock of mallards.  Vegetation got in the way of photos until the pintail began to preen. 

A brown headed nuthatch pretended to be invisible on the seed feeder.  A female oriole got some jelly but another went for the barkbutter balls.  Male and female bluebirds had the same idea.  A pine warbler wanted his share.  Of course a starling had to be greedy.  A myrtle warbler seemed more interested in suet.  Two female orioles argued over the jelly.  

Then I left for Richmond.  The navigation system directed me on a route through Black history memorials like Lumpkin's Jail. 

Still warm

The sky was mostly overcast but there were flickers of sunshine and I saw the thermometer reach 68°.  The yellow rumped warbler stayed busy minding the suet.  Bluebirds stopped in for barkbutter balls.  The woodpeckers stayed with the suet.  Blue jays hunted in the trees and bushes.  Two mockingbirds showed up at the same time and didn't get into a fight.  I wonder if they were potential mates? 

I think this is the first year that the weather hasn't damaged the camellia buds before they were finished blooming.  Despite the warmth, pelicans and cormorants did not desert the creek for wider waters.  But I saw another dead fish floating and I think a buzzard spotted it too.  I caught glimpses of a hooded merganser. Turtles blanketed the lake logs and a pintail drake floated past them.  I caught a goose peeking through the fence.  

Icy and bright

Snow or ice pellets collected on the furniture, dock, and pool cover.  The creek was loaded with ruddy ducks and I saw a pintail pair and a hooded merganser.  Pelicans cruised by and one landed on the water.  A heron supervised from the bulkhead.  The squirrel was determined to get the last of the suet.  Clearly pepper is needed.  The regulars, juncos, white throats, yellow rumps, doves, and downy woodpeckers showed up during the morning.

An osprey sailed over us at lunch. High, corrugated cumulus clouds were set on fire at sunset though the Western horizon was clear.  I took this on my phone from the parking lot of the convention center.  Later a bright round moon rose. 

Polar gale

The wind gusts were roaring all night.  Apparently the wind kept the creek from icing over, but the birdbath and the pool puddle froze.  Usually wind keeps the birds away, but not this morning.  A flock of robins stayed in the yard the whole time I was counting for the GBBC.  I think there were a dozen.

The suet cage swung so wildly that the only birds who fed from it were two starlings.  A brown thrasher tried, but the wind was too strong.  Cardinals, chickadees, white throats, and a white breasted nuthatch visited the refilled seed feeder.  The butterbutts scurried around on the ground but still chased each other.  I saw squirrels but they stayed distant. Out on the creek there were geese, a dozen ruddy ducks, and a cormorant.  A gull tried to ride the wind. 

We were gone for most of this beautiful, if chilly, day.  As we were leaving, I saw a junco and a pelican.  I believe I saw a dear carcase on the road to Williamsburg.   Certainly there were vultures and gulls aplenty riding the wind.

When we got home in the middle of the afternoon the backyard was still full of birds so I did another count.  There were 14 red wing blackbirds, a brown headed cowbird, and 10 robins flocking together, drinking from the pool puddle.  A fox sparrow joined them.  Four starlings attacked the suet, scaring off the butterbutts and a downy woodpecker.  Pairs of cardinals, house finches, and towhees, and a lone chickadee came for seeds.  Under the feeders, a junco, a dove, and 3 white throats foraged. 

Out on the creek, the descending sun gilded a flock of a dozen ruddy ducks, 4 pintails, a pair of hooded mergansers, and 3 mallards.  I could see a great blue heron on a downstream dock.

Wet morning

It was not raining at breakfast but it had rained.  Two great blue herons flew upstream, one following the other as they've been doing all winter.  Two pelicans were out fishing with the cormorants.  A smaller light-colored bird (mockingbird?) chased a crow across the creek.

A few glimmers of sunlight slipped through at mid morning.  A heron stood watch on the bulkhead while hooded mergansers paddled and dived.  Juncos and a few white throats foraged in the mulch and visited the feeder.  The wind was gusty, tossing the birdhouse inside the camellia. Vultures tilted wildly as they soared over the creek.

By lunch time, cardinals, titmice, and finches showed up.  A female cardinal pushed all other birds off the perch.  A male downy woodpecker and a yellow rumped warbler tackled the blowing, twisting suet feeder.  The warbler had to go chase off another butterbutt.  After lunch the sun came out and chickadees finally appeared.  By that time everything had dried off.  Mallards plied the creek. 

The sky was mostly blue and the sunlight gold when the shadows got long.  Juncos and whitethroats scurried through the mulch and tried to drink the water freezing in the birdbath.  Cold does seem to increase songbirds' thirst.  The male downy visited the suet briefly and both juncos and white throats sampled it as well.  They seem to have difficulty feeding from the cage.  On the creek, herons continued to act territorial while mallards, cormorants, and female pintails glinted in the sun. A large flock of hooded mergansers went downstream and later came back. 

Beautiful day

Painted clouds at sunrise were followed by a glittering creek reflecting the gilded pines.  Most of the early action was on or over the creek.  Pelicans, herons, egrets, cormorants and ducks were all out fishing.  The hen party of four pintails was followed by a mixed flock hooded mergansers.

At the feeders, juncos, white throats, warblers, and woodpeckers joined the regulars.  A crow escorted a hawk off the premises, briefly scattering the songbirds.  There were long crystals of ice on the birdbath in the early morning but the air warmed and melted them. 

In the afternoon, an egret and a great blue heron each stood on one of the tall pilings while the wind tossed their chest plumes.  Hooded mergansers and cormorants dived as soon as I got them in focus.  At least four juncos perched in the dogwood and sakaki.  Toward evening, a heron got up on the bulkhead and started swaying back and forth, slow dancing.  Clouds coalesced in bars across the sky with little puffy shreds of cumulus in front.  Gulls played on the wind. 

The sky remained clear after sunset with a crescent moon and bright stars. 

Gray sky

We took the feeder down last night to disinfect it.  There was consternation amongst the early birds this morning when they found it gone.  When we got it back up they sulked and only a finch came to eat.  Before that, we had juncos, sparrows (both song and white throat), and cardinals on the ground, a downy and a pine warbler on the suet.  The creek was mostly empty except for a cormorant and a quartet of female pintails passing through.  Egrets flew past toward the lake.  The overcast had bands of darker gray, which I think reflect air pressure troughs.

Late in the morning the overcast broke apart and there was sun until a dark mass of cloud moved down from the NW.  K said the cloud looked like snow and I think I saw a few large flakes, but the wind was so fierce it could have been shreds of dead leaf.  The temperature was nearly to freezing by lunch and the wind added to the chill.  Meanwhile the poor Carolina jessamine popped out a blossom when it was so warm Sunday.  While the sun was out, white throats took over the seed feeder.  Despite the cold, white throats and the male downy had lunch with us.  During lunch, mallards were out paddling, while herons flew over the creek and egrets stalked below the dam. 

I had an evening meeting.  On the way home the temperature gauge read 24°F.  The slightly past full moon rose brightly, accompanied by Jupiter and chased by clouds.  This is a phone photo - it was way too cold to get the camera and come back outside.  The planet is on the left about 2/3 of the way up. 

Back to winter

The temperature dropped and the sun came out.  The creek reflected the sun-gilded pines. 

Birds were scarce till after lunch.  Mallards, hooded mergansers, pintails, geese, and cormorants paddled on the creek while egrets fished the lake.  Finally the feeder birds came out: at least two titmice, a downy, and chickadees.  On the ground, there were white throats and juncos.

A red tailed hawk exited upstream pursued by crows. It may be why the birds were so late. 

The late afternoon light illuminated dabbling mallards - 2 males & 1 female, pintails and hooded mergansers - all female.  White throats and juncos poked in the mulch while the sick finch bumbled around. 

Ice on the creek

And frost everywhere.  The cold made the birds hungry and they didn't want to share.  White throats and the regulars contended for a place at the feeder while juncos poked through the frosted mulch.  Later a Carolina wren had the feeder to itself.  Meanwhile egrets and a heron flew over looking for open water.

By late morning half the creek was clear of ice.  A pelican cruised downstream.  A crow chased the hawk the other way.  Titmice and woodpeckers worked on the suet - I guess it had softened up in the sun.  A butterbutt hopped around the feeder but couldn't get past the finches.

Ducks showed up during lunch: mallards, buffleheads, pintails, hooded mergansers, and ruddy ducks.  The feeders stayed busy and a squirrel licked melt water off the birdbath ice I forgot to thaw.

Chilly sunshine

The moon was past the first quarter and not obscured by clouds at bedtime but the sky was clouded when I got up.  During the morning, the clouds broke up but hung around on the horizon.  It got cold enough to ice the birdbath but not the creek.  Pelicans got an early start but most birds didn't appear till late morning. Then, white throats, chickadees, and a woodpecker had brunch.  A couple of ruddy ducks dived their way downstream. 

Lunchtime brought more birds, egrets on the creek and woodpeckers on the feeder.  The female downy got tired of waiting and perched on the post while the male was still on the suet.  Finally he got the hint.  A flock of mostly male hooded mergansers paddled downstream but stayed behind brush so that the camera couldn't focus.  A hawk swooped past the feeder too fast to identify.  Later pintails came paddling by.  Cormorants were out on the water too.

After lunch, I went outside and saw the hawk land in a pine upstream and across the creek.  A crow objected but there was no mobbing.  The hawk almost lost its perch in the wind and that's when I saw it was a red tail.  Then a male red bellied woodpecker came hunting among the pines.  A junco hung out in the redwood, then a blue jay joined him.  Ring bill gulls soared past the contrails that were blowing out to sea.

By this time I was frozen and came inside to watch.  A pine warbler stole the suet feeder from the downy.  A male flicker hopped around in the oak.  House finches were everywhere comparing reds with a cardinal.  A yellow rumped warbler attempted to hide among them.

Sunshine

There was a light fog early but it dissipated and the sun gilded the trees and water.  A few hooded mergansers were out diving.  Downstream, an egret waited by the dam.  A hopeful squirrel stopped by.  The mulch was still wet and the birdbath full. A dove got a drink while a white throat hopped around it. 

At noon, a titmouse was on the feeder till I tried to photograph it.  Ruddy ducks showed up, along with pintails and a bufflehead. Several leaves floated downstream, pretending to be ducks. 

In the twilight, more white throats scurried while a female cardinal sat above on the feeder. The whole day was quite warm, but damp. 

Cloudy

The sky at breakfast was more white than blue and the sunshine was muted.  The only bird I saw was a fishing cormorant. The mulch was wet and drips hung from the feeder - dew or rain?

In the late morning there was some sun.  Finches, chickadees, and a titmouse visited the feeder.  I put peanut bits out on the patio but only squirrels found them.  Canada geese were all over the yard across the creek.  A buzzard circled over the creek, as did numerous gulls.

The clouds moved in from the West and congealed in the afternoon.  Pintails and ruddy ducks appeared.  Then the rain started.

Sometime after 4pm, the sky began to clear and looked very dramatic.  Then a thunderstorm swept in.  A cardinal and some other birds, possibly finches, visited as the sky was going dark, but cleared out before the lightening.  The sky cleared again for twilight. This picture was just before the thunderstorm. 

Crisp and cold

Ice in the birdbath and frost on the mulch.  Lots of ducks on the water.  First the hooded mergansers passed through.  Then a ruddy duck began to fish. A pelican flew downstream.   A great blue heron stood post downstream while a crow gave voice from the gum tree.  Pintails arrived and later joined Canada geese.  I glimpsed what might have been an eagle high up. 

Then the red tailed hawk came which may explain why the feeder was deserted. At first a crow chased the hawk all over the sky and finally off North.  A bit later, the hawk came back and circled over the creek. 

At dinner, more pintails and ruddy ducks paddled about.  The feeder remained untouched. The sky stayed clear through sunset which turned it salmon colored.  In the twilight, a small flock of white throated sparrows descended on the mulch under the feeder and one hopped onto the perch.  It was too dark for the camera, though I tried anyway. 

Ducky day

The sun was often obscured by streaks of cloud that occasionally covered the sky.  Then the clouds would pleat into wispy lines or thick bands.  Sometimes a thin glaze just dimmed the warmth of the sun.  The wind was cold and froze the side of me not toasting in the sunshine. 

Lots of ducks were out on the creek beginning with a sleepy male ruddy.  I really like their Moe Howard look with the dark inverted bowl atop the head.  Then a flock of robins flew over and a few paused in the oak.  Northern pintails arrived on the creek and the ruddy disappeared.  I later saw him again upstream from the busy pintails.  Then a female hooded merganser showed up with her head feathers all puffed.  More followed. 

Great blue herons and brown pelicans flew over the creek but behind the brush on my side.  I'm not sure why I've been seeing so many more herons than egrets this week.  Two Carolina wrens flew into the sakaki bush and twittered at me from there.  I also heard jays, a woodpecker, and a dove. 

In the afternoon, I finally saw birds on the feeder.   I also glimpsed what might have been an eagle.  Chickadees feasted on the gum balls, something I've never seen before.  A downy woodpecker joined them.  A blue jay flitted around the yard.  A song sparrow poked the mulch. 

Still sunny

During breakfast, two great blue herons erupted from below out line of sight along the bank.  One chased the other downstream where they circled a couple of times and finally split up.  A pelican fished and geese passed in formation on the water.  Squirrels were out and about, and one had a problem with its tail that required a good chewing out.

While I was in the water at the rec center, two egrets flew over followed by two Navy jets in the same formation.  At lunch, more herons flew by along with pelicans.  Lots of ducks were out on the creek but no birds on the feeder. I saw female pintails and a male ruddy. 

The cormorant commute commenced in late afternoon.  The sky remained clear as it faded to a pale pink sunset. 

Patchy clouds

It was cloudy but bright in the morning.  Squirrels were playing Tarzan in the bushes.  Maybe they did so all summer but now that the leaves have dropped it's more obvious.  No birds visited.  Geese flew up the creek.

Things livened up at lunch.  A white throat visited the feeder, along with the regulars.  A small flock of juncos were everywhere.  A wren was hidden by the fallen leaves.  A male bufflehead and some female pintails paddled while geese wandered the far bank.  A heron flew over.  As usual, I could hear more birds than I could see.  The cold wind drove me back inside.

A misty, moisty morning

It was evident that there was rain overnight and mist began to dot the glass around 9am.  Pelicans cruised the creek.  A lone male bufflehead paddled aimlessly until a small flock of hooded mergansers arrived.  But they left without him.  A group of female pintails headed upstream.  On the feeder, the regulars took turns. A white throat scuttled under the azalea.

At lunch, titmice were mobbing the feeder.  A little later a thrush hit a window, this time in the back near the feeder.  It didn't seem too disoriented and soon ran into the bushes.  I'm not sure why this is happening now - its not the season for territoriality and the visibility was very different on the two occasions.

Blue sky

There were buttery cotton clouds at sunrise but they cleared off.  The water made rippled reflections of the sunlit bank.  Buffleheads and geese were out on the water and a flock of small ducks flew downstream.  An egret fought the wind to go North. 

A cardinal pair visited early, then a white throat.  Finches joined in.  Squirrels had a fight on the far side of the pool.  A hawk shot past the feeder and behind the house. 

Titmice visited the feeder in the late morning.  A pelican swooped through.  Then mallards and female pintails appeared on the creek. 

I went outside in the afternoon but the cold drove me back in.  The regulars were at the feeder and white throats in the mulch.  Cormorants were fishing and flying. 

Visit to new park

A male Northern Pintail duck paddled downstream at breakfast.  On election day I saw what I think was a female who looked very different.  The early morning reflections on the creek were lovely but I had to leave for a meeting.  

On the way there and back I passed the new park at Lake Smith and in the afternoon we came back for a walk.  The fall colors reflected nicely in the lake but the traffic roaring by was distracting.  Farther into the woods we encountered a female pileated woodpecker.

I also saw a cabbage butterfly at lunch.  Sunset comes so early now that we barely beat it home.