Still cold

Overnight dropped below freezing and the pepper plants were outside.  Again the mockingbird was an early, and very puffed up, visitor.  A myrtle warbler ate jelly.  A row of ruddy ducks floated past.  Many cormorants fished and I saw a pelican go by.  The gulls were back too.  An egret prowled the shore.  I saw shoveler drakes again on the lake.  

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.  

The crow monster

The birdbath was frozen when I got up and the money plant leaves were frosted.   No ice marred the reflections on the creek and the sun made them glow.  Warblers competed with the downy for suet.  A bluebird decorated the top of the post.  Brown headed nuthatches rummaged through the seeds.  The red bellied woodpecker was particularly flighty.  Blue jays grabbed barkbutter balls.  A mockingbird foraged underneath.  A lone red-winged blackbird visited.  A Carolina wren found a fallen barkbutter ball and hammered it to bits.  But a white throated sparrow muscled in to get the bits. 

All three cats visited and had to be discouraged from birdwatching.  So when I heard the dog growling and carrying on like he saw a yard-invading abomination, I hustled to let him out.  Instead of a cat, a crow was walking around the patio.  The crow flew into the maple, maybe six feet up, but the dog thought it had gone invisible in addition to its other monstrous qualities.  The dog hunted around on the ground while the crow watched.  I don't know what the dog thinks is so objectionable about crows - their size?  That they walk on two legs?  Maybe he had a run-in with a crow once upon a time and carries a grudge?  

Meanwhile pelicans were flying and fishing.  A surfboard washed up on the dock during the high tides.   Turtles enjoyed the sun on their favorite logs while a Northern shoveler paddled by. 

Ice on the creek

Another overnight freeze made birds hungry.  Orioles just about finished the jelly and the orange crowned warbler helped.  The female pileated woodpecker got up early to have a peaceful turn at the suet. 

I saw a goldfinch in the saltbush.  The waterfowl were absent till afternoon.  Northern shovelers fed on the lake.  As I was leaving for a meeting, I spotted some hoodies on the creek.  On my way home I was followed by a streaky yellow sunset - stratus clouds predicting rain.  

 

Too many cats!

I don't know if people are being careless with their pets or if they are purposely dumping cats here, but this winter there have been cats I'd never seen before.  One is all black and the other yellow and long haired.  And the resident feral tuxedo cat showed up today too.  Fortunately the two new ones don't seem to be birdwatchers.  

Morning was cold, wet, and gray which didn't stop the downy woodpeckers.  The rain washed pollen onto the pool cover and made strange patterns, but it didn't fill the birdbath.  A white throated sparrow ventured out anyway, and I glimpsed a song sparrow.  Starlings were back - why doesn't the cat watch those?  

On the lake, shovelers were doing their carousel paddling trick to stir up the bottom.  It was too cold for turtles.  Down on the creek, a lone female bufflehead paddled upstream.  Three female hoodies passed two mallard drakes headed downstream.  

At lunch, the silly myrtle warbler was hovering at the suet again.  A Carolina wren inspected everything till an oriole bullied it off the barkbutter balls that I put out when the rain stopped.  The oriole filled her beak like a blue jay.  A few juncos poked through the mulch.  The sky gradually cleared.  A pine warbler wanted barkbutter balls too.   

Sunshine brought the turtles out.  The household that built the new dock next to the dam finally set the purple martin birdhouse up but I don't think they mounted it high enough or in a good spot.  A flock of red breasted mergansers fished up and down the creek and back again.  I saw six females and one drake.  Hoodies were also paddling around but diving less.  Then a female kingfisher appeared.  I might have stared too hard because she took off.  

Gray day

The rain began about half an hour after I got up, just individual drops in the birdbath at first.  Birds only showed up after the rain started.  A myrtle warbler seemed overwhelmed by a barkbutter ball.  A white breasted nuthatch sampled everything, and for a moment, there were two of them.  Bluebirds were more picky.  Female orioles pecked at the remains of yesterday's jelly. 

K told me there was a flock of birds in the pecan tree out front setting up a racket.  I couldn't be sure what they were, silhouetted against the sky, but there were hints of redness and I'm guessing they were robins.  I had hoped for cedar waxwings but I saw no sign of crests. 

After lunch, I spotted a song sparrow in the mulch around the birdbath.  Juncos had foraged their earlier, as had a dove.  A cardinal brooded on the seed feeder perch.  

I glimpsed an egret and a pelican in the morning.  In the afternoon, a couple of hoodie hens paddled upstream.  A great blue heron huddled on the neighbors' floating dock and another watched the lake.  Shovelers, I think, flew toward the dam.  

Spring signs

A film of ice sealed the water in the birdbath when I got up, but soon melted.  While I didn't notice wind, the creek surface was not still.  A myrtle warbler was the early bird.  These warm days persuaded bulbs and similar vegetation to send up shoots.  The Carolina jessamine began blooming.  It all put me in the mood to shop for seeds.  

Bluebirds monitored the feeders from the top of the redwood.  The orioles definitely liked the mealworms along with the jelly.  It's a good thing they are satisfied with cheap grape jelly.  A block from home a flock of robins poked in the grass.  I don't understand why they so rarely visit us. 

During the day the temperature sneaked up to 58, but started to drop as the sun descended into a layer of thin cloud. I spotted a faint sundog.  Returning from the library, I went past Witchduck Lake which was full of ducks and cormorants.  I identified hoodies, shovelers, and wood ducks.  

One half of the moon hung overhead as the sun set.  

Hot New Year!

It was still misty and a sprinkle of rain fell in the morning.  The Southwest wind was gusty at times and the cloud cover only occasionally let sunlight through.  Bluebirds and warblers visited frequently.  On the suet, a pine warbler got on a downy woodpecker's nerves.  I finally saw two Carolina wrens together. I had been getting concerned that the happy couple had broken up.  The white breasted nuthatch came back.  

It looked to me like the house finches were courting, passing each other tidbits.  Perhaps the weather upset their hormones?  The finches bullied the other seed eaters, including a brown headed nuthatch, until a female cardinal shoved them off.  There were blue jays around but they weren't as interested in a free meal as they are on colder days.  The scarred white throat was foraging under the barkbutter dish.  

The temperature was almost 75° all afternoon, warmer outside than inside on New Years Day.  Out front, my lichen garden seemed OK.  Purslane seeds were germinating too soon.  The hanging basket with the native plant had yellow flowers.  I found a baby pimento pepper.  Stratus clouds veiled the sun that tinted them.  I glimpsed two shoveler drakes on the lake.  

Foggy mist

There was drizzle at first, then mist so thick it might as well have been fog.  The creek was flat.  The moisture made lichens vivid.  A brown thrasher threshed the mulch under the sakaki.  Pine warblers tried to occupy the suet.  I noticed that one of them seemed brown, though paler than what I saw yesterday.   Still I suspect it was the mystery bird.  Bluebirds wondered why I didn't put barkbutter balls out to become mush.  Red bellied and downy woodpeckers managed to get some suet. 

The cat settled in by the corner of the house but seemed to be after something on the ground.  Finally it gave up.  A Carolina wren was content with barkbutter in a tub.  Then a white breasted nuthatch came for suet.  It was quite determined and returned each time another bird left.  Yellow rump warblers were not about to be left out.  I saw a white throated sparrow up in a tree. 

An odd looking duck landed on the water and turned into a female bufflehead.  A great blue heron swooped past to land on a downstream dock.  A Northern shoveler floated on the lake.  A hoodie drake sped upstream and al I got was a blur. 

A very large bird landed fairly high in the trees.  Unfortunately, twigs closer to me confused the camera.  Its silhouette seemed to have a full sized head, not featherless, but the beak was wrong for a raptor.  It might have been a black vulture. 

Seasonable

The day began misty and gray, but birds were hungry.  Then the cat showed up. We chased it off only to discover it lurking in the shrubbery.  Finally it left for good and blue jays swooped in for barkbutter balls.  Brown headed nuthatches fended off chickadees and titmice to get their share of seeds.  The downy woodpeckers opted for barkbutter for once.  Bluebirds also wanted barkbutter, and suet.  Pine warblers headed for suet.  Winter-drab goldfinches poked around looking for vegan fare.  One went after the rue seeds. 

I saw the red bellied woodpecker watching from up in a tree.  Pelicans flew past screened by the trees.  Then a flock of cormorants chased a school of fish upstream.  The pelicans were right behind.  

In the late morning the sky began to clear.  In the sunlight, I saw two northern shoverlers on the lake.  Then a flock flew past and they joined it.  A great blue heron supervised the turtles.  The creek made beautiful reflections and a female hoodie paddled straight through them.. 

After lunch a friend called.  Frustratingly, while I was on the phone with no camera to hand, every bird in the neighborhood visited.  I saw a mockingbird, a song sparrow, white throated sparrows, a Carolina wren, pine and yellow rumped warblers, downy and red bellied woodpeckers, lots of bluebirds, pelicans, buffleheads, and a great blue heron.  

Neighborhod park

We went for a walk in the park at the end of the street.  It separates a freshwater lake from tidal marsh.  However, there's a lot of privet, green briar, poison ivy, and even kudzu, that should be removed.  I didn't see any wildlife in the marsh, but the lake was populated with cormorants and ducks and one great blue heron.  Most of the ducks were mallards with a few hooded mergansers and at least one Northern shoveler. 

There were mallards and hooded mergansers on the creek at home, but they weren't interested in being photographed.  The regular feeder birds visited and the scarred white throat foraged beneath.  Yellow jackets fed on the camellia flowers.  I took lots of pictures of colored leaves.  And that was Thanksgiving. 

Many birds

Once again there were birds before there was enough light.  Plus I was eating breakfast and trying to follow a legislative committee hearing.  The cat arrived and removed temptation.  Later starlings tried to gobble up all the suet.  

Around noon the sky began to clear.  Lots of birds came at lunch time.  Pine and yellow rumped warblers renewed their dispute over suet.  Five bluebirds argued about precedence.  But the orioles put on the real show - four females and two males showed up!  The mockingbird tried to police the suet.  Blue jays noticed that I put out barkbutter balls.  All three species of nuthatch visited - brown headed in the early morning, red breasted in the afternoon, and white breasted on and off all day.  Carolina wrens were repeat visitors along with tufted titmice.

Pelicans cruised the creek all day, until I moved to the back room fro a better view. I saw several female buffleheads.  A great blue heron landed on the dock, then moved to a perch in a pine across the creek.  Canada geese took over the lake logs but at least one shoveler drake was paddling around behind them.  A hooded merganser pair passed through headed downstream.  

Wet birds

I was trying to get to bed earlier and I must have skipped over Tuesday.  Maybe it was because I took too many pictures and couldn't cope?  Going by those photos, the day began with a goldfinch.  A yellow rumped warbler and a Carolina wren immediately followed, then a bluebird took the suet away from them.  The wren and the warbler moved to the mulch.  A female oriole replaced the female bluebird.  A male red bellied woodpecker was next.  A red breasted nuthatch was only interested in seeds.  A brown thrasher looked for suet crumbs.  And all that happened in four minutes.  

Soon a female downy woodpecker had a turn at the suet.  A ruby crowned kinglet followed another oriole and flaunted its tiny ruby.    Too bad the light was so poor and the kinglet so jittery.  A song sparrow was easier on the camera.  The mockingbird was wet as well as puffed up.  A pelican flew through the rain and then the cat prowled through the yard.  

Rain fogged the distant trees at lunch.  White throated sparrows poked through the wet mulch.  A pine warbler waited in the dogwood to share the suet with a bluebird.  Downstream, a great blue heron waited on a dock.  The wren brought its partner.  A male oriole displaced the female.  Then a male downy slammed onto the suet and sent the oriole flying.    A crow across the creek pulled something out of the grass, maybe a worm?  Mallards, hooded mergansers, and shovelers congregated around the dead trees on the lake.  Female buffleheads fished in the creek.  More pelicans flew over but must not have seen any fish.  

Rainy

Apparently there was rain overnight but it had stopped before breakfast.  Birds seized their moment but alas there wasn't enough light to photograph the white breasted nuthatch or the others I've now forgotten.  The blue jays queued up for bark butter balls.  The creek was ice-free and quiet except for a female bufflehead.  Up on the lake I could barely see some Northern shoveler drakes.  

I installed a fresh block of suet when I noticed the cage was completely empty.  The feisty yellow rumped warbler kept a close watch on lunch.  Rain returned around 1pm.  White throated sparrows ignored it but I didn't see the song sparrow.  The rain did not seem to bother the mockingbird.  

Clearing

Morning was wet and dreary but the sky cleared before lunch.  White throated sparrows hoped for more fallen seeds.  Yellow rumped warblers did not like having to reach for what was left of the suet.  Neither did the mockingbird.  Downy woodpeckers just kept eating suet.  A brown thrasher hunted for suet crumbs on the steps.  The pair of Carolina wrens got away without a single picture.

A great blue heron fished beside the dam and a few hooded mergansers fished along the bulkhead.   I spied a shoveler drake up on the lake. One hardy turtle was out catching some rays despite the temperature.  A speedy little female bufflehead paddled past the dabbling mallards.  They were using their feet to stir the water, which is something the shovelers do.  

Possum!

It trundled to the middle of the pool cover where its weight made the water well up for a drink.  Unfortunately, it drank with its back to me and when it finished, it trotted off quickly.  The light was not good and, indeed, rain began minutes later. 

The male red bellied woodpecker was eager for suet.  A titmouse came for seeds.  Birds flitted among the new leaves on the wild cherry, but I couldn't identify them.  The rain was light and intermittent. The light was bad all day.

Late in the afternoon I spotted Northern shovelers on the lake.  I think there was also a wood duck. A female hoodie surfaced briefly on the creek. 

Misty

Morning was slightly foggy.  Buffleheads disturbed the creek's reflections.  Another raggedy myrtle warbler came for bark butter.  A pair of mallards napped on the dock while a great blue heron stalked something under the dock.  On the lake, three shoveler drakes pinwheeled, trying to stir up food from the lake bottom. 

Downy woodpeckers worked on the suet. Blue jays hung around but if they came close, it was when I wasn't looking.  The hackberry began to leaf out, much earlier than last year,

Sunshine was supposed to arrive in the afternoon but instead there was a light rain.  The sky did begin to clear toward evening.  When I came home a squirrel was eating sassafras buds.

Pollen!

Unless it was an error, today's newspaper switched from "pollen will return in the spring" to "Today's pollen outlook High." A lot of spring flowers are opening but it is the wind-pollinated flowers that cause allergic reactions, and those flowers are small and dull.  Maybe the maple trees are responsible?

The male downy was on the suet at breakfast.  The creek was full of wavy reflections.  The usual suspects ate sunflower seeds and the white throats cleaned up what they dropped.  The myrtle warbler was on patrol.  But nothing ate the jelly. 

Little flowers peeked out of the grass, mostly field pansy and birdseye speedwell veronica neither of which is a native. I saw a flower at the bottom of an azalea bush.  The callery pears, of course, were everywhere. 

Turtles were out on logs on the lake.  A shoveler and several wood drakes paddled by them. Then I saw a wood duck pair just below me on the creek.  They may have seen me because they headed across the water.

 

Damp

I woke up to a gray sky that signaled the freeze was over. White throats were prospecting for fallen seeds.  And one had a brief shower in the birdbath.  The red breasted nuthatches were more cooperative than usual.  The yellow streaked myrtle warbler continued its bullying.  But the downy woodpeckers took over the suet. 

The creek was liquid glass with nothing interesting to reflect.   A crow visited and objected to my orange peel dish full of jelly atop the bark butter feeder.  It removed the whole thing and set it in the grass.  A light rain began about 11am and continued off and on through the day. 

At lunch, a titmouse joined the feeder crowd.  A pine warbler tried to eat but the myrtle warbler was on the case.  Then a female oriole showed up and the warbler gave up.  Then a blue jay scared off the oriole.  Meanwhile, a Carolina wren eluded me. 

At the far end of the pool a squirrel was turning somersaults.  Later another peeled bark off the redwood for nesting material.  I wonder if it repels insects like cedar? 

A northern shoveler was feeding on the lake.  And a crow was crabbing along the water's edge below the redwood.  The tide dropped quite low although we are past the new moon. 

Mist

Neither lion nor lamb - this March came in like a wet dog.  The very light rain continued all day but was much more noticeable in a moving car.  It didn't contribute much to the birdbath.  Warblers and white throats endured the wet for a meal.  I saw a heron on the dock but I was in a hurry.

Much later, I saw some shovelers on the lake, alongside some mallards. In the distance a flock of cormorants covered the water.