Fog and rain

Warm wind from the South brought wet weather.  The dawn sky was full of drama and mist hung like smoke in the air.  A glimmer of sun was so pretty I stopped at the park and took pictures.  But by late morning it dissolved into rain.  All I saw on my errands were starlings on the traffic lights.  I bought some fancy suet blocks and a jelly feeder for orioles.

At lunch and during the afternoon the feeders stayed busy.  Rain always seems to bring the birds out.  The three regulars all came along with a titmouse.  White throats scurried on the ground.  Downy woodpeckers came for suet.  And two Carolina wrens got into everything - both feeders, leftovers on the patio, the grill, everywhere.  On the suet, the wren braced itself with its tail like a woodpecker.  Nothing moved on the creek except the rain. 

The afternoon grew colder and darker and the rain heavier. It finally tapered off but then fog returned around 9pm. 

Fitful morning sun

Geese and hoodies paddled on a mostly placid creek.  Gulls and a buzzard flew over them.  An early white throat, a downy, and repeat visits from a Carolina wren finished out the morning.

By midday the sky was clear.  The wrens were back.  Chickadees were joined by a house finch on the feeder.   A flock of hooded mergansers fished their way downstream.  At the dam outfall, egrets and a great blue heron lined the bank while geese made a second line in the water.  I don't know why the geese were there.  Cormorants were out fishing as well and crows hung around waiting for an opportunity.

 A male downy came back after dinner.  Sunset was layers of pink and blue, very pretty, but it is predicted to turn into rain overnight. 

Clouding over

The morning was cold and sunny.  Coming home, I passed a mixed flock of starlings and cowbirds.    By lunch time, the South was overcast and the cloud cover kept spreading.  A fish frenzy occurred right after lunch with cormorants, egrets and gulls.  Later I saw hooded mergansers down by the dam outfall.  Chickadees kept the feeder occupied and the downy woodpeckers visited the suet.

Chilly blue sky

The downy woodpeckers were back at the suet.  White throated sparrows poked around under the seed feeder.  The leaves still on trees were brilliantly colored.  A couple dozen geese paddled on the shiny creek along with a mallard pair.

In the afternoon a song sparrow joined the foragers in the mulch.  Chickadees worked on the feeder.  Late in the day, a couple of sparrows got into a fight, but there wasn't enough light for the camera, or for me to tell which species were involved.  A dove appeared at twilight.

Cold wind

The NW wind blew the clouds away and the warmth with them.  Fallen leaves were tossed everywhere until they landed in water.  The cat came back early but I sent it off.  One dove pecked over the lower patio.  The female downy visited the suet.  Out on the creek, in addition to leaves, I saw hoodies before dawn, then geese, then a flock of fishing cormorants.  A vulture played on the gusty air but gulls were more business-like in their flight.

At lunch there were chickadees.  Mallard pairs seemed to find plenty of nourishment in the creek.  In between wakes and gusts the water returned to a reflective finish. Almost all remaining leaves were colored by this week but today's wind stripped many of the trees.  Odd clouds blew East on a wind that had veered around to WSW. 

Gray

Doves showed up at first light.  The downy pair came back, still discussing turns at the suet.  I glimpsed a sapsucker as well.  Chickadees and cardinals came to the feeder which needed refilling.  The tuxedo cat attempted to catch the doves which flew off with insulting unconcern.

During lunch, I got a phone call.  Naturally the birds picked that time when both my hands were full to arrive in droves.  I saw the red bellied woodpecker across the yard.  The Carolina wren came right up to the window for treats.  Titmice joined the feeder crowd.  A song sparrow foraged with the white throats.  Then a rain shower passed through. 

Woodpecker explosion

It was still raining in the morning.  Geese were out on the creek and a few chickadees came to the feeder, which was getting low.  I tossed some mealworms out the door.  The air was still and the creek undisturbed except by raindrops.  A squirrel ventured out on thin twigs to get at the redwood cones, of which there weren't many this year. 

Breaks in the clouds let the sun shine around 11am.  Suddenly the back yard was full of wings.  I finally saw the female downy on the suet.  A female red bellied woodpecker tested every small tree trunk.  It had competition from a male and a female yellow bellied sapsucker.  One of the wrens paid a brief visit.  Chickadees were joined on the feeder by titmice.  Cardinals lurked in the shrubbery as did a mockingbird.

The clouds returned by early afternoon.  After a late lunch, I saw hooded mergansers on the creek.  The titmice returned along with house finches and chickadees.  Both downy woodpeckers wanted more suet and retreated to the dogwood to argue.  I saw the red bellied woodpecker again in the dogwood.