Wood ducklings

A bluebird was not pleased to find that not much but dust was left of the barkbutter and mealworms.  A dove was disappointed that no water pooled on top of the pool cover.  But the female pileated woodpecker had all the suet she wanted.  And when she finished, a Carolina wren took over.  A mockingbird settled for the crumbs the pileated had dropped.  The same red bellied woodpecker returned, identifiable by the incomplete patch of red on his forehead.  I wonder if he is a juvenile?  

A flower opened on the lanceleaf coreopsis.  Buds on the butterfly milkweed showed a hint of orange.  Lots of cabbage whites flitted around but I didn't see much else but wasps in flight.  Three skinks crossed my field of view.   A wood duck herded eight or nine ducklings on the creek.  I had assumed she was a mallard till I saw her eye rings.  This was the first time I ever saw wood ducklings.  

Temperature drop

The creek was lovely at breakfast with magenta azaleas in the foreground and a pair of wood ducks paddling by.  Even though the temperature dropped about 20° from yesterday, Spring clearly had arrived.  A few violets were blooming.  The yellow daffodils were about finished and the "fried eggs" narcissus were about to pop.  Still, there were pelicans fishing on the creek.  

The starlings and pileated woodpeckers tore through the suet.  Warblers hoped I would refill the dishes.  The female red bellied woodpecker dug seeds out of the feeder.  A couple of blue jays kept an eye on the barkbutter dish.  A cabbage white circled the pool aimlessly.  

Wood ducks!

Rain came down so hard before dawn that I thought I was hearing ocean waves.  It fell more gently during breakfast ans a pileated woodpecker ignored it to eat suet.

After the rain stopped, I refilled the dish feeders.

I saw a pelican, but didn't get a photo.

A pair of wood ducks roamed the creek looking for a nesting site, a sure sign that Spring is here.  

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.  

Misty, moisty morning

We went to the Norfolk Botanical Garden and walked part way around Mirror Lake.  The lake was covered with aquatic vegetation which got in the way of reflections. Camellias were blooming and dripping.  I found an orchard spider with a really big web.  Pine needles were dangling from it.  

The camera battery died after I took pictures of the statue of one of the Black women who made the garden.  I brought a spare but the camera got fussy so I missed the bumblebee visiting the hellebore flowers.  It recovered when I spotted a mushroom.  On the way home we swung by the upper end of the lake.  Later, I saw a wood duck drake on the turtle log.  The mist became rain and settled in for the day.  And the temperature dropped. 

Drizzle

The light was not good under the gray sky and yet we didn't get as much rain as I'd hoped.  Titmice came for seeds during a lull.  A female kingfisher rested on our dock bench.  I don't know if she saw me but she soon flew away. 

The sky began to clear around 5pm and a beam of sunlight ignited a spiderweb.   Because I was shooting through a window screen I got diffraction stars as well as iridescence.   

Wood ducks took over the turtle log on the lake.   A flock of Canada geese paddled downstream past mallard pairs dabbling for supper.  A great blue heron perched on a post to preen.  Sunset was very orange.  

Fish day

The bright sun didn't warm the air but, at least, it wasn't blowing like the last several days.  All day gulls and osprey were fishing for something too small for me to see.  Occasionally, I could see schools of the fish ruffling the surface of the creek.  I wasted an awful lot of shots on the flying birds - makes me appreciate digital cameras.  The pictures I got look like an all-white bird, but after looking at gull and turn photos, my best guess is that they were Bonaparte's gulls. 

Meanwhile, at the feeders, a brown thrasher visited warily.  Bluebirds were around but also cautious.  Starlings didn't care.  A Carolina wren flitted from feeder to feeder.  A myrtle warbler stayed in the trees.  The brown headed nuthatches were back.  The pileated woodpeckers continued their dating game on the feeder post and around different trees.  She seemed very interested in a spot on the magnolia where a large limb was removed.  He got down in the grass and carefully checked every exposed root. 

Low tide around 4pm exposed mudflats and narrowed the creek.  Except for one loner, turtles crowded their favorite log.  Cormorants, egrets, and a great blue heron rested around bale of the turtles.  A pair of wood ducks paddled past me.  I believe I saw an eagle too.  The great blue heron on the neighbors' dock apparently didn't belong there because another chased it upstream.  The victor returned but didn't stay. 

Gusty

It wasn't windy at breakfast but by lunch the trees were whipping in all directions.  Old leaves blew up the steps, then back down or off to the side.  The creek surface wrinkled as wavelets ran in different directions.  With fewer obstacles, the clouds moved steadily East. The wind did not seem to bother the pileated woodpeckers, but smaller birds stayed low.  A starling landed on the suet, then a crow landed on the roof and glared at it and they both flew away. 

A cabbage white took shelter from the wind behind a clump of narcissus.  The hackberry began leafing out much earlier than usual.  Flower buds appeared on the wild cherry and the sweet gum.  And one of the pines looked about to burst into pollen.  The wind tore flowers off the neighbor's camellia and flung them on the dead leaves and pine cones under our trees. 

In the corner by the hose spigot, a Carolina wren popped up and disappeared.  A white throated sparrow foraged back there.  Then the cardinals shared a tender moment.  A male bluebird watched. A pine warbler got some suet without being bullied.  A female red bellied woodpecker went for the other suet block by the back window. 

Despite the intermittent sunshine, I saw no turtles.  However, I did see a pair of wood ducks land in the creek and paddle upstream.  Another bird in the water looked like the pied bill grebe but it had its back to me.  Four great egrets arranged themselves around the dam.  They were flaunting fancy breeding plumage but appeared more interested in fish.  A big one jumped beyond their reach.    A great blue heron flew in and disturbed their order.  

The clouds had been looking quite stormy and K said they were spitting rain.  Then the sun slipped below the cloud layer and lit up the far trees.  The remaining clouds turned peach, then rose while everything was bathed in a warm red light. 

Wood ducks

At last, the plastic came off the windows in the morning.  Mid day was beautifully warm and sunny.  Something dug lots of little burrows in the front grass.  They look like anthills but I suspect ground nesting bees.  I did see a couple of ants walking up a window. 

The array of flowers had changed a lot in four days.  The early daffodils were nearly done and even the dutch hyacinths were past their prime.  I went around the house to admire the redbuds and upset some birds who thought that was their space.  A myrtle warbler peeked at me over a magnolia branch.  Both the redbuds and a peach sapling were in bloom.  Violets, buttercups, and birdseye bloomed in the grass.  I could see flower buds on azaleas.  Even the moss had sent up spore stalks.  

Fewer turtles were out than yesterday.  A young brown pelican flew upstream and returned not much later.  After I was back inside I notices a pair of wood ducks at the water's edge.  Unfortunately a clump of wild onion kept confusing the camera.  Then I spotted a second pair about ten feet away.  All four ducks were having a spa day, bathing and preening, and also snuggling.  Wood ducks dive quite well I observed.  Eventually the first pair sailed away and the second pair hopped onto the dock for a rest.  A mallard drake was hanging around, probably up to no good.  The wood drake came to the same conclusion.  I'm not so sure about the female, though she got in the last word.  We really need to get a wood duck box! 

I startled pileated woodpeckers that fled too fast for me.  A red bellied woodpecker was also wary, but I managed not to offend.  The sky clouded up as the afternoon grew later so I gave up on greeting the full moon. 

Wintry blast

Supposedly the temperature was above 60 in the morning, but I failed to check.  People were installing a new door and glass wall in the morning in the midst of a gale as the temperature plunged and rain blew in.  It's actually kind of amazing that nothing went wrong.  Anyway, circumstances were not conducive to birdwatching.  By afternoon when the workers left, the birds were frantic for calories.  The female pileated woodpecker took over the suet.  

Foraging white throated sparrows were joined by a chickadee and juncos.  A white breasted nuthatch was not intimidated by the pileated.  Dogwood buds had turned distinctly pink while the last few buds on the camellia were still blooming. 

I went back to my computer and found it was a good thing I'd hung fresh suet outside that window.  A mockingbird was making a meal of it.  Juncos were foraging there too.  One shared a perch with a Carolina wren.  A male red bellied woodpecker was next on the suet.  (You see how much work I was not getting done.)  The blowing rain fogged more distant trees.  The wind tore the clouds to lint that went flying South. 

A yellow rumped warbler joined the ground crew.  So did a bluebird.  A pine warbler waited in the hackberry for an opportune moment to get some suet.  A pair of wood ducks paddled downstream.  I finally got the brown thrasher that had been dodging me all afternoon. 

By late afternoon there were some rents in the cloud cover and once a flicker of sunshine escaped.  The clouds picked up tints of sunset color.  

Gloomy

The sky was dull and overcast, the creek gray and rough, and then it rained.  Yesterday's rain had already filled the ant moat and the birdbath and expanded the pool puddle. I was gloomy because I missed getting a picture of a mockingbird.  Plus the feral cat was hanging around, birdwatching.  That did not deter the male pileated woodpecker from eating suet.  Bluebirds cautiously snatched an occasional barkbutter ball.  A female bluebird dared to seize fallen suet crumbs while I worried that the cat would pounce.

When the cat finally gave up, a blue jay came for a barkbutter ball, or three.  Juncos came to forage under the seed feeder.  A very colorless pine warbler hoped for some suet.  House finches continued their romance.  At least one myrtle warbler zipped around the trees.  A brown headed nuthatch attempted a foray for a seed but ran into a house finch.  

I'm pretty sure there were diving ducks on the creek, but they didn't cooperate with the camera.  An egret below the dam was a much easier subject.  And the photo revealed two drakes in the water above the dam - a mallard and a wood duck.  No turtles were out on the logs.  I heard crows and rushed to get the camera ready but was too slow to catch them chasing a hawk downstream.  

Much cooler

It was about 25 degrees colder than the same time yesterday.  At breakfast, I saw a brown thrasher, a blue jay, and a red bellied woodpecker, quite a palette, but my camera missed them all.  At lunch, I caught a white throated sparrow getting a drink. 

I spent much of the day in back listening to court cases.  At least that allowed me to look out the window.   The usual egret was on the dam.  A pair of hoodies came by.  I counted a dozen turtles in the sun on the lake.  I think there may have been a wood duck or two.  LBJs flitted around the saltbush.  A herring gull perched on a dock piling.  

Many birds

Morning overcast helped my photography.  The pileated woodpeckers have become regulars. And they emptied the suet feeder.  The bluebirds squabbled a bit over the barkbutter.   But the bad little butterbutt kept driving away the birds I wanted to photograph.  A brown headed nuthatch dropped down to the birdbath to get away.  A red bellied woodpecker spooked but later the male returned. 

Juncos joined the sparrows again.  A brown thrasher craved barkbutter.  I'm going to have to go buy some more.  A starling went after the suet, but I have plenty of that.  A mockingbird poked around but didn't find whatever it was looking for. 

The creek was rough.  I saw a few pelicans and diving ducks, an egret or two, and a great blue heron. The camera caught a wood duck drake and I didn't even realize it.  Turtles came out of the water to bask.  A couple of red-winged blackbirds explored the exposed creek bottom at low tide. 

Streaming clouds

I woke up to sunshine but soon clouds blew in from the Northwest.  All day clouds alternated with sunshine, but the cold was consistent.  Some clouds looked dark and stormy but nothing precipitated.  Reflections went from brightly colored to dull and muted. 

The mockingbird preferred barkbutter for breakfast.  Warblers took what they could get.  The Carolina wren seemed happier with suet.  Bluebirds alternated between suet and barkbutter.  

The creek became wrinkled with ripples but that didn't trouble the pelicans.  Cormorants, a bufflehead, a grebe, and hooded mergansers fished from the water's surface.  A great blue heron fished below the dam.  Then a gorgeous wood duck drake came paddling by, not fishing at all. 

I spotted a white breasted nuthatch in the trees but it nipped out of sight.  Bluebirds perched and posed everywhere.  One junco joined the white throated sparrows foraging in the mulch under the feeder.  A squirrel has been stripping bark from the redwood to line its drey. 

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.  

Three woodpeckers

There ought to be a folktale about Little Downy, Middle Sized Redbelly, and Great Big Pileated Woodpecker.  But they showed up at different times and didn't encounter each other so there's no plot to the story.  The pileated was a male, the red bellied a female, and I think both sexes of downy visited. 

A squirrel went out on some bouncy limbs after dogwood berries.  A Carolina wren poked through the barkbutter balls.  Titmice and chickadees carried off sunflower seeds to hammer in private.  White throats foraged on the steps for woodpecker crumbs.  

A wood drake paddled up the lake.  The cormorants commuted home in all directions past pink cloud streaks.

Back to warm

A curious bluebird watched the barkbutter balls because a brown thrasher had taken over.  The brown thrasher moved to the suet and then to the birdbath.  The heat had nearly all the trees in bloom.  That included the domestic cherry that grew from a pit I planted many years ago.

Sunshine brought out a tiger swallowtail that, alas, I mistook for a leaf fluttering on the breeze until too late.  A white throated sparrow lurked in the camellia until it dashed out to retrieve a fallen barkbutter ball.  A row of turtles soaked up solar heating.  

Blue jays gathered after lunch.  I saw crows chase an osprey.  The tide went very low, a combination of wind direction and moon phase.  The goose with the bad wing was back.  A wood duck pair grazed on the hillside above the turtles.  

Warm and wet

After watching the great blue heron chase away intruders, I was surprised today to see two herons on our dock placidly grooming themselves within a couple of feet of each other.  One was much more brown than blue, probably a juvenile.  

Turtles were out on their logs.  A pair of hoodies glided upstream past the heron.  An egret fished below the dam.  And a pair of wood ducks shared the turtles' log. 

A mockingbird enjoyed the suet.  But with rain predicted, I didn't put out any barkbutter balls and many birds stayed away.  The rain began around 3:30pm.  Before that, the thermometer registered 75°. 

Tired rain

A gray day with come-and-go rain that seemed reluctant to fall.  I saw yellow rumps and yellow heads on warblers, the latter being a pine warbler. Titmice and chickadees snatched seeds and retreated to the cover of leaves. 

A great blue heron stood on top of one of the dock posts.  An osprey plunged for a fish.  A bufflehead pair dived while I was on the phone.  Pelicans and a kingfisher flew past.  A lone goose nestled into the grass.  The mist barely let me make out a wood drake on a lake log.  

Warm sunshine

A piece of March broke off and fell into the middle of February.  I saw the thermometer reach 66° and it may have gone higher.  The wind was March-like as well as the Spring temperature. The overnight rain was still falling at breakfast, which did not deter a female oriole. Pelicans fished in the rain-dimpled creek but I had little luck taking pictures of them. 

The rain cleared off by 10am and the white throated sparrows celebrated.  I went outside an hour later without any coat.  While I was out, a wood duck drake paddled downstream.  A couple of turtles basked on a log that looked smaller than before the bad weather.