Clear sky

Bright sunshine illuminating nothing but geese.  The nuthatch is up.

By late morning, everyone was busy eating.  On the creek, geese, buffleheads, gulls, and pelicans fished. Under the feeder, juncos, sparrows and squirrels found plenty.  To juncos got into a tussle and rose into the air.  Nuthatches on the feeder were joined by chickadees, titmice, finches, and the occasional junco.  One titmouse fiercely defended its place on the perch.

Across the creek, a raptor burst out of the pines.  A minute later, red-wing blackbirds fled past us. Is this a hawk or a young eagle? I'm going to guess red-tailed hawk. 

Little wet wren

It sat on the top step and looked and looked, and finally dashed under the rosemary.   After a while, two nuthatches visited the feeder.

An occasional streak of blue appears between clouds.  A buzzard circled.  Chickadees and squirrels visited.  One squirrel was very curious about me.  It or another scooted its bottom on the pavement just like an itchy dog.  I've never seen that before.

Things perked up at lunch with the arrival of a flock of blackbirds.  Some fed on the gum-balls.  The flock included robins and jays which came to the birdbath to drink.  One red wing blackbird flashed its shoulders dramatically as it swooped in.  Doves also arrived.  Sparrows and juncos joined the chickadees and nuthatches.  A mockingbird flew to the redwood.

By the end of the day, the cloud cover broke into little puffs and streaks flowing East tinted by the setting sun.  Flocks of birds headed home.

Lively breakfast

The birdbath is frozen, so it may not be any warmer, but the creek is ice-free and gulls are circling.  Three blue jays checked out the yard.  A half dozen doves pecked at everything including each other.  Also foraging on the ground were sparrows and the towhee, and of course squirrels.  On the feeder: the nuthatch, two titmice, two Carolina wrens, chickadees, finches, and cardinals.  The day is clear and bright, the creek is glassy and the air seems still. 

Coming home for lunch, I saw that the clear blue sky was now smudged with cirrus clouds.  The creek was still mirroring the sunlit trees but incoming current rippled the image.  The nuthatch came by, along with sparrows and squirrels. 

Freeze

The creek is iced over and there is frost on most surfaces.  It is clear and still and there is a hint of mist above the dam.  The ice in the birdbath was broken, probably by a squirrel, and the edges looked about a quarter inch thick.  I poured hot water in and a squirrel came for a drink,  A nuthatch came to the feeder.

It is cold enough that the hot water I added to the birdbath refroze.  At lunch, the creek is still iced on our side but open water against the bulkhead opposite - that's where the current runs.  A squirrel finally noticed the sunflowers today and chewed the biggest seed-head loose and carried it off.  Birds are still absent.

This evening, everything was melted.  Juncos, sparrows and doves were foraging for supper.  Cormorants were commuting home while gulls were just flying around, going nowhere.   There is a faint line of cloud on the Northern horizon. 

Gray day

An egret was reflected below the dam outflow.  Crows chased each other for lack of a better target.  Geese paddled around.

Three squirrels chowed down around the birdbath.  A couple of white-throats hung out in the bushes and I glimpsed a towhee. 

In the late afternoon, the clouds began to break up toward the North and admit a little sunset color.  Egrets, geese, and a bufflehead went by on the water, but nothing around the feeder.  Then the cormorants commuted home. 

More gray & wet

Not much activity so far. The leucojum is sending up shoots.  The pink camellia is past its prime and looking disreputable with brown petal litter. 

At lunch, the birds arrived.  First came the Carolina wrens, the nuthatches, and the chickadees.  Cardinals, sparrows, and the female towhee followed.  It is drying out and a moment of weak sun leaked through.

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.