Robin

The robin scared off a junco. I can't call it the first robin of spring as they never leave. I saw a flock fly over the creek a few evenings ago, very red in the sunset. But I don't usually see any close to the house in the winter. Also appearing this morning, a crow proclaimed from a dock piling and a flock of geese went by.

Mid morning a half dozen buzzards circled them moved on. At lunch, pelicans were fishing. Crows harassed a hawk. And a flock of doves pecked around the patio. Several egrets flew downstream.

Roaring wind

The temperature is supposed to drop steadily all day. The feeder is rocking but a chickadee hopped on during a brief lull. A female cardinal and juncos stuck to the ground. A flock of diving birds went downstream but I couldn't tell if they were cormorants or ducks. Gulls and pelicans are fighting the wind to go upstream. A white throated sparrow had a drink at the birdbath.

At long last, today the red maple tree was planted to replace our lost oak. We had McDonald Garden Center do it which gives us a 2-year warranty. I wonder how long it will be before it begins to replace the shade we lost. At least, it is a native and adds variety for the critters who need native vegetation.

Blue sky is back

And it is getting warm. The moon is waning but very bright in the West at dawn. An early pelican inspected the creek.

The feeder is popular again. Finches were queuing up for a perch. Juncos ate both on the feeder and the ground, where they were joined by white throated sparrows.

In the afternoon, bees visited the rosemary. Doves cooed in the trees. Soft little clouds streamed out of the Southwest, but by evening they were all gone. Geese lined the bulkhead, then jumped into the creek, then flapped back out. Hundreds of cormorants did their evening commute, some heading upstream and others down. Gulls all headed North. Between the breeze and the lack of clouds, the sunset wasn't much.

Pink sunrise, gone gray

No visible moon setting this morning. A cardinal is on the feeder and I hear geese honking. A disturbance on the creek resolved into cormorants boiling up from below and then a pelican joined them. But I was on my way out and couldn't wait to see more.

Squirrels are romping. More pelicans. The rain has come.

It let up a bit and juncos and a white throat appeared. Then it returned in a lethargic way - distinct drops - but enough to keep everyone out of sight. The empty feeder is reflected on the wet concrete.

Dramatic moonset

It went down into a cloud bank on the horizon. Now the day is sunny with heavy dew everywhere.

On the creek, a bufflehead and a pair of mergansers swim by. A brown thrasher and a mockingbird are in the trees. Now the geese are lined up on the bulkhead again.

It's only low 50s, but bees are out, and yes they do like camellias as well as rosemary. Chickadees and titmice are busy on the feeder. Something I cannot quite see is scurrying under the rosemary.

Rain

So far the rain is very light, splashing in the birdbath but leaving a dry spot under the mesh patio chairs. Squirrels greeted dawn as did a bufflehead. It is keeping station out on the creek off the end of the dock. Juncos are hunting seeds on the ground and one took to the feeder.

Lunchtime and the lone bufflehead is still out there. A pelican just flew by. Dreary day.

Last evening I watched First Flight, a video of a hummingbird and its nest. The photography was great, though they had a unique opportunity with the nest on a clothesline on a porch - so they could get images from every angle. I could have put the sound on mute though, as they overdid the music and the narrator had an accent. The hummingbird was a western species but not all that different from a ruby throat. One thing I will remember is that if I see a hummer with spiderweb, there is a nest somewhere near.

The sun continues, but cooler

A squirrel was around so early there was barely enough light to see it. The feeder has been popular with titmice and a female cardinal. Pelicans are cruising the creak - four came downstream together.

The geese are all lined up on the bulkhead, this afternoon. Juncos are back from wherever they go on warm days. Doves and white throated sparrows are also hunting on the ground.