85°

Sunshine lit up the creek.  Today the birds were lively.  White throats and maybe more than one song sparrow foraged.  A brown thrasher visited early. The warmth was stimulating leafing out on many of the trees.  Hyacinths sent up blooms and the first dogwood buds opened.  Oak flowers began to grow.  

A white throat ate mealworms but I don't think it liked them very much.  A bluebird tossed them out of the dish.  A myrtle warbler scampered around looking for fallen food.  In the late afternoon I tried to seduce a squirrel with peanut fragments.   Meanwhile a downy fussed because it wanted suet and thought I was too close.  A mockingbird found the mealworms in the glass dish.  A wasp discovered the jelly.  Two cedar waxwings landed in the oak!  The day's high temperature set another record.  

Spring fever

This early Spring has made me lazy.  Yesterday slipped away without a post and it wasn't for lack of photos or interest.  Both days were sunny with a nippy breeze, especially Saturday.  The oak, peach, and redbuds flowered, the wild cherry began to leaf out, and buds burst on a dogwood.  Sweet gum buds looked ready to pop and I found fig leaves!  Buds were visible on the blueberries but not yet open.  Fortunately there were early bumblebees. 

The female orioles remained and a male showed up.  At least two bluebird pairs visited the feeders.  Myrtle warblers fussed over pecking order.  Blue jays stuffed their beaks.  Downy woodpeckers were faithful to their suet.  Starlings scattered food everywhere.  Red-winged blackbirds were much better behaved.  A few robins remained from the flock in the pecan. 

Pelicans fished on the creek but I never got a good shot. The sun reached a lot more of the patio and flowerbeds.  The moon was well up and looking fat by the time I took my library books back on Saturday.  

A mockingbird greeted the Sunday sun.  Then a blue jay wanted breakfast.  Orioles started arriving, then bluebirds.  Robins came back to drink.  The female orioles were much more assertive with the male than they were a month ago.  He definitely ate last.  Red-winged blackbirds briefly returned.  And of course there were starlings.  

I saw a junco.  A white breasted nuthatch was more interested in suet than seeds. The first grackle I've seen in years popped up but didn't stay long.  And a cedar waxwing accompanied a robin to the birdbath!  

Chilly gray day

Rain dripped through the morning.  Moments of sunlight cut through the afternoon clouds.  Again, I waited to put out food in the dishes.  In addition to the regular birds, I saw a flicker, a cedar waxwing, and two red winged blackbirds. 

White sky

I missed a day.  Actually, I took so many pictures that I didn't want to deal with them.  But Friday began with the cat birdwatching.  A brown headed nuthatch ignored the feral feline and eventually it gave up.  The sun was out by lunchtime.  It lit up a bluebird and a pine warbler, neither of which looked at the camera.  A starling came for suet.  A mockingbird looked surprised.  Then a male oriole arrived.  (The camera kept focusing on the background instead of the bright orange bird.)

The male pileated woodpecker was next.  I got some nice closeups.  A bluebird and a house finch watched.  The smaller birds act very intimidated by the pileateds but the pileated woodpeckers are far more wary of me.  As soon as the pileated left, a downy moved in.  A female oriole found the jelly on the table.  The brown headed nuthatch came back.  

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On Saturday, wind from the South brought cloud cover.  The creek was calmer in the morning.  A myrtle warbler wanted breakfast.  So did an unusual looking junco that had tan sides.  All About Birds says that's either an immature or female of the slate colored variety.  (There are many varieties of dark eyed junco but only one in the Eastern US)  

The male pileated woodpecker returned followed by the female.  For a while she picked up crumbs he'd dropped but she clearly was not content.  He pretended to be oblivious.  Eventually she started climbing the post and he started down.  They stared at each other, then he went back up to the suet.  She flashed her wings and flew away. 

While all this was going on, a white throated sparrow kicked over mulch.  A bluebird checked to see if any crumbs were left.  A blue jay got word that I'd put out barkbutter balls.  A mockingbird investigated the jelly.  

After lunch, I saw a female bufflehead on the creek.  A female oriole remembered the jelly.  A bluebird watched from the dogwood while a male gathered nesting material.  The pileateds returned and this time she got the suet.  Then the wretched cat came back.  

There have been lots of gulls fishing in the last couple of weeks, but fewer pelicans.  I spotted a blue jay in a tree with its back to me.  A brown thrasher perched at the top of a pine.  A couple of cedar waxwings waited on bare cherry twigs, for what I wonder.  A bluebird posed on the ornamental feeder hanger.  A mockingbird landed on the shepherd's crook that holds the barkbutter.  A white throated sparrow rested in the dogwood.  The brown headed nuthatch made a foray to the sunflower seeds. 

Chilly but bright

A little flock of cedar waxwings landed in the trees before the sun was up so unfortunately they were back-lighted by the sky.  They were very round, not sleek, so they must have been cold.  And then just before they would have been properly sunlit, they all flew away.

The pileated pair came back for more suet.  A blue jay was unimpressed with the bill of fare.  Two brown thrashers were in sight at the same time.  With species where the sexes look the same, it's much harder to figure out whether I'm always seeing the same bird.  Bluebirds, warblers, Carolina wrens, a mockingbird, white throated sparrows and titmice also visited.  

Pelicans were hard at work patrolling the creek.  A wood duck pair paddled downstream.  It must be time for them to look for a nest site.  

A pileated pair

The creek was iced over again.  As teh sun warmed it, the ice gradually retreated.

A red belied woodpecker had no sooner landed on the suet than it was intimidated and flew off.  Then I saw why when a male pileated woodpecker took its place.  I took many photos but I noticed the bird kept pausing to look at something.  Eventually a female pileated appeared.  She seemed more interested in him than in a suet breakfast.  Seeing a pair was a first for me. 

Warblers began to arrive and the female red bellied woodpecker showed up as soon as the pileateds left.  A blue jay longed for barkbutter but was anxious about something.and retreated to the dogwood.  A mockingbird did not share the jay's concern.  Not long after, the feral cat came to do some birdwatching.  

Some birds were unimpressed.  A brown thrasher hardly paused its barkbutter eating.  A more cautious bluebird watched from a tree.   Two brown headed nuthatches raided the seed feeder.  Then I saw what I think was a female cowbird on the seed feeder.  A Carolina wren hunted goodies in the snow.  I saw a bird land in the cherry.  To my surprise, it was a cedar wax wing.  

A great blue heron took over the dam and drove off an egret.  The heron tolerated hooded mergansers.  

Windy

It was sunny all day and the temperature was mild, but the wind stripped the warmth off exposed skin.  A Carolina wren greeted me at breakfast.  White throats were busy as well.  A half dozen cormorants fished their way upstream.

The warblers, myrtle and pine, came for lunch as did a lone red-winged blackbird.  A red breasted nuthatch once again got seeds without getting photographed.  The goldfinch watched from the pine tree.  Crows played with the wind.

The house finches had a little drama - one of two males brought the female a gift.  He was allowed on the feeder perch with her, but not the other male.  A titmouse just wanted a seed but got caught up in the play.

I went out to weed which naturally upset the birds.  I found a nice clump of pincushion moss Leucobryum glaucum.  There were some robins in the trees and I think I saw a cedar waxwing.  I definitely saw a pied bill grebe.  And by then I was half frozen and came in.

Warming

Again the birdbath was frozen at breakfast so I added hot.  The water attracted more birds than the food.  And I took way too many photos in the sunshine.  Robins and white throats wanted a drink right away.  A nuthatch had some suet first and a wren some mealworms.  The butterbutt got in everyone's way.  I got one photo of the back of a cedar waxwing before it took off and I saw no more.

Both woodpecker pairs - downy and red belly - breakfasted on suet.  A heron waded by the dam outfall.  Juncos were back.  The titmouse got a little bolder.  A flock of brown headed cowbirds descended on the birdbath.  Squirrels were still having romantic flings.  One of the robins sat in the birdbath and got quite hissy when any other bird came near.  Then a male red winged blackbird scared off the robins.  But they soon rejoined him.  And then a male oriole showed up.  I think it was the one we had a month ago.

Blue jays raided the mealworms a few times but never took much.  A pair of goldfinches came for seeds.  The male was molting into summer color but the female had not begun.  A female red wing also visited the suet. At lunch time, I caught sight of a flicker and a moment later a brown thrasher.  The song sparrow finally arrived. A large dark fly basked on the post.

After lunch I went outside.The wind was chilly though not as fierce as the last few days.  A brown thrasher sang its extensive repertoire from the top of the redwood.  A male kingfisher watched the water from its favorite post on the neighboring dock.  I found an opened leaf on the fig.  The purple witch hazel was blooming but the native was just beginning to bud.  The pine cones were really abundant this winter.  Two of the three redbuds were beginning to flower.  A carpenter bee was warm enough to feed on the rosemary.  I pulled out a lot of leucojum even though it was blooming - too invasive.  

After I came back in, the female red belly hopped onto the remnant of suet.  A starling tried to dislodge her and finally succeeded.  She called her boyfriend to the rescue and he dispatched the interloper.  The pine warbler watched all this from the post.  Better than television!

Around 4pm the sun went out and I realized the beautiful blue sky had turned to gray.  A midge landed on the window.  Warblers argued over the suet till a downy sent them both off.

Daylight was saved

It was, however, light when I got up.  Sunshine slipped in sideways under a white sky.  The squirrel that seems to delight in leaping from bending twigs missed and fell at least 15 feet, but scrambled back up.  The cat was back, reducing bird watching opportunities.  However, juncos were back, including the brownish female.  White throated sparrows and doves joined them under the feeder.  Starlings tried to get at the last bits of suet.  And a splash on the creek alerted me to a female wood duck. 

By midday the overcast broke into big cumulus clouds, some white, but some dark.  There was sun for several hours.  A cabbage white fluttered through the yard and carpenter bees fed on the rosemary.  The male downy was bold enough to work on the suet while we ate outside, but disappeared just before a hawk zoomed through the yard.

Later, an osprey plunged into the creek behind a screen of brush so I couldn't tell if it was successful.  It flew off over the lake. A little after 4pm EDT, the rain began. The storm moved East and around 5pm the sun shone intensely on the falling rain.  A faint rainbow formed over the creek.   Titmice were busy at the feeder while the warbler watched.  Cedar waxwings landed briefly in the neighbor's sycamore.  And another hour and back to gray, and another band of rain at 7pm. 

Really warm!

First I saw a robin, then a flock of cedar waxwings arrived.  Juncos foraged under the feeders and a downy woodpecker got suet despite starlings.  A few buffleheads and hoodies were on the creek while herons and pelicans flew overhead.

At lunch time a cormorant struggled with a big fish.  The bird drifted out of sight so I don't know the end of the story.  The temperature reached at least 80°F. It missed the record by one degree. 

Toward evening the sky grew cloudy.  Sunset lit bars of cloud orange, then rose, then smoke.

Windy and bright

Yesterday, the birds ate everything in sight and they were nearly hysterical this morning.  The warbler tried to defend the empty suet cage.  Both downy and red bellied woodpeckers, and starlings came to see if it was really empty.  A few juncos and a song sparrow looked for breakfast on the ground.  The huge flock of red winged blackbirds, robins, cedar waxwings, and who knows what else was still around.  I saw a blue jay.  House finches and cardinals came for seeds. K refilled both feeders. 

A Baltimore oriole landed on the feeder hanger.  When I jumped up to fetch out the grape jelly, a raccoon trundled up the slope and went down the pool steps.  I caught it coming back.  Then I put out the jelly but did not see the oriole again, alas.

The wind swung around to the West since yesterday but it was still very gusty. On the creek, I saw a pair of buffleheads and a pair of hoodies hanging out together.  Pelicans, cormorants, and egrets battled the wind.  The great blue heron was back in its favorite spot on the dock next to the dam, but it was all hunched like Quasimodo against the wind.  Around mid morning that wind blew in fresh cloud cover. 

I had a meeting in the afternoon in a room with a window wall.  The clouds outside were highly dramatic but rather difficult on photographs of what was going on inside.  On the way home I took some pictures. 

Warm, wet, and windy

House finches, titmice, and chickadees came for seeds while downy woodpeckers, Carolina wrens, and the warbler wanted suet.  Two blue jays flitted around the perimeter of the pool.  A song and a white throated sparrow paid brief visits.  It had rained overnight and rained again around 9am. The wretched feral tuxedo cat put an end to festivities.

Later in the morning, two doves foraged in the mulch while finches occupied the feeder.  A timid tufted titmouse came for lunch and that brute of a butterbutt chased it away repeatedly till it gave up.  The female red bellied woodpecker showed up briefly.  A female towhee was screened by twigs. A few juncos hid in the trees. 

Around 2pm a tornado watch was posted.  The wind was gusty here but that didn't discourage a flock of blackbirds and robins.  There was at least one cedar waxwing in the flock.  I saw a bufflehead and a cormorant on the creek but the light was going.  There was lightning, and then a lot of wind and rain coming sideways out of the South.  And then about 4pm some blue patches appeared, very briefly, among the clouds speeding North. I heard doves cooing again. 

I looked at weather maps and I think that everything was spinning around a low over Ohio.   West of there snow was being dragged South, but much more slowly than rain was passing North over us.  It was an impressive storm - there was a tornado a few counties to the West. But when I went to bed the waning gibbous moon was bright, making passing clouds glow. 

Windy, wet, and warm

A wild morning kept most birds away.  All I saw at the feeders were a male house finch, the warbler, and a downy woodpecker.  A few gulls teetered on the wind.  It was strong enough to blow over a mostly full garbage can.  The rain started up around 9am and was really pounding an hour later..  Every trace of snow and ice was gone.

While the morning was very wet, the sky began to clear at lunch and by mid afternoon, it was Spring!  The red bellied woodpecker showed up and a wren beat it to the suet. Juncos popped up.  A blue jay hung out in the trees. 

I cam home to a mixed flock of robins and cedar waxwings.  Doves were everywhere.  House finches were giving the warbler conniptions.  The sun shone and the wind calmed down.

There were just enough clouds to make sunset spectacular, but I was driving.  On the way home I noticed how sharp and bright the stars appeared. 

Blustery and overcast

Both downy and red bellied woodpeckers worked on the suet.  A couple of starlings also came for suet but I hope I scared them off.  The sparrows foraged below, joined by juncos and wrens.  The yellow rumped warbler continued to frustrate tufted titmice who only wanted seeds the warbler doesn't eat.  The regulars ignored the butterbutt, except for chickadees that darted in when it was distracted. 

Mid morning, a flock of cormorants fished their way downstream.  Then a flock of cedar waxwings landed in the dogwood!  I only got one photo before something startled them.  Whatever it was scared all the other birds too.  The downy froze behind the post with only one eye peeking around.  A dove walked around on the pool cover.  Buffleheads dove on the creek. 

The great blue heron was at its usual place under the dam.  Pelicans made occasional passes over the creek and I saw one swallowing something, but it was behind a piling.  A squirrel with a mouth full of nesting material made trips up a pine tree at the NW corner of the house.

In the afternoon, pelicans, herons, hoodies, buffleheads, and gulls were very busy fishing.  Then a light rain dampened their enthusiasm. The rain got heavier after dark. 

Lovely day

It was sunny with just a breath of a breeze, but heavy dew and a real chill to the air.  The creek was flat and reflected the sunlit trees.  A slantface grasshopper got inside somehow and was sitting on the window frame.  I evicted it with some difficulty and it hung around outside all morning.  The grass was full of dew covered funnel webs. 

Down by the dam, a Great and a Snowy egret appeared to get along, for a while.  The male downy was back for breakfast and the early sun cast odd shadows through the suet cage on the woodpecker's feathers.  All the regulars came too.  Robins and cedar waxwings invaded the dogwood for berries.  They ate fast and were gone.  I think I spotted an oriole with them.

The tide was in and mallards perched on the neighbors' flooded dock.  The wind was more evident out over the water, making the reflections waver.  A cormorant fished along the dam. The spotless spotted sandpiper showed up again.  A great blue heron flew downstream.

At lunch time, first a catbird and then a mockingbird ate beauty berries.  An orange sulphur butterfly flitted all over.

Wet

It was not raining at breakfast and there wasn't much wind either.  But thunderous-looking clouds passed overhead.  White throats were joined by a fox sparrow, maybe the one who hit the front window.  The male downy woodpecker returned to the suet and a squirrel tried to get some but gave up.  Maybe the overnight rain dampened the pepper smell until the squirrel got close?

Geese were joined on the creek by a male hooded merganser and a smaller duck, maybe a ruddy?  Cormorants, a great blue heron, and several egrets flew above. A blue jay hung out in a dogwood across the yard. 

By late morning, the South wind had grown much stronger.  Dark clouds moved fast across the overcast sky while the last leaves blew down.  White throats kicked wet mulch while finches headed for the feeder.  A pelican flew upstream, then mallards paddled the same direction.  The temperature reached the 60s though the wind and rain prevented it being pleasant. 

There was an interval without rain around 4pm.  White throats, woodpeckers, and squirrels came out, as did some kids in shorts down on the dam.  I think I glimpsed a butterbutt and a flock of cedar waxwings (I think) landed in the redwood.  A pelican circled.  All were sent scurrying by the next wave of rain. 

Warm again

The sky is full of clouds, but they are individual with blue between.  Dawn was sunny.  Titmice and white throats joined the regulars.  Pelicans cruised low to the water.  I think I saw a brown thrasher, but even with the photo I cannot be certain.

The sky cleared as morning progressed and it became very warm by lunch.  (Lunch was considerably delayed today.)

In the afternoon the waxing moon rose and the maria making up the rabbit were very visible.  Daytime photos of the moon are the only ones where any surface detail survives. 

A mixed flock of robins, black birds and at least one cedar waxwing took over the front yard trees.   They were twanging more than singing.

New year rains in

 It would make much more sense to me to begin the year at the solstice instead of ten days later.  Nevertheless, I overslept, and all I've seen this morning are a junco on the feeder and a squirrel trying to rob the feeder.  And raindrops plinking one at a time into the birdbath. A little later a chickadee showed up. 

When we returned after mid-afternoon, the birds were having a party with a squirrel.  A half dozen doves, a towhee, two wrens, sparrows, juncos, finches, cardinals, chickadees and a nuthatch were all making a mess.  Hulls everywhere.  They rushed off when we came in, but gradually drifted back.  The photo is a Carolina wren and a white-throated sparrow, both have white eyeliner. 

A flock of cedar waxwings paused in the redwood.  An eagle soared over the dam.  Gulls cruised the creek, occasionally making plunges into the water.  Not a bad start to the year. 

Wet

Gray sky.  The white spot squirrel was busy in the mulch.  Later another squirrel came past with a pecan.  I think it was dug up like a 1000-year-old-egg.  The sunflowers are quite finished blooming but still have green leaves so I think the seeds must be growing. 

By mid afternoon it was above 70 and the sky was clearing somewhat.  A strong wind out of the WSW moved the lower cumulus along very fast and the wispy higher clouds tagged behind.  Gulls were playing mad flying games, as usual, when the wind is strong. 


Bees and yellow jackets were hard at work.  A larger bird chased a smaller over near the neighbor's fence, too fast for me to identify.  A small pelican flew first upstream then down, staying very low to the water, out of the wind.  Buffleheads were out paddling.

An olive drab bird flitted through the bushes, I think it was a goldfinch.  A flock of robins landed in the oak and I believe it included a cedar waxwing.  If you look very closely you can see the waxy yellow tip of the tail.  A dove was also perched there, but didn't fly off with the flock. I thank Mary Reid Barrow for blogging that cedar waxwings flock with robins, otherwise I would not have guessed to look for them.